By setting up virtual perimeters around specific areas, businesses can track the movements of vehicles and employees in real time, explains Netstar
With the use of technology on construction sites increasing across Australia, the use of geofencing is expected to grow.
Netstar has been helping Australian businesses optimise their fleet management and telematics for over 20 years.
Founded in South Africa, Netstar has grown into an international vehicle tracking and fleet management technology provider. Among Netstar Australia’s extensive suite of services is geofencing – an innovative way of ensuring productivity and safety across a construction site.
Geofencing is a term that is becoming increasingly popular in the world of telematics and GPS tracking.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news in the earthmoving industry
- Never miss a great deal and subscribe to our monthly magazine
- Download a free copy of our latest digital magazine to catch up on the biggest news and developments in the earthmoving industry
As Netstar explains, geofencing refers to a virtual perimeter that is set up around a specific geographic location. This perimeter is then used to trigger specific actions or events when a GPS-enabled device, such as a smartphone or vehicle, enters or exits the defined area. For example, the speed of machinery can be tracked on site, or a virtual barrier put in place to prevent staff from entering higher risk zones.
Safety and efficiency
“Geofencing is the means by which an area, such as a build site, paddock, or other location of interest, has its coordinates mapped into a software package,” Netstar Australia chief technology officer Peter McAlpine says.
“This geofence is then represented on a map as an outline, which could be the boundary shape or a radius.
“Now that the mapping system has the coordinates of this location, it can then process received GPS data from telematics devices to provide insights that are of interest to the owner.
“These will vary depending on the owner’s requirements.
“The solution can detect if the equipment is inside or outside the geofence, so stolen equipment is one example.
“It may be a building site with strict operational hours, so hours of operation can be set and alerts generated if equipment is used outside those hours.
“There are many other options that could be considered that might not be as obvious – for example lone worker or inspector safety could be one such instance, where a worker is using a personal tracker and, if no movement is detected or they haven’t left the geofence by a set time, an alert is then raised.”
Expanded toolkit
Another benefit of geofencing is its ease of operation.
Once a geofence has been created, connected tracking devices will constantly monitor each person or vehicle’s movements, sending a notification to the fleet management software if a geofence is entered or exited.
If a vehicle or another asset exceeds the boundary set as a geofence, an alert is recorded by the tracking system.
This trigger sends an alert to the system administrator along with important information including the date and time of the violation, as well as the precise location of the incident.
This data can then be used to track the vehicle in which the incident occurred, to determine whether or not it may be in any danger and appropriate action taken.
Overall, Netstar highlights geofencing as a powerful tool that can be used in various ways in the world of telematics and GPS tracking.
By setting up virtual perimeters around specific areas, businesses can track the movements of vehicles and employees in real time, improve efficiency, and enhance safety and security.
As the technology continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see even more innovative uses of geofencing in the future, the company explains.
“Geofencing is growing and being used more and more in daily activities of fleet management,” Netstar Australia business development manager Wayne Blair says.
“It provides a great capability to log in and out times at locations and also provides the capability to set a geofence location and gain history for that location.
“With all these capabilities geofencing will have a greater demand moving forward.”
For any questions or queries on geofencing, Netstar Australia can be contacted at 1300 728 882 or email sales@netstaraus.com.au