Geofences

Overview

Geofences are virtual perimeters that allow the system to monitor whether an object has crossed the geofence border ("in" or "out"). These events are logged, enabling users to generate geofence reports and receive alerts. Geofences can also be related to specific rules for events within particular areas, such as receiving speeding alerts only within a city or along a route.

View geofence details

When you press the “i” (information) icon next to a geofence, detailed information about the selected geofence is displayed.

Tags: Tags associated with the geofence, such as “central,” help categorize and organize geofences for easy identification and management.
Location: The geographic location of the geofence. For example: Queens County, New York, United States of America.
Objects: A list of devices within the geofence.

Tracked objects inside a geofence

By left-clicking a geofence on the map, users can view the number of tracked objects within it. To access the Geofences tool, click the Polygon icon on the map toolbar. Here, you can create, import, or edit geofences and display desired geofences on the map by marking checkboxes.

Types of geofences

There are three essential types of geofences available:

Circle geofence

A circular geofence is a geographic area with a given center and a circular shape with a minimum radius of 50 meters. Users can define the radius and center of the circle.

Polygonal geofence

A polygonal geofence is an area defined by an arbitrary polygon with multiple vertices (up to 500), allowing for the creation of complex shapes. This type of geofence is particularly useful for accurately defining irregularly shaped areas, such as neighborhoods, parks, or any specific zones that do not fit into a simple circular boundary.

Route geofence

A route geofence creates a virtual perimeter between two or more points. This type of geofence is particularly useful for monitoring adherence to planned routes and ensuring that vehicles do not deviate from their intended path. The route geofence is defined by a series of points that create a continuous route, with a specified radius that determines the allowable deviation from the path.

How to create a geofence

Locate the desired area on the map using the 'Address search' tool.
Choose the 'Geofences' tool by clicking on the Square icon in the upper right corner of the map.
Click on the 'Add geofence' button and select the type of geofence.
Draw the geofence on the map:
- Circle: Move the circle with the mouse, pressing the center. Change the size by dragging the edge.
- Polygon: Start with a pentagon and adjust it by dragging vertices or adding new ones.
- Route: Select start and end points. The system will build the route. Add more points by dragging the route and adjust the vicinity size.
Specify the name of the geofence and save it. Created geofences can be edited or deleted.

Creating a corridor geofence

Follow these steps to create a corridor geofence:

Open the Geofence settings in the Tracking web interface.
Select the ‘New geofence’ option to start creating a new route geofence.
Name your geofence and add relevant tags for easy identification.
Define the radius of the route. This radius determines how far a vehicle or asset can deviate from the path before a route deviation is detected.
Set the route points: Add the start point, multiple intermediate points, and the end point of the route. Each point is defined by its geographic coordinates.
Manual mode: If needed, you can adjust the points manually for precise control over the route path.

Creating polygonal geofences

To create a polygonal geofence:

Locate the desired area on the map.
Choose the 'Geofences' tool by clicking on the Square icon in the upper right corner of the map.
Click on the 'Add geofence' button and select 'Polygon' as the geofence type.
Initially, the geofence will appear as a pentagon. Adjust the shape by dragging vertices or adding new ones to fit the desired area.
Name your geofence and save it. You can edit or delete created geofences as needed.

Edit geofence details

To locate the edit functionality, click the pencil icon next to the geofence you want to edit in the Geofences tool. When editing a geofence, you can customize various elements to enhance organization and monitoring:

Geofence label: Assign or edit the name of the geofence for easy identification.
Tags: Add or modify tags to categorize and organize geofences. Tags like "central" and "west" help in sorting and managing multiple geofences.
Color: Change the color of the geofence for better visualization on the map. This is particularly useful when managing multiple geofences, as different colors can quickly differentiate between various zones. The color selection tool allows for choosing a specific color and viewing its HEX code.

Importing geofences

When you need to add a large number of geofences, it’s quicker to import them from a file rather than creating them manually. You can import geofences from Excel or KML files.

Importing circle geofences from Excel

Choose the “Geofences” tool.
Press the "Circle geofences import" button.
Download the provided file example.
Add information about your geofences to the file as specified in the example.
Upload the edited file to the monitoring service.
If your file has headers, enable the "Use headers from file" option.
Verify the header fields and click Next.
Check the records and click Proceed.
Once the import is completed, the new geofences will appear in the list.

Importing polygonal geofences from KML

Choose the “Geofences” tool.
Press the "Geofences import from KML" button.
Click on the "Browse" button to select the needed KML file on your computer.
Change the default radius if necessary.
Click "Upload".
Once the import is completed, the new geofences will appear in the list. Note that the default radius is only used for route geofences. For other types, this step can be skipped.

We recommend utilizing Google Earth and exporting your geofences to a KML file. Please note there is a 500 point limit per geofence.