TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview & Background

There is a known issue with overlapping zones of the same type (Automated) that can occur when there are rules applied to that type (Automated Entering / Exiting). If zones of the same Type overlap in any way, the behavior of entering and exiting events cannot be guaranteed.


To circumvent this issue altogether, a new zone type will need to be created to prevent the bug from occurring. Additional notification rules will also need to be created. These should be identical to the original standard Automated type so that we continue to get crossing events in the exact same way. The integration will handle the process of creating rules for overlapping zones automatically. One important point to note is that overlapping zone rules will only be configured automatically for new zones that are created by the integration so it is possible that there could be issues with the configuration of some of the overlapping zones that already exist in the MyGeotab database.  For existing overlapping zones, or zones that are created manually, this document can be used as a guide for updating zone type and rules, to ensure that enter and exiting events are occurring as expected.

When Should New Types & Rules Be Created

A new Type and Rule will only need to be created each time you reach a new maximum number of overlapping zones in a single location within your Geotab database. Once created, subsequent overlapping zones scenarios containing the same number of overlaps will be able to use the already existing Types and Rules.

If you have already created the AutomatedOverlap Zone Type and Rule, you will not need to recreate these for situations containing up to two (2) overlapping zones. The first zone will be assigned “Automated” and the second “AutomatedOverlap”. Only once you reach the new maximum of three (3) overlapping zones in a single location will a new Rule and Type, such as “AutomatedOverlapTwo”, need to be created for the third overlap.

* Please Note - We do not encourage overlapping zones. In most cases reshaping the zone or removing the duplicate is the proper fix. Overlapping zones should only exist in situations where it is mandatory. For example, two (2) Bill To companies exist within the same location requiring the same Geofence.

Creating a New Zone Type

  1. Login to your Geotab Platform Dashboard.
  2. On the left side, expand "Zones & Messages" and select "Zones".
     
  3. With Zones expanded, in the top header row, along with filtering and searching, click on "Types".
     
  4. Inside of "Types", within the same header row at the top, click "Add".
     
  5. Add the new Zone Type "Name" and any additional comments that should be included with this Type.
  6. Once completed, click "Save" to persist your changes into the database.

This zone can now be used when updating existing Geofence Zones with a new Zone Type.

Create a New Zone Type Rule

  1. Login to your Geotab Platform Dashboard.
  2. On the left side, expand "Rules & Groups" and select "Rules".
     
  3. Scrolling down to the "Advanced" section towards the bottom, you should see the existing Rules "Automated Zone (Entering)" and "Automated Zone (Exiting)" for the Company Group. These can be used as Templates if needed.
     
  4. Scrolling back to the top, still within the Rules & Groups section, in the top header row, along with filtering and searching, click on "Add".
     
  5. Update the "Name" field. Typically, this is named with the Zone Type and either Entering or Exiting. Ex. "AutomatedOverlap (Entering)" or "AutomatedOverlap1 (Exiting)".
  6. Update the "Color:". The standard used by ASR is Orange for these Rules.
  7. Update the "Publish to groups:" if necessary. The default is "Company Group".
  8. Apply a comment if preferred. Again, this is typically Entering / Exiting and then the Zone Type followed by what it's for. Ex. "Entering an automated overlap zone to notify the TMS and Tablet." or "Entering an automated zone to notify the TMS and Tablet."
     
  9. Underneath of "Exception Rule Edit" at the top, we must switch to the "Conditions" section by clicking on "Conditions".
     
  10. Add a Condition for a specific Zone Type. Click "Add Zone or zone type". This should open the Zone Configuration window with more options.
  11. Toggle "Type:" to be "Zone Type".
  12. Update "Zone Type:" by selecting the newly created Zone Type from the drop-down list that the rule is being created for.
  13. Select the "Event:" option. This should either be "Entering" or "Exiting".
     
  14. Once configured, click "Add". This will minimize the configuration window and add a comment to the text box at the bottom based on your selected values.
  15. Underneath of "Exception Rule Edit" at the top, we must switch to the "Notifications" section by clicking on "Notifications".
  16. Under "Notification Recipients" click on the "More..." drop down and select "Web Request".
     
  17. Update "Web request:" by clicking into the text field "Type here of select an item". There should be at least two options labeled "Eleos Services (Entering)" and "Eleos Services (Exiting)". Select whichever option corresponds to the type of Rule you have been creating. Ex. If you have been configuring an "Entering" notification, choose "Eleos Services (Entering)".
     
  18. Click "Add" after you have chosen your item above.
  19. At the very top, above "Exception Rule Edit", click "Save" to finalize and save your changes.
     
  20. Repeat the rule process listed above for the opposite activity. If you just completed an "Entering" rule, the same will need to be done for an "Exiting" rule.

Once both Rules have been created and the existing zones updated with the new Zone Type, crossing events such as entering and exiting will now be sent into your Eleos integration for the updated overlapping zone.

Updating an Existing Zone's Type

  1. Login to your Geotab Platform Dashboard.
  2. On the left side, expand "Zones & Messages" and select "Zones".
     
  3. With Zones expanded, in the top header row, along with filtering, click into the Search Box "Search name" and begin typing the Zone Name that you would like to update.
  4. Click on the Zone you would like to update within the displayed results based on your search criteria.
     
  5. Within the "Zone Details" window that has opened, click into the "Types:" section. The default may exist displaying "Automated,".
  6. From the list of Zone Types, select the new Type that you want to assign to this zone. This will append the new type to the end of the existing list. Ex. "Automated, AutomatedOverlap,".
     
  7. Like how a text field would function, manually remove the first Zone Type and corresponding comma. Ex. "Automated, AutomatedOverlap," would be changed to "AutomatedOverlap,".
     
  8. Once completed, click "Save" to persist your changes into the database.

With the Zone's type updated, this zone will now trigger corresponding Zone Rules and notifications that correspond to this zone's type.