What is Geofencing And How Do I Create a Geofence?

What is Geofencing?

Geofencing is a location-based technology service in which a mobile, desktop, or cloud-based app or other software utilizes GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi, or cellular data to activate a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or departs a virtual border, that is set up around a geographical area. A geofence can be as tiny as a structure or a residence, or as vast as a mile or even a zip code.

Explained simply, it is the placement of the determined border that enables geofencing.

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Did you know? That Geofencing was developed and patented in 1995 by American inventor Michael Dimino, who utilized the first-of-its-kind GPS and GSM technologies to monitor and locate anyplace on the planet from a remote location.

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Depending on how a geofence is set up, it can prompt mobile push notifications, trigger SMS messages or alerts, send targeted social media advertising, track vehicle fleets, deactivate particular technologies, or offer location-based data. Geofencing may also be used by industries such as Transportation, Police and First Responders, Utilities, Car leasing, etc.

What is Geofencing used for?

Geofencing has been a regular practice for many companies as mobile and GPS devices have grown in popularity. Once a geographical region has been specified, the possibilities for what corporations may do appear limitless, and it has become extremely popular in other implementation than fleet management.

• Social Media

  One of the most well-known applications for geofencing is found in popular social networking apps, most notably Snapchat. Location-based filters, stickers and other shareable content are all made possible with geofencing.

• Marketing

  Geofencing is a popular way for businesses to deliver in-store promotions, imparting you as soon as you enter the store's vicinity.

• Audience

  Geofencing is used to engage large crowds at scheduled events such as concerts, festivals, and fairs. E.g., utilizing a geofence to crowdsource social media postings or distribute event information.

• Telematics
  

• Geofencing may also aid with telematics by allowing businesses to create virtual zones around premises, work spaces, and security areas. They can be activated by a vehicle or a person, and they can convey alerts or warnings to the fleet manager.

  Many trucking and fleet management companies are using geofencing to track their vehicles based on where they're going. Telematics geofencing is a REST API that allows fleet managers to track whether or not mobile assets are within specified geographical areas. Any trackable object, such as a person, automobile, smartphone, or delivery box, is considered an asset.

How does Geofencing technology work?

Geofences are built with mapping software, which allows the user to build the geofence across the required geographical region. It is composed of a set of coordinates (i.e., latitude and longitude) or, in the case of a circular geofence, a single point that serves as the center.

The geofencing technology software consist of three critical elements that needs to work in unison:

• The defined perimeter.

• The device tracking system.

• The device being tracked.

To create a geofence, a system administrator or developer must first create a virtual border around a specific area in GPS- or RFID-enabled software. This may be as simple as drawing a 100-meter circle around a spot-on Google Maps. When an authorized device enters or departs the virtual geofence, a trigger reaction determined by the administrator or developer will respond.

Many geofencing solutions include Google Earth, which allows administrators to construct borders on top of a satellite image of a given geographical region.

Geofencing technology benefits

Geofencing software in fleet management is beneficial for a variety of objectives, as discussed earlier.

Geofencing used by service or transportation companies, build virtual perimeters around their customers' locations, in order know when a driver arrives or how long it takes to unload their freight.

Construction businesses may use it to assess whether or not a piece of equipment leaves the construction site, e.g., in case of theft.

Geofencing software may provide significant benefits to businesses in a variety of sectors. Here are some of the most noteworthy advantages:

• Accurate real-time data.

• Efficient resource utilization.

• Increased staff productivity.

• Accountability and safety.

• Process Automation.

• Simple installation.

• Data gathering.

• Simplified coordination and communication.

How to create a geofence?

All the technology behind geofencing is already made by our professional developers. All you need is an AutoPi TMU device, access to AutoPi Cloud and a functional vehicle.

To create your own geofence, you need to enable the geofence add-on in your AutoPi Cloud. However, in our next release, geofencing will be a default function for all.

You can create a geofence in two different ways.

1. Draw circles on a specific centered point and size as desired.

2. Draw polygons with specified corners.

Autopi.cloud can construct zones both dynamically and procedurally. Read more about it here.

Simply click on our circle zone-import tool and click anywhere on the map, it will take the center point and you can size it however you want, and create a zone for you.

E.g., you want to know when your vehicles enter a specified area with your warehouse as the center point, so you will know beforehand and organize a staff to be ready to unload the goods and decrease waiting time.

A second way is to create zones by using corners. You accomplish this by clicking on a map and outlay the area of the corners of a zone to where you want them.

E.g., you could want to know when an employee arrives or departs from a job site, as well as how long they stay.

Furthermore, geofences are essentially just digital shapes placed on a map, so when used in combination with conditional triggers, geofence becomes quite strong.

You may design your own triggers in Autopi.cloud, to get notifications anytime an event occurs, such as when a truck enters the set geofence zone.

If you have trouble to install geofence yourself, do not hesitate to contact us.