GEOFENCE SOLUTION IN THE EVENT OF A PANDEMIC

INTRO

One of the more advanced features of GPS trackers is the ability to create Geofence scenarios in a real-time with triggered alerts. Geofences are designated areas or zones that can be defined on a map or as a distance from the specific location. The feature may help to comply with some pandemic lockdown measures and greatly benefit private car owners, families, corporate fleet managers and business owners. All Teltonika GPS tracker models have Geofence as a standard feature.

CHALLENGE

COVID-19 has officially been designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). It has gone global with cases in over 150 countries. As of mid-May, 2020, more than 4 million COVID-19 confirmed cases over time have been reported worldwide with a death toll of more than 300,000. Estimates of the expected recovery in 2021 are equally uncertain, with outcomes depending largely on the duration of the outbreak and the effectiveness of the policy responses.

On the other hand, some countries begin a gradual easing of their COVID-19 lockdown measures. That said, governments around the world are wrestling with the conundrum of how best to lift confinement measures that are exacting a disastrous toll on their economies while avoiding a dangerous second wave of contagion.

Example 1

In France, the freedom of movement of up to 100 km (62 miles) has been introduced. Journeys of up to 100 km from home will be allowed without justification. Longer trips will still be allowed only for work or for “compelling family reasons”, as justified by a signed form. And some other countries may follow the lead introducing similar measures and/or division in country zones based on health indicators.

Please be aware, it is a radius from the starting point (that is to say home) we are talking here, not the mileage readings on the vehicle speedometer from home as such.

Example 2

Chile has declared a preventative quarantine for parts of Santiago and nationwide curfew requirements. Total quarantine has taken effect for Gran Santiago including all comunas in the Santiago Province, as well as certain comunas in other areas. Outside Santiago, quarantines have also been implemented in Arica, Iquique and Alto Hospicio. This leads to different designated areas where the entrance is forbidden or at high risk. Ideally, trips through these areas should be monitored and controlled.

So, how do you measure the radius precisely while driving a car? How do you know you are still in the allowed zone and not breaching the lockdown restriction without any headache or guesswork? And that's where the GPS tracker Geofence scenario comes into play.

SOLUTION

GPS tracking devices offer multiple additional functions that are just as useful as live tracking such as geofence zones. Geofences are virtual boundaries you draw on a digital map in Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) software application that is used in location-aware events and various alarms.

Geofencing can be used for setting up events and receiving notifications when a vehicle enters or leaves a predetermined area. Geofencing is critical for any person seeking to comply with introduced lockdown movement measures or modern business with a vehicle fleet. Plus, it allows the fleet managers to draw zones around customers’ sites, warehouses, and secure areas.

Here is how it works: When these geofences are crossed by a vehicle equipped with a GPS tracker (for instance, the new generation model FMM130), the vehicle owner, the fleet manager or any appointed person in charge will be warned with an alarm buzzer, SMS, email, LED indicator or smartphone push notification activated by tracker digital output (DOUT). The fact of a vehicle crossing the predefined geofence zone boundary is tracked in real-time by satellite GNSS.

Conveniently, you can choose when to generate an event – on zone entrance, on exit or both. The zone may have a circle or rectangular shape and, upon the demand, maximum allowed speed can be set up too.

As a private car owner and a family member, you may set up a Geofence scenario around your house which will alert you whenever the family car leaves or returns home or apply Geofence scenario for a movement radius restriction tracking if such pandemic measure has been introduced in the country.

Furthermore, it allows you to see that your teen driver has left for school on time or got home before curfew. Alternatively, geofencing an area around your teen’s school or job you will be able to see that they are arriving on time every day.

A geofence set up around your home will also alert you if someone tries to take your car once it is parked at the end of the day. You can also set geofences around work, favourite stores and other locations you commonly visit and so on.

Going even further, save yourself from multiple trips by setting up an alert around your favourite grocery store. Whenever someone is at the store you will be alerted and can text them those last-minute additions to the grocery list. Even more, you can also set geofences up around places you do not want someone in your family to go!

As a fleet manager or business owner, you can use geofences to send alerts and provide timestamps for activities such as entering or exiting job sites, arriving or leaving work, managing territories, keeping employees out of certain areas (aka “No-Go” zones). You can learn more about the technical aspects of this use case here.

Teltonika GPS tracking system solutions with geofences and a broad range of other helpful features will assist you to take control of your vehicle or fleet in a large variety of ways. If needed, you can set up multiple geofence zones on your mapping panel.

TOPOLOGY

BENEFITS

• Highly beneficial in a current pandemic situation – facilitating compliance to virus COVID-19 lockdown measures in some countries.
• Keeping your vehicle safe – may allow preventing motor vehicle theft.
• It improves vehicle fleet coordination and awareness about vehicle movement.
• Greatly improves the driver's accountability, discipline and helps to minimize/eliminate human errors.
• Suitable for all market segments – it can be used by private vehicle owners and corporate fleet managers.
• Do it your way – it is accessible by any smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC.
• Keeping your business intact – very likely will improve a fleet operational cost, personnel discipline, business procedure compliance, company cash flow and ROI.
• It is completely legal for companies to track their vehicles, though collected data must only be used for the benefit of the company.

WHY TELTONIKA?

Having over 10 million devices successfully deployed, the undeniable benefits of Teltonika GPS trackers are appreciated by thousands of drivers and business owners every single day in over 160 countries around the world.

When it comes to monitoring the company fleet and applying the Geofence feature, Teltonika can offer a variety of made in EU easy-to-install GPS devices such as FMB, FMU, FMM series and some others.

These GPS trackers are perfectly suitable for private drivers, businesses, state companies and organisations in the vast majority of industries using passenger cars, SUVs, business class and luxury cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, buses, utility, mining and construction transport, taxis and cabs, motorbikes, motorcycles and more.