Capstone & Resources · Study deck

Capstone Projects: Selection and Fleet Tracking

A student can buy every sensor and still have no project that can be reviewed.

Test Tessa is your guide for this deck.

projects

Test Tessa, the module guide, in a scene from this chapter.

After studying this chapter

Learning objectives

You will be able to:

Explain: Each brief below is a complete, independent project -- pick the one that matches your experience level and interests, then open its page for the full requirements, hardware list, architecture, milestones, and rubric.
Explain: Budget constraints force architecture decisions: A $120 budget might eliminate LoRa and solar in the first version, pushing the team toward Wi-Fi, USB charging, and a stricter must-have feature list.
Explain: The must-have path combines GPS location, LTE-M or NB-IoT connectivity, live map state, route history, geofence alerts, battery level, and documentation.
Explain: Cover: problem, solution, demo, results, lessons.

Major section

Start With the Decision

A student can buy every sensor and still have no project that can be reviewed.

The smallest useful claim, evidence table, and integration test must come before assembly.

Major section

Choose Your Project

Each brief below is a complete, independent project -- pick the one that matches your experience level and interests, then open its page for the full requirements, hardware list, architecture, milestones, and rubric.

All three share the reviewable-claim approach above.

Major section

Project Submission Guidelines

Step 1 — Technical Report (10-15 pages) Problem statement and requirements Architecture design with diagrams Implementation details Testing results and analysis Lessons learned.

Step 4 — Hardware Documentation: Bill of materials with costs Wiring diagrams Assembly photos.

Major section

Try It: Build a Claim-to-Evidence Table

If a claim has no evidence, either gather the evidence before the demo or remove the claim from the presentation.

Cover: problem, solution, demo, results, lessons.

Major section

Decision Framework: Capstone Project Selection by Experience Level

Project requires three or more technologies the team has never used.

Budget is more than $200 per team member.
Timeline is compressed below four weeks for a moderate-complexity system.
Core hardware has no reliable examples, documentation, or backup option.
No fallback plan exists if the primary approach fails.

Major section

Common Mistake: Scope Creep Kills Capstone Projects

The Mistake: Team starts with "Environment Monitor" (4-week project).

Week 2: "Let's add actuators!" Week 4: "What about solar power?" Week 6: "Should we use LoRa instead of Wi-Fi?" Week 8: Project incomplete, demo is half-working prototype.

Major section

Concept Relationships

Budget constraints force architecture decisions: A $120 budget might eliminate LoRa and solar in the first version, pushing the team toward Wi-Fi, USB charging, and a stricter must-have feature list.

Protocol selection from networking modules helps compare MQTT, LoRa, and cellular trade-offs.

Major section

3. Not planning for hardware failure and component replacement

Design your system to continue operating (degraded mode) when individual sensors fail.

Capstone projects that depend on every component working perfectly fail during live demonstrations.

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Capstone Project 3: Fleet Tracking System

The shared capstone approach is introduced on the Capstone Projects hub, which also has the submission guidelines and the project-selection decision framework; this part works through the Fleet Tracking System brief.

A moving dot alone cannot support an investigation.
Telemetry means measurements and status sent from a device for review elsewhere.

Major section

Capstone Project 3: Fleet Tracking System (continued)

This exceeds the 30-day target by about 5x.

The deeper project adds architecture, power, storage, alerts, privacy, and release evidence.
The system should provide real-time location tracking, geofence alerts, movement history, and battery-efficient operation for long deployment without charging.
Step 3 — Backend stores the point, checks geofence transitions, and updates the dashboard.

Major section

Capstone Project 3: Fleet Tracking System (continued)

Your system should focus on reliable location updates, safe geofence logic, and power-aware reporting rather than constant high-rate tracking.

With an 80% real-world efficiency allowance, the estimate still leaves margin for cellular reconnections and GPS acquisition delays.
Step 2 — Firmware obtains a GPS fix, packages location and battery status, and transmits over LTE-M or NB-IoT.
Step 4 — Operators review alerts, routes, and device health from the web interface.

Major section

Capstone Project 3: Fleet Tracking System (continued)

The must-have path combines GPS location, LTE-M or NB-IoT connectivity, live map state, route history, geofence alerts, battery level, and documentation.

A strong score therefore depends on the connections between criteria, not isolated demonstrations.
Each stage must preserve the same vehicle identity and timestamp contract.
A measured trace must validate that estimate.

Deck summary

Key takeaways

A student can buy every sensor and still have no project that can be reviewed.

Each brief below is a complete, independent project -- pick the one that matches your experience level and interests, then open its page for the full requirements, hardware list, architecture, milestones, and rubric.
Step 1 — Technical Report (10-15 pages) Problem statement and requirements Architecture design with diagrams Implementation details Testing results and analysis Lessons learned.
If a claim has no evidence, either gather the evidence before the demo or remove the claim from the presentation.
Project requires three or more technologies the team has never used.

Retrieval practice

Recall check 1 of 6

Test Tessa says: answer from memory, then check your reasoning.

Q1You're starting an IoT capstone project with a 6-week timeline. During week 1, you discover that the specialized sensor you planned to use has a 4-week lead time. What is the BEST approach?

AWait for the sensor and compress the remaining work into 2 weeks

BUse an available sensor that still meets the core requirements

CRemove the sensor requirement from your project scope

DStart building the rest of the system and integrate the sensor when it arrives

Show answer

Answer: B Correct!

Retrieval practice

Recall check 2 of 6

Test Tessa says: answer from memory, then check your reasoning.

Q2During your presentation Q&A, you're asked: 'Why did you choose ESP32 over Raspberry Pi for your sensor node?' Which response demonstrates the best understanding of IoT trade-offs?

A'ESP32 is cheaper, so it is automatically the best choice for every sensor node'

B'Arduino-style examples made ESP32 easier, so the trade-off analysis is mostly convenience'

C'ESP32 deep sleep fits a battery MQTT sensor better than Linux'

D'Raspberry Pi is too powerful for IoT, so teams should never use it in sensor projects'

Show answer

Answer: C Correct!

Retrieval practice

Recall check 3 of 6

Test Tessa says: answer from memory, then check your reasoning.

Q3Place each capstone responsibility where it lives so you can tell whether a project has a reviewable success claim, proven interfaces, and safe field evidence.

AProject Brief and Success Evidence

BSystem Integration and Interface Tests

CHardware Deployment and Demonstration

Show answer

Answer: A A defensible capstone moves from a reviewable success claim, through interface-level integration evidence, to a safe field demonstration of the whole system.

Retrieval practice

Recall check 4 of 6

Test Tessa says: answer from memory, then check your reasoning.

Q4The Fleet Tracking System uses LTE-M or NB-IoT rather than standard 4G LTE. For a tracker sending 100-byte location updates once per minute, why are these IoT-specific cellular technologies preferred?

AThey are preferred because the cellular modem also improves GPS accuracy

BThey reduce modem cost by 10x while keeping the same carrier coverage

CThey support low-power coverage for small telemetry payloads

DStandard 4G LTE cannot carry frequent small packets from trackers

Show answer

Answer: C Correct!

Retrieval practice

Recall check 5 of 6

Test Tessa says: answer from memory, then check your reasoning.

Q5The power optimization code uses an accelerometer to detect movement and adjust the GPS reporting interval. Why is movement detection essential rather than just using a fixed reporting schedule?

AThe accelerometer consumes less power than the GPS module

BIt reports rarely when parked and more often when moving

CIt lets the GPS stay active continuously without draining the battery

DIt improves map accuracy by smoothing each GPS coordinate before upload

Show answer

Answer: B Correct!

Retrieval practice

Recall check 6 of 6

Test Tessa says: answer from memory, then check your reasoning.

Q6The Fleet Tracking System uses PostGIS (PostgreSQL with spatial extensions) rather than a standard time-series database like InfluxDB. What capability makes PostGIS essential for this application?

APostGIS is chosen because it stores more timestamped points than InfluxDB

BUse spatial indexes and geofence functions for point-in-area queries

CInfluxDB doesn't support latitude/longitude data types

DPostGIS is required because map dashboards cannot read time-series data

Show answer

Answer: B Correct!

Print reference

Answers

Answer key.

B · Correct!
C · Correct!
A · A defensible capstone moves from a reviewable success claim, through interface-level integration evidence, to a safe field demonstration of the whole system.
C · Correct!
B · Correct!
B · Correct!