Smart Lost and Found Portal for Educational Institutions

ABSTRACT: The Smart Lost and Found Portal for Educational Institutions is a web-based application developed to simplify the process of managing lost and found items within educational institutions. Students and staff frequently lose valuable belongings such as ID cards, mobile phones, wallets, books, keys, and other personal items. Traditional methods like notice boards, manual registers, and verbal communication are often slow, inefficient, and difficult to manage. The proposed system provides a centralized digital platform where users can securely register and log in to report lost or found items. Users can submit important details including the item name, category, description, date, location, and an image. The portal also offers advanced search functionality to quickly locate matching items using different filters. An administrator verifies submitted reports, manages user activities, updates item status, and removes duplicate or invalid records to ensure data accuracy. The application is developed using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java (JSP & Servlets), Apache Tomcat, and MySQL. It implements secure user authentication, database connectivity, and CRUD operations for efficient data management. The system improves communication between owners and finders while reducing paperwork and administrative effort. It enhances transparency, reliability, and the overall recovery process of misplaced belongings. The portal provides a user-friendly interface that is easy to access and operate. It also serves as a practical implementation of modern web development concepts and database management techniques.