Digital Lost and Found Item Portal

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 10 Issue: 11 | Nov 2023 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2023, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 8.226 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 549
Digital Lost and Found Item Portal
Tejas Mahadik 1, Sahil Renapurkar 2, Sanket Ganorkar 3
1,2,3B.Tech Students, Department of Information Technology, VIIT, Pune, Maharashtra, India
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Abstract - The “Digital Lost and Found Item” project aims
to address the demand for a more dependable and effective
method for handling lost objects. Conventional approaches,
such as actual lost-and-found boxes, aredisorganizedandlack
a methodical verification procedure. The main goal of this
project is to make item reporting and claims easier while
maintaining comprehensive verification to guarantee
authenticity. It attempts to provide people with a smooth way
to report lost items, examine found items, and retrieve their
lost property. User identification, objectclassification, location
tagging, picture uploading, and a special verification
procedure are all included in the project. Additionally, a
badge-based rewards system is incorporated to promote
community building and user involvement. This initiative
represents a major step forward for lost and found systems,
offering an effective digital tool. While the current
implementation includes essential features like login and
signup, there is potential for further enhancementstoimprove
effectiveness and user experience
Key Words: Digital Lost and Found,ItemReporting,Item
Retrieval, User Authentication, Web Development, User
Identification
1.INTRODUCTION
We frequently misplace personal stuff in our increasingly
hectic lifestyles. The time and energy required to look for a
lost object add to the inconvenience caused by its
disappearance in addition to its monetary value. The digital
lost and found project is a comprehensive web-based
platform created to address the long-standing issue of lost
and found items. Its goal is to use digital technology to
expedite the reporting and finding of lost items,savingusers
time and stress. Because of the platform's user-friendly
interface, people may report missing items and claim found
ones. It includes a number of features intended to increase
process efficiency and user experience, including thesearea
homepage with links to add missing items, log out, and
report found items. Important details regarding the lost
object, such as its category, location,andimage,aregathered
on the add lost item page. This data is then kept in a
structured database with tables for usergroups,claims,item
locations, alerts, students, and verifications.
The claim authentication process is one of the platform's
distinctive features. It adds an extra degree of security and
guarantees that only the rightful owner can claima lostitem.
When a user claims a found item, they must respond to a
series of questions to confirm their ownership of the item.
The badge system is another cutting-edge innovation that
hasn't been put into use yet. This system's goal istopromote
user participation by rewarding frequent users and those
who have located a sizable number of things. The platform
offers basic operations includinguserregistration,login, and
password recovery in addition to these features. Badges are
a visual depiction of accomplishments that might encourage
users to participate more actively in the platform. These
features guarantee that users may safely maintain their
information and create an account with ease. The digital lost
and found project is a noteworthy advancementintheuseof
digital technology to everyday issues.
Although it presently has the bare minimum of features,
future upgrades are planned to increaseuserinteractionand
boost system performance even more. With this project, we
hope to make the tedious job of keeping track of lost and
found objects into a productive and pleasurable experience.
2. LITERATURE SURVEY
The paper introduces a novel framework utilizing social
networks and computer vision to aid in locating lost items
within a university campus. This framework comprises a
mobile app, web server, and cloud service, enabling users to
report lost items, search forfound items,andclaimthem.The
paper evaluates the framework through a prototype
implementation and a user study, emphasizing its
effectiveness, efficiency, and user-friendliness. However, it
overlooks key aspects, such as incorporating location
information for more precise results, introducing incentives
or reward mechanisms foruserengagement,addressinguser
verification and authentication, and exploring integration
with other popular social media platforms to expand the
system's reach and impact. These considerations would
enhance the project'saccuracy,security,usermotivation,and
outreach [1].
The paper introduces an innovative system for the internal
localization of lost objects, combining active RFID and
ultrasonic location detection technologies for accurate item
location. Enhancing the user experience, it employs moving
light technologycommonly found in stage lightingtovisually
inform users of an object's location, as demonstrated in an
experiment highlighting the superiority oflightnotifications.
Notably, the paper lacks a comprehensive discussion of user
authentication and verification, typical in location-based
system literature, and primarily focuses on internal
applications,neglectingexplorationofexternaladaptability,a
common themein high-level research. Bridging these gapsis

essential to align the paper with the standards expected of
literature reviews in conferences [2].
The thesis proposes a web-based system for lost and found
items using RFID and email notification. The system aims to
trace the owner details of the lost items and notify them via
email. The system involves IoT devices such as NodeMCU
ESP8266 and RFID RC-522, which are used to scan the RFID
tags attached to the items. The system also has a web
interface for users to register their details and report any
cases of missing or found items. The system is tested at the
UiTM Arau branch in Malaysia,targetingstudentsasthemain
users. The thesis reviews theliteratureontheproblemoflost
and found items, the technologies used in the system,suchas
web-based application, RFID, email, and database, and the
related works that use similar or different approaches to
address the problem. The thesis identifies a research gap in
the lack of a secure and efficient system for lost and found
items in the campus setting, and argues that the proposed
system can fill this gap by using RFID and email notification
as the main features[3].
The paper introduces a systemthatenhancestraditionallost-
and-found processes through the use of location-based
services, 4G technology, and mobile devices. It is built on
AndroidusingAmapAPIandBmobcloudservices,facilitating
the reporting of lost items, managing notices, and searching
for property. The paper providesacomprehensiveaccountof
the technicalaspects and the integration of location services,
demonstrating its efficiency in enabling quick and accurate
lost-and-found information sharing with geographic data.
However, it lacks discussions on user experience, security,
and scalability, while not exploring the broader implications
and challenges of real-world implementation. Future
research should address user satisfaction, privacy concerns,
and the complexities of large-scale deployment, along with
examiningthesocialimpactofdigitallost-and-foundsystems,
particularly their influence on community dynamics and
public service effectiveness.These considerationsarecritical
to enhancing the understanding of digital lost-and-found
solution design and deployment [4].
The paper explores thedevelopmentandusabilityevaluation
of an online lost and found system tailored for educational
institutions, with a strong emphasisonuser-friendliness.The
researchers designed and implemented a web-based
platform, utilizing various technology tools and eye tracking
methodology for system assessment. While the paper
provides a comprehensive view of the web-based system, a
substantial gap exists in the literature regarding its broader
applicability beyond educational institutions. The paper's
focus on usability evaluation using eye tracking overlooks
advances in lost and found technology, particularly the
integration of artificial intelligence for enhanced item
recognition and retrieval. Addressing these gaps is crucial to
expand the understanding of the potential use of web-based
lost and found systems in different sectorsandtoharnessthe
benefits of evolving technologies [5].
The literature survey investigates the "Designing Lost and
Found Web Applications, Based on Trusted Third Party
Model" by Stanley Muturi Githinji, focusing on the Kenyan
context. It critically analyzes popular platforms like Zipate,
Lost and Found DocumentCenter,andLostandFoundKenya,
highlighting limitations in verifying item legitimacy and
revenue models. The paper introduces a Trusted ThirdParty
(TTP) model but lacks practical implementation details and
technical considerations. It also neglects exploration of the
model's alignment with authentication and authorization
mechanisms. This underscores the need for further research
in implementing aTTPmodelindigitallostandfoundportals,
considering data security, privacy, and integration with
existing systems, providing valuable insights for the user's
project [6].
The literature survey examines a web page providing online
services for reporting lost articles or documents in Delhi,
India. Notably, the paper focuses solely on reporting lost
items, lacking coverage for found items. In contrast, the
proposed project aims fora comprehensivewebsitecovering
both lost and found items, introducing features like login,
signup,registration,badges,verificationquestions,andimage
uploads. The project addresses considerations of security,
privacy, usability, and user engagement, along with
implementing a robust database system for efficient data
management—anaspectnotcoveredinthereferencedpaper.
Bridging these gaps will be crucial for enhancing the
functionality and user experience of the project [7].
The literature survey explores "iFound," an Android-based
application for lost item recovery. The paper emphasizes
features like reporting lost/found items and communication
between parties, backed by testing and user feedback.
However, it identifies gaps in security measures and
incentives forfinders. The proposed project aims to enhance
data protection and motivate finders through badges.
Furthermore, it plans toextenditsservicesbeyondlostitems,
incorporating facial recognition and other methods to assist
in finding missing people. This positions the project to
address crucial aspects overlooked in the existing literature
[8].
Literature survey emphasizes a web-based system for
managing lost items in a college campus. Notably, the paper
lacks user feedback, comparisons with existing systems, and
considerations of security issues. Additionally, it overlooks
user-enhancing features such as ratings and reviews. In
contrast, the proposed project distinguishes itself through
user-friendliness, image uploads, badges, security features,
live chat, and advanced search capabilities using NLP and
machine learning. This positions the project to address
crucial aspects overlooked in the existing literature and
provides a more comprehensive solution for lost and found
systems [9].
This paper investigates a "Lost Identifiable Items Recovery
System" focusing on recovering lost items in Kenya, with an

emphasis on developinga user-friendly, securesystemusing
QR code tagging. Identified gaps in the paper include the
absence of empirical user feedback, limited usability
evaluation, oversight of privacy and security concerns, and a
lack of exploration into the social and ethical implications of
QR code usage. The proposed project aims to address these
gaps through rigorous user evaluations, improved security
measures, and an in-depth exploration of the human and
behavioral aspects associated with QR code technology [10].
The literature survey on the use of NoSQL databases in lost
and found websites, as demonstrated by the paper,
underscores the advantages of employing MongoDB in such
systems. However, notable gaps in the document include the
absence of performance and usability comparisons with
other database types, an oversight of potential challenges
related to MongoDB, neglect of user-centric aspects like
authentication and engagementfeatures,andaprimaryfocus
on technical aspects with little consideration for user
interface and interaction design. These gaps underscore the
need for a more comprehensive approach to ensure the
effectiveness,security, and user-friendlinessoftheentirelost
and found website, extendingbeyondthedatabaselayer[11].
The literature survey of the smartphone application for
managing missed and found belongings, as depicted in the
article, underscores its Android-centric approach, primarily
centered on reporting and locating lost items. However,
several notable gaps within the document come to light.
These gaps include the platform's restriction to Android, the
absence of essential data security measures, a lack of
incentives for users, and a limited scope focusing solely on
items. In contrast, the proposedprojectaimstoaddressthese
limitations by creating a moreuniversallyaccessiblewebsite,
enhancing data security through authentication and
verificationfunctions,introducingmotivationalincentivesfor
users, and expanding the system's scope to encompass not
only lost items but also missing people through innovative
techniques like facial recognition. These enhancements will
result in a more comprehensive, secure, and user-engaging
solution for managing lost and found belongings [12].
The existing literature on lost and found systems reveals
recurring gaps in several research papers, including issues
related to location tracking, security, user incentives, and
broader functionality. While these papers offer valuable
insights into their respective areas, they often lack a holistic
approach that considers the complete user experience and
the system's adaptability to different contexts. To bridge
these gaps, future projects in this domain should aim for
comprehensive solutions that enhance security, user
engagement, and inclusivity while also exploring
opportunities to expand their scope to address issues like
locating missing individuals and implementing advanced
search techniques. Thisapproachcanresultinmoreeffective,
secure, and user-friendly lost and found systems with
broader applicability [13].
Within the domain of web-based lost and found systems, the
literature survey highlights significant gaps found in this
paper. This paper introduces a web-based social network
designed for the unique context of Saudi Arabia, aiming to
connect individuals who have lost itemswiththosewhohave
found them. However, the document lacks empirical user
feedback and usability testing, does not sufficiently address
privacy and security concerns, and overlookstheexploration
of social and ethical implications within the system. To
address these gaps, our project proposes conducting
thorough user evaluations,enhancingsecuritymeasures,and
delving into the socialand ethical dimensionsofaweb-based
lost and found system, thereby creating a more robust and
user-centric solution [14].
The research paper offers a cross-platform solution for item
management at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).
However, it neglects to address essential challenges and
limitations within lostand found systems, includingsecurity,
privacy, authentication, verification, notifications, rewards,
and user feedback. Furthermore, the paper lacks critical
comparisons with similar systems in terms of functionality,
usability, performance, and user satisfaction, missing
empirical evidence orstatisticalanalysistovalidateitsclaims
of improving lost and found item organization at UTAR.
Bridging these gaps is vital to developing a more
comprehensive and evidence-backed system for enhanced
efficiency and effectiveness in managinglostandfounditems
within the UTAR context [15].
3. EXISTING SYSTEMS AND ALGORITHMS
1. The current system uses an eye tracking
methodology and a variety of technological tools to
manage lost and found items at educational
institutions. It is a web-based platform.
2. Through an intuitive interface, this system enables
users to register their information, report lost or
found things, browse an item list, and retrieve their
items.
3. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are the database
management systems used by the aforementioned
system, which uses PHP as the server-side
programming language.
4. The system also uses eye tracking technology to
evaluate the usability of the web interface,
measuring parameters such as fixation duration,
fixation count, saccade length, and pupil size.
5. The system's development process uses a waterfall
model, with five phases: requirement analysis,
design, implementation, testing, and maintenance.
6. This system follows a three-tier architecture,
comprising the presentation layer, the business
logic layer, and the data access layer.

7. The system implements a simple algorithm foritem
matching, based on comparing the item name,
category, and location entered by the user with the
existing records in the database.
8. The system also implements a simple algorithm for
item claiming, based on verifying the user’sidentity
and contact information with the database records.
9. The system has certain drawbacks, like its inability
to integrate with other platforms or gadgets and its
absence of security measures like encryption,
authentication, lack of incentives or rewards for
users, and lack of advanced searchtechniquesusing
artificial intelligence or machine learning.
10. The system has some opportunities for
improvement, such as enhancing the user interface
design, adding security measures such as password
hashing and captcha verification, introducing
badges or points for user motivation, and
implementing natural languageprocessingorimage
recognition for item retrieval.
4. LIMITATIONS
There are a number of issues with the lost and found system
in educational institutions that could compromise its
functionality, user satisfaction, and usability. First, the
system's inability to integrate with other platforms or
gadgets restricts its and implement interoperability.
Secondly, the system does not provide adequate security
features such as encryption and authentication,whichmight
result into data breaches or unauthorized access. Thirdly,
this system does not offer any incentives or rewards to
motivate users to use it effectively or report lost items
promptly. Fourthly, the system does not employ advanced
search techniques such as natural language processing or
image recognition, which could improve the accuracy and
speed of item retrieval. Fifthly, the systemmaynotbeable to
handle a large volume of users or data, which could affect its
performances, and reliability. Sixthly, the systems may not
be accessible to users with disabilities or special needs,
which could limit their ability to use it effectively. Seventhly,
the system may not allow users to customize their
preferences or settings, which could affect their user
experience and satisfaction. Eighthly, the system may not
provide adequate feedback mechanisms to users, which
could limit their ability to provide feedback or suggestions
for improvement. Ninthly, the system may not support
multiple languages, which could limit its use by non-native
speakers or international students. Lastly, the system may
not provide adequate training or support to users, which
could affect their ability to use it effectively.
5. RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS
The current implementation of the project includes basic
functionalities such as user registration, login, the password
recovery, item addition, and item claiming. Its homepage
provides options forreporting found items as well as logging
out. The “Add Lost Item” page collects essential information
about the lost item including its category, location, and an
image. The database structure comprises tables for user
groups, claims, items, locations, notifications, students, and
verificationsunderHomeandAuthentication&Authorization
categories. Future work includes the implementation of a
badge systems for active users and those who found a
significant number of items.
6. CONCLUSIONS
The “Digital Lost and Found” project offers a potential fixfor
the long-standing issue of managing the lost and found
items. Its extensive features, including the item reporting,
claim verification, and user rewards, make it a promising
tool for efficient item recovery. While the current
implementation provides basic functionalities, future
enhancements are expected to improve user engagement
also the system efficiency. The project underscores
potentials of digital platforms in transforming mundane
tasks into efficient processes.
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[15] UTAR Lost and Found Management System - UTAR
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BIOGRAPHIES
Tejas Mahadik
A UG student pursuing his degree
in Information Technology at
VIIT, Pune. He is passionate about
Android Development
Sahil Renapurkar
Web Development
Sanket Ganorkar
Native App Development.
2nd
Author
Photo
3rd
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1’st
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