Securing trade lanes using an autonomous tracking device

This study describes the experience of building a highly autonomous, secure, container tracking device using commercial, off-the-shelf, hardware to optimise and secure global trade lanes. We describe the motivation for the project and the hardware and software architectures. Our approach to power conservation is discussed, including a key decision algorithm to detect the loading of a container onto an ocean-going vessel. The paper concludes with findings and insights from various field-tests. © 2009 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.