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Using Vectra

Geofences and zones

Drawing the boundary an asset should stay inside, and deciding what happens when it does not.

6 min read

A geofence is a shape on the map plus a rule about crossing it. It is the single highest-value thing you will configure, because it turns a map you have to watch into a system that tells you when to look.

A geofence firing on exitA zone is drawn around the area an asset is allowed in. The asset's track stays inside until it crosses the boundary, at which point an exit alert is sent by SMS and email. Drawing the permitted area and alerting on exit is more reliable than trying to enumerate every place the asset should not go.Permitted rental areathe zone you drawdockExit alertSMS + email, immediatelycooldown stops a repeat stormoutside the zoneDraw where it IS allowed and alert on exit — there are infinitely many places it should not be.
One zone around the permitted area, alerting on exit, catches most theft and most customers going somewhere they agreed not to.

Drawing one

  1. 1
    Geofences → New zone

    Draw the shape directly on the map. Click to place corners, close the shape to finish.

  2. 2
    Name it for what it means

    "Permitted rental area" tells you something at 2am. "Zone 1" does not.

  3. 3
    Choose the trigger

    Entry, exit, or dwell. Exit is the theft and misuse case; entry is useful for arrival notifications; dwell catches an asset sitting somewhere it should be passing through.

  4. 4
    Pick which assets it applies to

    A zone can cover the whole fleet or a subset. Trail boundaries for powersports and water boundaries for boats should not police each other.

  5. 5
    Choose how you are told

    Email, SMS, or both.

Shapes that work

  • Draw the area an asset is ALLOWED in and alert on exit, rather than drawing the places it is not allowed. There are infinitely many places it should not be.
  • Leave slack at the edges. A boundary drawn tight to a shoreline produces alerts every time GPS wanders a few metres.
  • Make the marina or yard its own zone. Entry and exit there is your arrival and departure log, and it costs nothing to have.

Automatic cut-off

A zone can also cut power when an asset enters it. This is deliberately a separate switch from alerting, and it should stay off unless immobilisation at that boundary is safe under every circumstance you can imagine.

Think about where the boundary is

An automatic cut-off at a boundary that sits in a shipping channel or a highway is a hazard. Put automatic boundaries somewhere an immobilised asset is merely inconvenient.

NextAlerts and notifications
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