TITLE:
Realization of a WebGIS for Remote Control of Biometric Sensors for Facial Recognition of Permanent Staff in an Educational Environment: The Case of the Ministry of National Education in Conakry, Guinea
AUTHORS:
Kakayo Hervé Kpegne, Mahaman Bachir Saley, Zomi Claude Lagobo, N’Guessan Marie Mireille Kouame
KEYWORDS:
WebGIS, Geolocated Biometric Sensors, Facial Recognition, Attendance Management, QGIS Server, Lizmap, PostGIS, MENA, Conakry
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geographic Information System,
Vol.17 No.4,
August
6,
2025
ABSTRACT: Initially focused on the earth sciences and mining resources, remote sensing is now finding increasing applications, notably in human resources management in public administration. This study proposes a WebGIS for real-time tracking using geolocated biometric sensors for facial recognition, with a view to optimizing the attendance management of MENA teachers in Conakry. The system is based on an integrated architecture combining open-source facial recognition sensors, a PostgreSQL/PostGIS database, a QGIS Server, and a Lizmap Web Client interface. Each sensor, installed in a school, automatically detects the teachers initially enrolled and records their clocking-in times. Data is stored locally and then transmitted to the central server via the MQTT protocol, with GSM/GPRS or LoRa relay in the event of failure. This infrastructure enables attendance to be mapped and controlled remotely, promoting transparency and administrative efficiency. Analysis of facial recognition clocking-in data, collected in nine MENA schools in Conakry for a total of 334 teachers, reveals an overall weekly attendance rate of 80.7%, i.e., 1,348 attendances out of 1,670 expected. Of these, 73.5% were on schedule, while 26.5% showed irregularities (late arrivals, early departures, or both). These discrepancies are mainly due to rush-hour traffic jams, aggravated by the fact that, for economic reasons, most teachers live in the suburbs. As for absences (19.3%), the main causes identified are: socio-political problems (70%), social events (22%), health reasons (7%), and 1% unjustified. A notable anomaly was observed on the 2nd day of collection with 68% absences, linked to a political demonstration by opposition parties. The integration of these data into a WebGIS system enables dynamic, geographical visualization of teacher presence, promoting better workforce management and decision-making within the Ministry.