Geofences

Introduction to Geofences

Geofences are designated map areas marked by colored polygons in the map view. They interact with other features of the portal, and have their own module in the main navigation.

Drawing Geofences

Geofences can be drawn radially around a Place, Asset, Route (using the Get Route Tool), or any point on a map. They can also be drawn as a polygon. For details on how to draw a Geofence, please see the article on how to Add a Geofence.

Users who select the color of their Geofence will see individual shapes in different colors when they are being drawn. This is to help with the drawing process, and when the Geofence is complete, it will merge all of the shapes into one area, and will display as the color selected by the user.

Geofence Segments

Radial Segments
Radial segments require a user to draw two points on a map that represent (first) the center of a circle and (second) the outer edge of that circle. The radial tool will then draw a perfect circle using the segment created by the user as the radius.

Polygon Segments
Polygon segments will allow the user to draw the entire outside edge of the area to be designated as a Geofence on the map. Users should draw these fences as though they are walking the perimeter of the area and noting its boundaries in sequential order for best accuracy. The perimeter may include any number of points, but points that have already been drawn cannot be moved.

Users can add overlapping segments, disjointed segments, and mixed shape types to a single geofence. All segments drawn while creating the fence will be included in the final fence area and will change to the color selected by the user when the Geofence is complete.

Geofence Fields

When adding and editing Geofences, users will be prompted to fill in fields in addition to drawing the visual area of the Geofence.

Main

• Name: used to distinguish the fence from others in the list panel.
• Description: optional field, allows users to differentiate similar fences, and provides searchable text
• Color: when displayed on the map interface and in the list panel, the Geofence will appear this color
• Add Segment/Shape: see Drawing Geofences (above)

Users

The Users tab allows administrators to assign the Geofences to specific users who will be able to view and interact with them. Users for whom the Geofence is enabled will have a green check mark next to their username in the box.

Attributes

Geofence Attributes allow users to search and filter them in the List Panel, and help managers keep pertinent information about the fence at their fingertips. For more information about Attributes, please see the Attributes Article.

Geofences in the List Panel

Geofences appear as a list just like Assets, Places, Journeys, and Shared Views. The list can be sorted, searched, and filtered in the same way as well. Users can toggle the visibility of Geofences in the List Panel, and Users can open the Geofence using the cog icon.

Geofences in the Details Panel

In the Details Panel, users find interactive options for each Geofence, including a number of actions and tools.

At the top of the panel, users will find navigational options as well. The name of the selected Geofence will appear in a drop-down menu, which allows users to jump between Geofences. Left and Right arrows also allow users to move between Geofences in the order in which they appear in the List Panel.

Geofence Options

Geofences are another way to perform bulk actions with Assets, similarly to the ways in which users would use Asset Groups. For example, users can set a Geofence, and then message all assets inside that Geofence with a single action. Additionally, users can run location reports on Assets inside the fence, as well as watch the history of those assets’ movement.

Send Message

For devices inside the selected Geofence that support two-way messaging, users will be able to send a custom text message to them as a bulk action. Users simply click the Send Message action button, deselect any Assets they wish to exclude as recipients, then type the message text and hit Send Message.

History Replay

The History Replay action button opens the History Mode with all devices not included in the Geofenced area hidden from the Map View. Users will have the option to toggle the viewable time period as normal.

Group Assets

The Group Assets action button will open the Add Asset Group page with the names of the Assets currently inside that Geofence included in the Group. Users often employ this feature to track the position history of Assets after they were in a given area during a significant event. It can be useful for filtering in History Mode, or for running various types of Reports with isolated Assets.

Add Alert

The Add Alert action button opens the Add Alert form with the “Inside Fence” filter pre-populated with the selected Geofence pre-filled.

Asset Location Report

The Asset Location Report action button will populate an Asset Location Report with pre-filtered results to include only Asses inside of the selected Geofence. Users can toggle the parameters of the report after it has been run. Users may also export the completed report in any of the standard formats available to the platform (Print, Excel, PDF, KML).

Geofences on the Map

All enabled (visbility toggle on) Geofences will appear on any map view in any module, but are only editable in the Geofences Module. They can be clicked, and their properties will open, along with Quick Actions. Geofence Quick Actions on the map view are the same as the Geofence Options in the Geofence Module. Users will be able to toggle visibility, open the Geofence Options, Add an Alert, Send Message, Group Assets, History Replay, and initiate an Asset Location Report