IMPLEMENTATION OF GEOFENCING ALGORITHM FOR MOBILE-BASED ONLINE STUDENT ATTENDANCE SYSTEM AT SMA NEGERI 5 MEDAN

Abstract

The manual attendance system still used in many schools has significant weaknesses such as time inefficiency, vulnerability to "proxy attendance" manipulation, and human error in the recapitulation process. This research aims to develop a mobile-based student attendance system with Geofencing technology using the AABB (Axis-Aligned Bounding Box) algorithm to ensure the validity of student attendance only within predetermined school areas. The research method employs a Prototyping approach with a technology stack consisting of Flutter for the frontend, Laravel for the backend API, MySQL and Firebase Realtime Database for data storage, and Mapbox API for 3D map visualization. The novelty of this research lies in the implementation of a 3D volumetric virtual fence that validates not only horizontal coordinates (latitude and longitude) but also the vertical altitude of students, addressing manipulation vulnerabilities present in conventional 2D Geofencing systems. Functional testing results (black box testing) demonstrate that all main system features operate according to specifications for the three user roles (Administrator, Teacher, and Student). Geofencing accuracy testing proves that the AABB algorithm is capable of validating locations with a 100% success rate across various test scenarios, including rejection of attendance attempts from outside the configured horizontal and vertical boundaries. Compatibility testing on 20 Android devices shows that the application runs stably with good location accuracy. This system successfully enhances attendance process efficiency, attendance data accuracy, and significantly prevents location manipulation. The implementation of Firebase Realtime Database enables real-time attendance monitoring by teachers, while the Mapbox 3D-based visual interface facilitates Administrator configuration of validation areas. This research provides an important contribution to the development of Location-Based Services (LBS) systems for the education sector through a three-dimensional spatial validation approach.