Introduction

Administrators on the Simacan platform can access the location management function in the Masterdata application. This function makes it possible to view and manage the list of locations of the Simacan applications.

Opening location management and overview

Location management is part of the Masterdata application of your Simacan environment. You access this application via the URL that applies to your environment, according to the template: https://<customer name>.masterdata.simacan.com.

You log in there with your Simacan administrator account.

Then click on Locations in the toolbar at the top.


On the page shown you will find an overview of the locations with the most important information. You can search by name, place or address to quickly find the right location for large numbers.


Adding and removing locations

Locations are added based on the planning. When the location appears in a planning, it is automatically created and added by the platform (OTM5).


Locations cannot be removed manually. Amongst others, locations remain necessary for historical trips. It is possible to deactivate locations. This can be accomplished via the location details screen. See below.


Explanation per column

In addition to the location name, location type and address details, more information is shown in the main screen. For example, it keeps track of what the so-called ''hit rate'' is of a location. This means, how often is this location visited per week, per month or per year. It is also possible to sort by that, for example, when checking geofences, first view the most visited locations:


What the picture above also shows is:

  • Whether a geofence has been drawn in manually
  • Whether a drive-away route (first mile) has been drawn
  • Whether an approach route (last mile) has been drawn up
  • Whether the location is active
  • Who the owner is of a location in the Simacan platform


Location details

By clicking on a location, more details are shown. Next to the address details, a map is shown with the location. The geofence can also be seen on this map and it is possible to zoom in.


By clicking on the ''+'' icons it is possible to sign in an Approach route or an Exit route.


By clicking on the pencil icon it is possible to manually draw a geofence. By default, Simacan draws a geofence with a circle around the location up to X meters (configurable).


Geofence

A geofence is an area around a location. It is used to record arrival and departure times from a location during execution. By default, Simacan draws a geofence with a circle around the location up to X meter (Configurable). For more information, see the 'stop detection' page.


Drawing a new geofence manually

  1. In the location details, under the heading geofence, click on the pencil icon.
  2. Click on the map to place the first point.
  3. Move the pointer to another location and click again. Repeat this step until the desired shape is visible.
  4. Click on the first point to close the geofence.
  5. Click on 'Save geofence' to save the geofence.


Geofence edit

  1. In location details, under geofence, click on the pencil.
  2. You can now change the geofence:
    1. You can now move the points on the map.
    2. You can erase points by clicking on it with your right click
  3. Klik op 'Save geofence' om de geofence op te slaan.


Tips for drawing a geofence

  • The heatmap on the map shows where vehicles are stationary. The colors of the heatmap follow rainbow order, with blue being the least common and red being the most common.
  • When drawing the geofence, keep in mind that any GPS point that falls outside the geofence after the vehicle has already been inside will be registered as a departure.

  • Make sure you don't draw the geofence exactly around the fences of the location, but slightly wider. GPS points of vehicles sometimes have some deviations so that they can fall outside the fences. The heatmap gives an idea where these points are located.

  • If waiting at a location is considered arriving at that location, draw the geofence around that waiting location as well. However, if the wait means that a vehicle should not be registered as arrived yet, but as travel time to the location, then do not draw the geofence around the waiting location. This is especially important when analyzing driving times and stopping times after the journey has been completed.


An example of a well drawn geofence

The geofence is neatly drawn around all GPS points. Only a few points fall outside the geofence; see the red arrow in the figure for reference. The question is whether the vehicle has already reached the location or if it accidentally is standing still near the location. If the vehicle is already at the location in these cases, the geofence should also encompass these points. If the vehicle is not at the location, the points should not fall within the geofence either.


An example of an insufficient drawn geofence

From the heatmap, it appears that various GPS points of vehicles are located outside the geofence, but there are also a few points just inside the geofence. See the red arrow at the bottom of the figure for reference. As a result, some vehicles may already be registered as 'departed' because their GPS is just outside the geofence, while other vehicles are not yet registered as 'departed' because their GPS is just inside the geofence.