KACITA cargo tracking system

Abstract

Cargo tracking is an essential service in a setting like Kampala, this is because Customers and Traders on a daily basis do transport their cargo /products from one location to another. There is a huge gap between customer and their products in transit which leads to misplacement of cargo and increased Shipping Costs that may result from goods being shipped to an incorrect destination as a result of the wrong direction given by the customer or when the driver misunderstands the customer. It is hence against this background that the researchers developed Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) Tracking System to provide convenience in tracking customer products in transit. The study's findings enable the tracking of the availability of goods in transit through linking the drivers, customers and traders directly thus being able to exchange contact information with each other. The project was designed using Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) for the process model and Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) for the data model. It was implemented using technologies such as; Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) for the interfaces, Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) for styling the interfaces, bootstrap for responsiveness, Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) for connecting the database and the interfaces, and My Structured Query Language (MySQL) for the database. The system has different users with different roles that is; the administrator, the Trader’s and the driver each having their own login sessions and permissions. The developed system was tested and validated and its results indicated that it is sufficient to be a solution for the problem indicated below. The study’s findings enabled the tracking of products by customers in Kampala. Through linking the customers, trader and their products directly thus being able to exchange contact information with each other. In conclusion, the core reason for the establishment of KACITA Cargo Tracking System was to reduce the failure of customers to keep cargo records and constantly track of the progress of their goods in transit which would lead to an increase cargo crime in Kampala. Therefore, the technologies used supported the core objective of the system of bridging the tracking gap among the various stakeholders.