Geofencing

Geofencing allows you to define virtual perimeters on a map and receive real-time alerts when your IoT devices enter or leave these boundaries. This is a critical feature for security, asset recovery, and operational efficiency.

What is a Geofence?

A Geofence in AdaTrack is a polygon-shaped area defined by its geographic coordinates. You can draw these shapes directly on the live map using our intuitive drawing tools.

Key Capabilities

• Polygon Support: Create complex, multi-sided boundaries to match real-world locations like warehouses, construction sites, or delivery zones.

• Real-time Monitoring: Every incoming telemetry packet with a valid GPS coordinate is automatically checked against your active geofences.

• Entry & Exit Triggers: Configure alerts to fire when a device enters a zone, leaves a zone, or both.

• Stateful Alerting: AdaTrack remembers if a device is currently "Inside" or "Outside" a fence. This prevents "alert storms" (duplicate notifications) if a device sends multiple packets while staying within the same area.

• Multi-Device Rules: Link a single geofence to an entire Device Profile or a specific list of individual devices.

Setting Up Geofencing

1. Create a Geofence

1. Navigate to the Geofencing page.

2. Use the Polygon Tool to draw your boundary on the map.

3. Give your geofence a name (e.g., "Main Warehouse") and save it.

2. Configure a Notification Channel

Before you can receive alerts, you need to tell AdaTrack where to send them.

1. Go to Alert Channels.

2. Add a new channel (e.g., Slack, Webhook, or Telegram).

3. Enter the required configuration (e.g., Slack Webhook URL).

3. Create an Alert Rule

Link your geofence to your notification channel.

1. In the Alert Rules tab, click Create Rule.

2. Select the Geofence you created.

3. Choose the Trigger Condition (Enter, Exit, or Both).

4. Select the Notification Channel to use.

5. Save the rule.

Technical Details (For Developers)

• Spatial Engine: AdaTrack uses PostGIS and the ST_Contains function for high-performance spatial lookups.

• GIST Indexing: Our geofence table is indexed using GIST (Generalized Search Tree) to ensure that spatial queries remain fast even with thousands of active perimeters.

• Asynchronous Processing: Geofence checks happen asynchronously in a separate worker pool. This ensures that the high-throughput UDP ingestion path is never blocked by spatial analysis.

Best Practices

• Avoid Overlapping Fences: While AdaTrack supports overlapping geofences, it can lead to confusing notifications if a device triggers multiple rules simultaneously.

• Mind the GPS Accuracy: Small geofences (e.g., < 10 meters) may trigger false alerts if the device's GPS signal has high jitter or poor accuracy. We recommend a minimum buffer of 20-50 meters for reliable alerting.

• Use Clear Names: Name your geofences based on their real-world location to make notifications more actionable for your team.