What is a Geofence?

A geofence is a specific area on the map used to track units within or outside of these areas. Geofences can also be used as points of interests (POI). Geofences can be in the shape of a polygon (for example, a city or business premises), a line (such as a certain road), or a circle of any radius.

Steps to Create a Geofence

1. Go to the Geofences tab in the Main Menu of Fleet Watch.
2. Click New to create a new geofence.
3. Select the geofence type: polygon, line, or circle.
4. Map the geofence on the map (instructions below).
5. Specify the geofence properties (name, description, etc.).
6. Click Save to save the geofence or Clear to start mapping again.

Mapping Different Types of Geofences

Polygon

1. Double-click on the map to place the first point.
2. Place the second and third points in the same way. After the third point, they will connect to form a triangle.
3. Place subsequent points inside or outside the triangle to shape your geofence.
4. You can delete points by double-clicking on them, or move points by dragging them.

Line

1. Double-click on the map to place the first point.
2. Place subsequent points to form a line. Each new point connects to the previous one.
3. You can delete points by double-clicking on them, or move points by dragging them.

Circle

Method 1:

1. Double-click on the map to place the centre point of the circle.
2. Specify the radius in the Radius field (default is 100m).

Method 2:

1. Specify the coordinates of the centre point in the Coordinates field.
2. Specify the radius in the Radius field.

Actions with Points

To move a point, drag it to another place holding down the left mouse button.

To insert a new point, double-click on the line between two other points and move the new point to the required place.

To delete a point, double-click on it. This action is only available for polygons and lines. However, if the polygon consists of three points and the line consists of two points, you cannot delete these points. You can move them or delete the geofence by clicking Clear in the work area.

Geofence Properties

When creating a geofence, you’ll need to specify:

• Name (required): The name of your geofence.
• Description: Optional information about the geofence that will appear in tooltips.
• Type: Polygon, line, or circle.
• Resource: The resource where the geofence will be stored.
• Group: Optional group assignment for the geofence.
• Image: Optional icon for the geofence.
• Colour: The colour used to display the geofence on the map.
• Visibility: The map scale at which the geofence is shown.

Using Geofences

Geofences can be used in:

• Notifications (to alert when units enter or leave areas).
• Reports (to analyse unit activity in specific areas).
• Routes (as checkpoints).
• Unit tooltips (to show which geofence a unit is currently in).

Additional Methods to Create Geofences

You can also create geofences using:

• The Address tool: Search for a place and save it as a circle geofence.
• Import from KML/KMZ files: Import geofences created in other applications.

If you have any questions on creating / using Geofences in Fleet Watch, please contact us.