Location-based services
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Location-based service is a general term denoting software services that use geographic data and information to provide services or information to users. Resco mobile apps offer several features that involve user location, including:
- Geofencing
- Location history (audit)
- Live tracking/monitoring
Geofencing
Geofencing is a location-based service in which a software application uses GPS to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location, known as a geofence.
Key features
- Boundary setup: Users can define geographical boundaries in the application interface.
- Event triggers: Customizable actions are initiated when an entity enters or exits a geofence.
- Real-time alerts: Notifications are sent to users or systems immediately upon boundary breach.
Use cases
Automatic events can trigger when the mobile user has entered, such as:
- Update bookable resource status to "On site" or "Arrived".
- Limit the actions that users can perform in the mobile app depending on their location. For example, users cannot update the data of assets if they are not within a defined boundary from the given asset.
Geofencing at Resco
This feature requires implementation effort from the customer, but Resco offers the necessary building blocks. Use the rule function Set GPS to get the user's current location and the CalculateDistance operation to determine if the user is close to the target area.
It can be implemented with the following features:
- Location tracking that submits the location data to the backend server. From there, backend workflows (such as Power Automate workflows) can be performed to update the data of any entity required.
- Limitation: resource-saving features in Android 13 and newer disable the background service submitting the location data, often resulting in geofence locations 'missed' due to the device being in a deep sleep state, therefore, real-time monitoring cannot be ensured on these devices.
- Distance calculation in form rules - can be used to validate the user's presence at the given location. However, as rules can only be triggered when the particular form is open in the app, this cannot be used in the background in fully unattended mode.
Location history on the map
This feature records and displays historical location and time data of an entity on a map interface.
Key features
- Data recording: Continuous logging of location coordinates over time.
- Interactive map display: Visualization of travel paths and stops on a digital map.
- Time filtering: Users can select specific time frames to view historical data…
Use cases
Location history is helpful in situations where non-real-time data on the mobile workforce's location is required, e.g., when proving that a particular activity has been performed at a specific location, proving the worker's physical presence.
Location history at Resco
Mobile auditing is a feature that enables logging of user operations - what actions they performed, when, and where. To activate this, it must be configured in the Woodford tool. Auditing data can be visualized in various ways: on the backend server, using third-party tools (such as Power BI), or even directly in Resco mobile apps.
Mobile auditing relies on data synchronization. Therefore, the data is only updated during sync operations. Also, be aware that when a configured mobile audit event occurs, the device may be unable to acquire a current GPS position (due to being indoors, underground, etc.). In this case, the device's last known location is being stored.
Live tracking
Live tracking provides real-time location monitoring of entities displayed on a digital map.
Key features
- Real-time updates: Instantaneous location updates ensure accurate tracking.
- Multi-entity tracking: Capability to track multiple entities simultaneously.
- Customizable update frequency: Adjustable intervals for location updates according to user preference…
Use cases
Live tracking is especially useful if you want to schedule or reschedule high-priority work orders for your technicians in the field. Via live tracking, you are able to identify the nearest technicians to the incident and assign them to the work order.
Live tracking at Resco
- Location tracking allows real-time GPS tracking of users' positions and transmits these records to the server. It is a background service, operating even when the app is inactive with caching of data locally in offline mode. However, users can disable this feature if needed. It is important to note that this functionality requires a valid CRM user/password (service account) for the data transmission. The service account must have MFA (multi-factor authentication) disabled, but its security role can be limited to creating/modifying its own mobile audit records. If it’s not possible to create such an account, location tracking won’t work in real-time mode. The app can only flush records directly to CRM when the phone is unlocked. The web service then creates records in the target CRM system using these user's credentials.
- Location Monitor is a tool for tracking and visualizing the location of field staff on the map in a web app.
Limitations
- Depending on the configured tracking frequency, mobile auditing can generate a huge volume of records (a new record is created for each position change of each user).
- If the user is offline, all these data are cached on the device and synced when back online. When the user is online but locked or running in the background, real-time data are sent to the backend via Resco location web services using the Service Account configured in Woodford. The service account must have MFA disabled. Its security role can be limited to creating/modifying its own mobile audit records. If creating such an account is impossible, location tracking won’t work in real-time mode when the app is not in the foreground. The app can only flush records directly to CRM when the phone is unlocked.
- Location Monitor is unsuitable for visualization and processing of more than ~20 users at a time. However, data is available in the backend database, and thus, it can be processed by more robust third-party BI tools (such as Power BI).
- Security permissions: The user must have the necessary permissions to use the Location Monitor tool. Location tracking must be enabled on the mobile device and explicitly for the Resco app to be effective.
- Internet connectivity: While the app can store data locally without an internet connection, it needs connectivity to flush data to the server
- Mobile device with GPS chip: For accurate location tracking and auditing, the user's device must have a GPS chip
- Backend server: Location tracking and monitoring and mobile auditing require a supported backend server. The collection of Audit records is supported on Resco Cloud, Dynamics365/Dataverse, and Salesforce. Location monitoring is available on Resco Cloud and Dynamics365/Dataverse.