A Simple Guide To Geofencing And Its Various Applications

What is geofencing?

Geofencing refers to a location-based service that sets up a virtual perimeter around a defined real-world geographical area, incorporating technologies such as GPS trackers in Singapore and RFID technology to do so. Just like a real-life perimeter fence, geofences are designed to trigger a response whenever mobile devices cross the virtual fence, which is usually defined when an administrator establishes a boundary around a specified location via software. These responses take the form of mobile push alerts, triggered text messages, in-app notifications, or alerts to mobile devices, whenever users enter or exit the geofenced area.

Geofencing is an invaluable IoT solution that greatly facilitates safeguarding of company resources, as well as providing Singapore businesses invaluable insights into the behaviour and movement of both customers and their own employees through data collection. In turn, this helps to influence both business strategy as well as operational efficiency, streamlining costs and improving productivity and profits in the long run.

What are the applications of geofencing?

Geofencing promises numerous possibilities for businesses across various industries, ranging from fleet management to employee monitoring and asset monitoring.

Fleet Management

Geofencing is a critical tool in telematics, utilising location data provided by GPS trackers to deliver creative solutions with many applications. Some examples of where geofencing delivers utility is in both vehicle tracking and fleet management systems, ranging from car rental companies to shipping companies that use trucks and vessels. Overdrive empowers shipping companies with its vessel tracking system, which provides precise real-time location data of ships while utilising geofencing technology to immediately alert if ships stray out of designated shipping routes, enhancing crew safety and protecting shipping assets.

To streamline fleet efficiency and reduce wasteful overhead, OverdriveIoT’s OverWheels is a full-fledged fleet management system that incorporates geofencing. This allows companies to set virtual boundaries and push triggers if vehicles stray off designated routes, such as in the case of vehicle theft for car rental companies or driver inexperience or skiving for shipping companies. OverWheels also provides other features such as real-time route and vehicle tracking, daily trip counter reports, as well as vehicle diagnostics to keep one’s fleet in tip-top condition for reduced downtime and costs.

Employee Monitoring

Geofencing also helps HR departments monitor employees and their precise locations across various facilities and compounds, particularly for employees working in restricted locations. OverdriveIoT’s OverGuard real-time location system tracks both employee movement indoors and outdoors while also alerting personnel in the event of injury for high-risk areas, helping to promote employee safety through rapid response by medical staff as well as reducing employee inefficiency or skiving.

Asset Monitoring

Managing, tracking, and monitoring assets for a large organisation can be a hassle. With OverdriveIoT’s OverGuard real-time location system, companies can utilise geofencing to draw virtual boundaries around critical assets stored in warehouses for ease of asset monitoring, providing information such as frequency of use and movement within an area to facilitate a more efficient workflow or storage plan. If assets are removed from a geofenced area, an alert is automatically triggered, providing a swift response against theft or misuse of company property by employees.