STUDENT ATTENDANCE

BASED ON

INTERNET OF THINGS

THE COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY

CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 General Overview

Attendance to lectures is an area that doesn’t get as much attention as it should in determining a
university students’ academic success. A prerequisite to success in any endeavor is “showing
up”, and lectures are no exception. Methods used at the Copperbelt University to take student
attendance include calling out student names or students manually signing the attendance sheet
which is passed around during a lecture. Due to these methods, attendance data is never readily
available for analysis because paper-based registers are not uploaded to a centralized system. The
process of manually taking and maintaining the attendance records becomes highly cumbersome.

As a result, and with the help of some modern-day technology, one can come up with a way to
help better the monitoring of student attendance. With the recent development of various cloud-
based computing and storage systems, data can be securely stored and retrieved whenever
required. With that being said, this leaves us with the question of how the attendance data is to be
collected to begin with. One such helpful innovation that can be used for this is the Internet of
Things. The Internet of Things or IoT is the interconnecting of physical devices and other items
embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators and network connectivity that enable
them to exchange and collect data. These devices gather useful information and transmit it to
other processing devices for interpretation and decision making.

The use of IoT to take attendance for a lecture can save both time and effort. With IoT, devices
that use technology such Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) and Biometrics such as
Fingerprint can be used to capture attendance data and be seamlessly connected to create a
working IoT system that collects and stores attendance data with ease. This project will adopt a
fingerprint based Biometric system. Such a system ensures that students are individually
identified, increases system security and reduces repudiation.

1.2 Problem Statement

Common problems encountered with the current attendance system include:

 Student proxy
  Disturbance during lectures because students have to sign an attendance sheet during
lessons
 Tedious work of manually calculating the attendance percentage for each student at the
end of the semester
 The paper-based attendance records easily get lost or tampered with

1.3 Problem Justification

The project hopes to bring out a real time attendance tracking system for lecturers and students
which will overcome the tedious manual method. The proposed system uses biometrics (finger
prints) to mark attendance which eliminates the problems of proxy and human error altogether. It
also uses data acquisition by which the attendance stored in the memory is extracted into a
database which is easier to manage and maintain compared to sheets of papers. The database
used will enable the attendance records be accurately calculated and made more readily available
to the administration when needed. Copies of the attendance data can be backed up easily as it
can be uploaded to the cloud. In institutions of higher learning with a large number of students
and staff, distributed biometric identification can go a long way in increasing security, combating
identity-theft, making students more accountable for their class attendance, ensuring that they
reach the 80% attendance threshold and overall get the most out of their academic experience.

1.4 Aim

The aim of this project is to design and implement an IoT based Biometric Student Attendance
System.

1.5 Scope

The Project will take place in a time period in which measurable results will be achieved. With
full accomplishment of the intended tasks and acquisition of the required components, the project
will provide a real time Student attendance system with a working unit. The working unit will
consist of a microcontroller and appropriate ID authentication devices that will interface with
students to record attendance to lectures and upload the recorded data to a cloud based database
that can be accessed by students and lecturers. It also hopes to provide a working simulation in
appropriate simulation software
1.6 Objectives

The objectives of the project include:

 To develop a Biometric Student Attendance system

 To interface fingerprint scanner to an Arduino Uno board
 To design and simulate the system circuit in Proteus
 To create a database for the attendance data to be uploaded and easily accessed

1.7 Methodology

CHAPTER TWO
2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDENT ATTENDANCE

It is important for students to meet the 80% attendance threshold if they are to be allowed to
sit for their final year sessional exams. It also increases the likelihood of passing the 20%
Continuous Assessment threshold. So it should be very important that students keep a keen
eye on maintaining a good attendance to lectures, as it will also bring out a good learning
experience. Dr Jenny Muir (2009) published an article about a research on the importance of
Student Attendance. It was conducted at the Department of Environmental Planning in the
School of Architecture and Civil Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast.[1] Her research
shows results on whether attendance does actually affect assessment performance. Dr Muir
discovered that there is a tendency for students who attend classes more regularly to gain
better marks, especially if they are weaker. She also showed that there is an increasing trend
for higher education institutions to be expected to monitor student attendance on the
assumption that better attendance leads to higher retention rates, higher marks, and a more
satisfying educational experience. [1]
As a result of the growing trend of monitoring attendance and with the increasing abundance
of new technological innovations at our disposal, various ways have been made to help
record attendance more accurately.

2.1.2 The Internet of Things

Steve Ranger (2018) published an article on the Internet of Things. He defined IoT, as the
billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet,
collecting and sharing data. He concluded that IoT adds a level of digital intelligence to
devices that would be otherwise dumb when used alone. Steve also found that IoT enables
these devices to communicate real-time data without a person being involved, effectively
merging the digital and physical worlds. Another important article was that done by Margaret
Rouse (2019) who believes that IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices that are
provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network
without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

Internet of things (IOT) is the inter-connecting of physical devices and other devices
embedded with electronics, software, sensors and network connectivity that enable them to
collect and exchange data. The connecting of things began widely since the birth of the
internet in 1989. Trojan Room coffee pot was the first kind of application of IOT. In 1990
John Romkey created the first internet device, a toaster that could be turned on and off over
the internet. In 1999, kelvin Ashton and his team invented a global RFID based item which
commercialized IOT and deployed it at a massive level in US army and across the globe. The
launch of IPv6 in 2011 triggered massive growth and interests in IOT with companies like
Cisco, Huawei, Ericson taking an educational and commercial initiative with the internet of
things.

The IOT technology in simpler terms, can be defined as a connection between humans,
computers and things. The equipment’s used in our day to day life can be controlled and
monitored using the IOT and its processes can be done with the help of sensors. The sensors
are widely used and are able to convert raw physical data into signals and transmits them to
their control centers. With such a way, environmental changes are monitored remotely from
any part of the world via the internet. The internet of things has been deployed in various
fields like home automation, smart city, industrial internet and healthcare emergencies but to
mention a few.

With an estimate of over 50 billion devices to be connected with the internet by late 2020, the
IOT field is likely to have enormous amount of applications now and in the near future. From
this, it is obvious that the internet of things will revolutionize the ordinary life of people,
transform the global IT landscape, and affect the roadmap and development strategy for
many type of business.

2.1.3 What is Biometric Technology and how does it work?

Chenigaram Kalyani (2017) published an article on various biometric authentication

techniques. She defined Biometrics as technology used to identify a person based on some
aspect of their biology. Chenigaram wrote that biometrics measure a persons’ physical
characteristics in order to verify their identity and that these distinct and measurable
characteristics are called biometric identifiers [2]. And that they are often categorized as
physiological or behavioral. Physiological characteristics such fingerprints, palm veins, face
recognition, DNA, iris recognition, retina and hand geometry all relate to the shape of the
body whereas behavioral characteristics such as gait (a person’s manner of walking) and
voice relate to a persons’ behavior pattern. [2]
 Figure 1: Types of Biometrics

Biometric identification offers several advantages over methods involving ID cards. For
instance, the person to be identified is required to be physically present at the point-of-
identification thus eliminating cases of proxy. And students won’t have to remember to carry
around their ID tags or cards.

Jain, Anil K (2004) believes that a Biometric system basically has two important stages. The first
process is called Enrollment. During this stage, the system learns about all the people it will have
to recognize each day. It captures each user’s biometric trait using an appropriate sensor and
stores their information. The sensed measurements are processed to extract a representation,
called a template that is stored in the biometric database. [3]
 Figure 2: Enrollment

The second stage is called Recognition. During this stage, the sensor from the enrollment process
captures a users’ biometric trait. The trait is then analyzed to extract a template as in the
enrollment stage. A comparison algorithm computes the similarity between the input templates
with temples stored in the database. If the similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold then the
user is said to be recognized. Otherwise the user is rejected and denied access or verification. [3]

Figure 3: Recognition

The biometric identifier used in this report is fingerprints. Compared to the other types of
biometrics, a fingerprint recognition system is much more user friend when it comes to
interacting with students. A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges on the human
finger. [4] There are three types of fingerprints these being arch, loop and whorl. A Biometric
system based on fingerprint recognition looks for specific characteristics in the line pattern on a
finger surface. Palash Kumar Bose (2017) wrote an article on the uniqueness and reliability of
fingerprints. He believes that human fingerprints are detailed, nearly unique, difficult to alter,
and durable over the life of an individual, making them suitable as long-term markers of human
identity. [5]
 Figure 4: Types of Fingerprints

2.1.4 The Fingerprint Scanner and how it works

A fingerprint scanner as an electronic device that records a digital image of the fingerprint
pattern for biometric authentication. There are four types of fingerprint scanner: the optical
scanner, the capacitance scanner, the ultrasonic scanner, and the thermal scanner.[6] The
basic function of these scanners is to get an image of a persons fingerprint and find a match
for this print in a database. Below is the technology each type of scanner has and ho they
work.

 Optical scanners
An optical scanner uses light (optics) to capture and scan fingerprints. It works by
capturing a digital photograph of the fingerprint and then uses algorithms to find
unique patterns of lines and ridges, spread across the different lighter and darker areas
of the image. This digital photograph is a 2D depiction of the different patterns of
ridges and lines present on the finger. There are two detector types used by optical
sensors, that is the charge-coupled-devices (CCD) and Complementary Metal Oxide
Semiconductor based optical imagers. CMOS’s have a lower manufacturing cost
compared to CCD’s.[7].
 Figure 5: Optical Fingerprint Recognition

Optical scanners have a bulky design. An example of an optical scanner is shown in

the diagram below.

Figure 6: An R305 optical fingerprint scanner

 Capacitive scanners
Capacitive sensors are constructed using a two-dimensional array of conductive
plates. When a finger is placed on a surface above the array, the electrical capacitance
of these plates is affected. The sensor plates under the ridge will have a larger
capacitance than the sensor plates beneath the valley. This is because air has lower
permittivity than skin, which leads to an increased capacitance in plates under the
skin. [6]
 Figure 7: Capacitive Fingerprint Recognition

Capacitive sensors can be classified into two classes: single plate capacitive sensors
and double plate capacitive sensors. In a single plate capacitive sensor, each pixel has
at-least a capacitive sensor, a sensor circuit and additionally can have a logic circuit.
Each pixel is charged separately and measured separately in order to generate a
complete fingerprint image. Double plate capacitive sensors have two adjacent
conductive plates that correspond to one pixel. The capacitance differential between
two adjacent plates is used to generate a pixel value. [6] Capacitive scanners are less
bulky compared to the optical scanners, thus one of the reasons why they are more
common in most smart phones. Below is a diagram showing a capacitive scanner.

Figure 8: R300 capacitive fingerprint scanner

 Ultrasonic scanners
This is the most recent type of fingerprint scanner, it uses high frequency ultrasonic
sound waves to penetrate the epidermal (outer) layer of the skin. The two important
components involved in its working process are an ultrasonic transmitter and an
ultrasonic receiver. An ultrasonic pulse is sent through the transmitter to the finger
resting on the scanner. As soon as the pulse strikes the finger, some of it is absorbed
while some of it is sent back to the sensor. The ultrasonic receiver then picks up this
reflected pulse, and captures a 3D depiction of the fingerprint that depends on the
intensity of the reflected pulse. This change in the intensity of the pulse is caused due
to the texture of the finger, which constitutes ridges, lines and other details that are
unique to fingerprint. [8]

Figure 9: Ultrasonic Fingerprint recognition

 The ultrasonic receiver takes into consideration the mechanical stress of the
fingerprint on the scanner. The longer a finger stays on the scanner, the more details it
can capture, and produce a detailed 3D depiction of the fingerprint. Ultrasonic
scanners have an advantage of being able to see beneath the skin. They read the
fingerprint on the dermal skin layer, which eliminates the need for a clean, unscarred
surface. All other types of fingerprint readers acquire an image of the outer surface,
thus requiring hands to be cleaned and free of scars before read-out. This provides not
only verification of a live finger, but also more information as a biometric measure.
However, a drawback of this type of fingerprint scanning method is that it is not as
fast as the other methods of fingerprint scanning and it is also more expensive. An
example of an ultrasonic scanner is shown in the diagram below. [8]

Figure 10: Samsung Galaxy S10 with Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner

 Thermal scanners
Thermal scanners use thermal energy flux to capture images. They sense the
temperature difference on the sensor surface, in between fingerprint ridges and
valleys. The sensor surface is made up of an array of micro-heater elements. When a
finger is presented to the sensor, the fingerprint ridges make contact with the sensor
surface and the contact temperature is measured, the valleys do not make contact and
are not measured. A fingerprint image is created by the skin-temperature ridges and
the ambient temperature measure for valleys. [6]
 Figure 11: Thermal fingerprint scanner

One of the drawbacks of this type of scanner is that the temperature change is
dynamic and it only takes about a tenth of a second for the sensor surface touching
ridges and valleys to come to the same temperature, erasing the fingerprint image.
They also have high power consumption. They are designed such that a finger has to
be moved over the sensor surface in a constant motion in order to maintain an
acceptable level of heat flux. [6]

2.1.5 Related works

Bernardette Phiri (2018) wrote a research report on an attendance system that used Radio
Frequency-Identification (RFID) technology to capture and record student attendance data to
lectures. Bernardette made an automatic system that captured students Unique Identifier (UIDs)
on RFID tags to record student attendance and upload the data to a computer database. In her
system, a registered lecturer could view the attendance data by signing into a web page database
via a computer. And on the webpage, a lecturer could view the student’s average attendance that
would be calculated automatically. Below is the block diagram for the attendance system.

In 2016, Hitesh Walia and Neelu Jain of PEC University Technology ,Chandigarh , India did a
project on fingerprint based attendance systems .The unique nature of fingerprint makes it ideal
for use in attendance systems .In their project ,they had two stages of working with the system
they used ,namely ;Enrolment of fingerprint s and Matching of fingerprints. The basic steps are
shown in block diagram below.

In 2016, Piyush Devikar of Vivekanand Education society Institute of Technology, Mumbai

University, India did a project on Internet of Things based biometric attendance system. The
system recorded the attendance, made use of biometric scanners and stored them securely over
cloud in the form of Google Spreadsheet. The system consisted of a fingerprint scanner which
was used for ascertaining a student’s identity. If the fingerprint scanned matched with records
present in the database, attendance would be granted to the student by updating to the Google
Spreadsheet. The block diagram below shows how the system was implemented.
In 2019, Yu Maw Win and Saw Aung Nyein of Mandalay Technological University, Myanmar
wrote a research report on Wireless Student Attendance using Fingerprint Sensor. The system
was electronic and not only was it used to take attendance for the students, but a database was
also mentioned to store all the information. Optical fingerprint sensor made adding fingerprint
detection and verification simple. This type of verification is widely used in various aspects of
life for different purposes, like in security, police identification, etc. A Node Microcontroller unit
was used which provided the wireless communication. It was also used to send the attendance
report to PCs. In this system, there were two parts, one being transmitter and the other being
receiver. In a transmitter module, there is a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Arduino UNO,
Transmitter. In the receiver module, a Node Microcontroller Unit is mainly used. The resultant
message will show on LCD. The system bock diagram is shown below.
In 2009 ,Tabassam Nawaz of the University of Engineering and Technology Taxila ,Punjab
Pakistan also wrote a research report on the development of academic attendance monitoring
system using fingerprint identification .The system involved the taking of attendance
electronically with the help of a fingerprint sensor and all records were saved on a computer
server .Fingerprint sensors and LCD screens are placed at the entrance of each room .The
system’s flow chart is shown below.
.

REFERENCE (SOPHIE)

[4]. Vipul Gupta and David G. Simmons, Sun Labs, oracle “building the web of things with sun SPOTS”

Javaone 2010, Hands-on LAB

[5]. Ross Yu, Thomas Watteyne “reliable wireless sensor networks for the internet of things.

References
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[2] K. CH, “Various Biometric Authentication Techniques: A Review,” J. Biom. Biostat., vol.
08, no. 05, 2017, doi: 10.4172/2155-6180.1000371.
[3] A. K. Jain, A. Ross, and S. Prabhakar, “An Introduction to Biometric Recognition,” IEEE
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10.1109/TCSVT.2003.818349.
[4] M. A. K. Bandameedi Lakshmi Narayana, Yerukala Komera Chinna Rangaiah, “STUDY
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[5] P. K. Bose and M. J. Kabir, “Fingerprint: A Unique and Reliable Method for
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10.3329/jemc.v7i1.30748.
[6] S. Modi, “CERIAS Tech Report 2008-22 ANALYSIS OF FINGERPRINT SENSOR,” no.
February, 2016.
[7] D. Thakkar, “Fingerprint Reader Technology Comparison : Optical Fingerprint,” pp. 1–6,
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[8] Y. Wate, “Explained: Different Types of Fingerprint Scanners,” pp. 1–6, 2019.