Geofencing: What is it, how do I add it to my project?

Geofencing is the use of GPS technology to create a virtual geographic boundary, which enables software (such as Ensemble) to trigger a response when a mobile device enters or leaves a particular area, such as an office's premises.


Note: Location Data cannot be collected if you have opted out of collecting personal identifiers via the QR code or Zero-Touch profile during enrollment.


Before enabling any Geofencing, be sure to turn on Track Device Location in the project, as this is required to have a Geofence active. The image below shows where this setting is located:

To include Geofencing on the project, do the following steps:


  • Navigate to the company page, and choose Projects

  • From the project screen, choose Policies, then Location Settings from the top selection bar.

  • Once on that page, scroll down to the next section to set up the Geofencing policies.

Setting up a Geofence


Pressing the + button will open the interface to begin setting up a Geofence.



The first field is Alias. This is simply the name given to this current geofence setup.




The transition field determines if an event will occur when the device enters or exits the geofence.  




After choosing the transition option, then select the Event. The admin can enable alerts and/or suspension events.



To learn about setting up an email to be notified about new alerts, see the Alert section below


For the Enter transition:

  • Alert: receive an alert when the device enters the Geofence area
  • Suspend: suspend the device if it enters the Geofence area, and unsuspend the device when it leaves the Geofence area.


For the Exit transition:


  • Alert: receive an alert when the device leaves the Geofence area
  • Suspend: suspend the device if it leaves the Geofence area, and unsuspend the device when it reenters the Geofence area. 


When viewing the Geofences from the map view, the outline color will be blue if the alert event is enabled. The inside color will be red if suspend on enter or green if suspend on exit.


Finally the geofence can be one of two shapes: Circle and Polygon.


Circle


To place a circle geofence, select circle from the dropdown, then click the map to place the center point. Drag the center point to move it or click the marker to delete or view information about the point. Use the slide to adjust the radius of the circle to a value between 50 and 150 meters.


When Wi-Fi is available, location accuracy is usually between 20-50 meters.


Polygon

To create a polygon Geofence, click the map in at least three places.



To adjust the shape of the polygon, click and drag any of the points on the map, and the polygon shape will follow. You can also place down more points to create other shapes as needed.



To finalize the geofence, click the Apply button in the bottom right.


Support for Multiple Geofences

Multiple geofences can occupy the same space on the map. To place a second layer, click outside of the existing geofence and drag the points into position. Make sure to set the layer field appropriately.


Multiple geofences can be created in the same place. Use the layer option to enable the desired event and transition. The higher layer number will be prioritized over a lower one.


Layered Examples:


This image shows a device inside two geofences. The blue circle indicates the accuracy range of the check-in coordinates. The polygon with the black outline and red interior is on layer 2. The green circle is on layer one. This device will suspend because the device location circle overlaps the red polygon and it won't send an alert because none of the polygons have a blue outline.


This image shows a device inside two geofences. The polygon with the blue outline and green interior is on layer 2. The red circle with the blue outline is on layer one. This device will be unsuspended and send an alert because the device location circle overlaps the green polygon with the blue outline.

 

Modifying Geofences


After at least one Geofence has been created, click the Options button next to the geofence to either Edit the geofence's parameters or delete it entirely. 



Factors Affecting Geofence Accuracy:


There are multiple factors that can affect the Geofence's accuracy. These include:


  • GPS: Offers the highest potential accuracy (within a few meters) but can be affected by signal obstructions (buildings, dense foliage).
  • Location provider: The underlying location technology used plays a significant role.
  • Wi-Fi: Provides moderate accuracy (tens of meters) and works well indoors where GPS might be weak.
  • Cellular: Offers the lowest accuracy (hundreds of meters) but consumes less power and works in areas with limited GPS or Wi-Fi coverage.
  • Device Hardware: The quality of the device's GPS and other location sensors impacts accuracy. Newer devices with advanced sensors generally provide better results.
  • Geofence Radius: The size of your geofence directly influences accuracy. Smaller geofences can trigger more precise entry and exit events, but they might be more susceptible to minor location fluctuations.
  • Environmental Conditions: Dense urban areas, indoor environments, and areas with poor signal reception can all negatively impact accuracy.
  • Power Management: Aggressive power-saving modes on the device can limit the frequency of location updates, potentially delaying geofence triggers.
  • Typical Accuracy Ranges:
  • Best Case (GPS, Open Sky): You can expect accuracy within a few meters, allowing for relatively precise geofence triggers.
  • Average Case (Urban, Mixed Signals): Accuracy might range from tens to hundreds of meters, depending on the location provider and environmental factors.
  • Worst case (Indoor, Weak Signals): Accuracy can be significantly reduced, potentially leading to delayed or missed geofence events. 


As an important note; The Geofence API is designed to provide approximate location-based triggers. It's not intended for applications that require extremely precise location detection. 

Alerts


In order to make use of the Geofencing alerts, first ensure that you have an Alert Policy turned on for the company. To do this, navigate to the company page, then click the Devices tab on the left side of the screen, then Alerts. On the Alerts page, there are two tabs: History and Policies. To set up the policies, be sure to be on the Policies tab.



Once on this page, press the + button on the right side of the screen to create a new policy.




In order to set up an alert for Geofencing, in the first drop-down menu for Alert Type, select Geofence.


Next is the priority. There are 4 priority levels: Urgent, High, Normal, and Low. They are as follows:


  • Urgent: Alerts will arrive every minute. This is recommended for geofences.
  • High: Alerts will arrive every hour
  • Normal: Alerts will arrive every 12 hours
  • Low: Alerts will arrive every 24 hours.


The next field is the Email Address field. If no email addresses listed, alerts will still be posted to the management site. To send a summary email to a specific person(s), enter their email addresses here.


The final field is the Projects field. The current alert policy will only apply to devices on the selected project(s). If no project is selected, the policy will apply to all devices in the company.