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GpsGate

VehicleTracker
Application Manual

Version: 2.3.1
Rev: 1.0
GpsGate VehicleTracker Application Manual
Version: 2.3.1 - Rev: 1.0

Table of Contents
1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Recommended Web Browsers...............................................................................................................................4
2 Overview of User Interface....................................................................................................................5
2.1 Main Menu..............................................................................................................................................................6
2.2 Map Display Options..............................................................................................................................................7
2.2.1 Google Map Features..............................................................................................................................................................7
2.3 Vehicle Management Panel....................................................................................................................................7
2.3.1 Vehicle Info Tab.......................................................................................................................................................................8
2.3.2 Status Tab................................................................................................................................................................................8
2.3.3 Commands Tab.......................................................................................................................................................................8
2.4 Alarm & Geofence Panel .......................................................................................................................................9
2.4.1 Alarms Tab...............................................................................................................................................................................9
2.4.2 Geofence Tab..........................................................................................................................................................................9
2.5 Vehicle and Track Panels.......................................................................................................................................9
2.5.1 Vehicle Panel Settings...........................................................................................................................................................10
3 Managing Operators and Vehicles......................................................................................................11
3.1 User types.............................................................................................................................................................11
3.1.1 Vehicles..................................................................................................................................................................................11
3.1.2 Operators...............................................................................................................................................................................11
3.1.3 Application Administrators.....................................................................................................................................................11
3.2 Adding Operators.................................................................................................................................................12
3.3 Adding Vehicles....................................................................................................................................................13
3.4 Account Settings...................................................................................................................................................15
3.4.1 Devices..................................................................................................................................................................................16
3.4.2 Track Recorder......................................................................................................................................................................17
3.4.3 Tags.......................................................................................................................................................................................18
3.4.4 Marker Color..........................................................................................................................................................................18
4 Drawing Tracks and Displaying Status Signals.................................................................................19
4.1 Selecting Tracks...................................................................................................................................................19
4.2 Drawing Tracks.....................................................................................................................................................19
4.2.1 Track settings.........................................................................................................................................................................20
4.2.2 Advanced Filters....................................................................................................................................................................21
4.3 Showing Status Signals........................................................................................................................................21
5 Working with Geofences......................................................................................................................22
5.1 Geofence Creation...............................................................................................................................................22
5.2 Geofence Editing..................................................................................................................................................23
6 Tags and Views.....................................................................................................................................24
6.1 Manage Tags........................................................................................................................................................24
6.2 Manage Views......................................................................................................................................................25
7 Sending Commands to Devices..........................................................................................................27
7.1 Template Commands............................................................................................................................................27
8 Workspaces...........................................................................................................................................28
8.1 Adding a Workspace............................................................................................................................................28
8.2 Deleting a Workspace..........................................................................................................................................29
8.3 Public Workspaces...............................................................................................................................................29
9 Device Mappers....................................................................................................................................30
9.1 Device Mapper Configuration...............................................................................................................................30
10 Event Rules...........................................................................................................................................32
10.1 Event Rule Configuration.....................................................................................................................................32
10.2 Editing Event Rules..............................................................................................................................................36
11 Reports..................................................................................................................................................37
11.1 Distance Report Templates..................................................................................................................................38
11.1.1 Sample Distance Report........................................................................................................................................................40
11.2 Event Rule Report Templates...............................................................................................................................41
11.2.1 Sample Event Rule Report....................................................................................................................................................42

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12 Exporting track data.............................................................................................................................43


12.1 Using the Export Window.....................................................................................................................................43
12.2 Exporting from the Map View...............................................................................................................................44
12.3 Exporting Views as KML.......................................................................................................................................44
13 Application Settings.............................................................................................................................45
13.1 Changing your Password.....................................................................................................................................45
13.2 Track Visualization................................................................................................................................................46
13.3 Localization...........................................................................................................................................................46
13.4 Style......................................................................................................................................................................46
14 Map Selection........................................................................................................................................47
15 Plug-ins.................................................................................................................................................48
16 Mobile Web Interface............................................................................................................................49
17 Connecting Devices to GpsGate VehicleTracker...............................................................................50
17.1 GpsGate Client.....................................................................................................................................................50
17.2 Dedicated GPS tracking devices..........................................................................................................................50

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GpsGate VehicleTracker Application Manual
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1 Introduction
Welcome to the GpsGate VehicleTracker Application Manual!
VehicleTracker is a web based application for real time vehicle tracking and fleet status
management. You can view your fleet, manage and create reports with a standard web browser. You
can also get notifications over email and SMS for all events in the application. You can view your
vehicles and follow up on alerts in any mobile phone with a web browser. You can relax now as the
system will tell you when something is wrong with your fleet.
As an Operator you can manage vehicles and work with different workspaces for different tasks.
Each operator has a personal account and access rights are defined for each operator for a set of
vehicles. A an Application Administrator you can also access administrative functions to configure
application behavior and adjust the look-and-feel of the interface.
This guide mainly covers user functionality in GpsGate VehicleTracker. If you need any additional
information, please ask your GpsGate Server Site Administrator for help.
Thank you for using GpsGate VehicleTracker!

The GpsGate Team

1.1 Recommended Web Browsers


All you need to access the GpsGate VehicleTracker user interface is a web browser. Ask your
GpsGate Server Administrator for the url (http-address) to your installation.
The recommended web browsers for GpsGate VehicleTracker are Firefox 3.0 (or later) and Internet
Explorer 7 (or later). GpsGate VehicleTracker also supports Internet Explorer 6, Opera 9, Safari 3.1
and Google Chrome.

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2 Overview of User Interface


The VehicleTracker user interface is made up of multiple panels that can be freely moved around
and re-sized. Any set of panels can be saved as a custom Workspace. There is a Default Workspace
that shows a map, Vehicle list, Vehicle Info for the selected vehicle and panels with Tracks and
Track points, as shown in the picture below.

Note: Multiple Workspaces can be created where panels are moved and re-sized. Therefore your
actual user interface might differ from the pictures in is manual.

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2.1 Main Menu


The main menu at the top of the page has the following items.
Map view Takes you to the main page

Reports View reports and create new ones. Export vehicle data as KML or CSV files

Admin Manage users and vehicles. (only available for Application Administrators)

Settings Select languages, measurement settings, track filtering options, application layout
and change your own password

Workspace Select and manage your workspaces

Maps Choose between your maps if you have installed more than one map

Windows Select the plug-in windows available in your installation

Help Open up a new browser window with the Help pages

Logout Log out from the application

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2.2 Map Display Options


Above the map you have the following Display options:

View – select between your different views.


KML – Export the content in the view as a KML-feed. Can be saved or used in ex. Google Earth.
Zoom to view – If checked, changing View will zoom the map to show all vehicles in that view.
Follow selected – if checked, the map will automatically center on the position of the vehicle
selected in the Vehicle list.
Pan on click – If checked, the map will center on a vehicle when you select it in the Vehicle list.
Show trace – This option will show a short red line after the vehicle you have selected in the
Vehicle list, the line represents the last 10 position updates for the vehicle.

2.2.1 Google Map Features


Map modes – There are currently four different Google Map views, Map, Satellite,
Hybrid and Terrain. Note that if you are using Custom maps then you will not have
these options.
Zoom control – On the left side of the map you have the zoom control bar. Drag it up
or down to zoom in and out. You can also zoom in with a double left click on the map
and zoom out with a double right click.
Zoom area – Click on the button and then hold down left mouse button and drag a square over
the area you would like to zoom into.
Zoom all Vehicles – Click on the button to zoom in on all vehicles on the map.
Request Address – Click on the button and then drag the marker to the place you want address
information for.
Clear map – Click on the button to clear all tracks from the map.
Undo Zoom – The button undoes the previous zoom operation.

2.3 Vehicle Management Panel


The Vehicle Management Panel shows information about the vehicle that is currently selected in the
Vehicle list in the Vehicle Panel.
Note: Select a vehicle in the Vehicle list to show information about it in this panel

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2.3.1 Vehicle Info Tab


The “Vehicle Info” tab shows information for the vehicle currently selected in the Vehicle list. It
displays information such as Latitude/Longitude, speed, heading and when it was last updated.

2.3.2 Status Tab


The “Status” tab shows all current information from the device for the currently selected user.

2.3.3 Commands Tab


The “Commands” tab contains device control and configuration commands. The “Commands” tab
shows the commands available for the currently selected vehicle.
Here you can start and stop tracking and send a poll-position SMS to request a position from an off-
line device.

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2.4 Alarm & Geofence Panel


2.4.1 Alarms Tab
The “Alarms” tab shows incoming alarms from your devices. In the “Alarms” tab header you can
see if there are active alarms. You can expand an alarm with the arrow on the left to get more
information.

You can close an open alarm by clicking on the “Close alarm”-button on the right side of the
desired alarm. Click on the arrow on the left side of your alarm to get more information.

2.4.2 Geofence Tab


The Geofence tab is used to edit and group geofences. A Geofence is a virtual boundary on a
geographic area. You can create alerts when vehicles enter or exit a geofence or both.

2.5 Vehicle and Track Panels


In the default view the panels for vehicles and tracks
are to the right of the map. There are three panels with
the following functionality:
• Vehicle Panel: Shows current vehicle status
and filters information for the other panels
• Tracks Panel: Lists the tracks available for
further analysis and viewing
• Track Points panel: Lists the selected track
points and historical status information

The focal point for vehicle management operations is the Vehicle Panel containing the list of
vehicles, there you see the Users and Vehicles in the current view. By default it shows the Vehicle
Name, the time it was last seen, one check-box for Tracks and one for Show/Not show.
You select a User/Vehicle either by clicking on it on the map, or in the Vehicle list in the Vehicles
panel. A selected User/Vehicle will be marked in green on the map and highlighted in bold in the
Vehicle list.

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2.5.1 Vehicle Panel Settings


The “Select Columns” icon to the far right in the Vehicle list header lets
you choose which columns to display in the Vehicle list. You can select
from the following default fields:
• Vehicle color identifier – identifies the vehicle in the track list
• Vehicle Name – the name of the vehicle
• Login ID – the vehicle login id
• Last seen – time stamp for the last valid position update
• Track – the check-box for selecting tracks for a vehicle
• Show – the check-box for showing a vehicle
• Status – the vehicle connection status icons
• Last connection – time stamp for the last server connection
• Protocol – the protocol used by the device (HTTP, TCP, SMS,...)
• Speed – vehicle speed at last update
• Description – vehicle description

The current connection status is shown by the following fields:


Connected and sending position
Connected but not sending position
Not connected
Never been seen

Above the Vehicle panel there is a Search-function where you can make free-text searches for your
Operators/Vehicles by Login ID or Vehicle name.

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3 Managing Operators and Vehicles

3.1 User types


There are three different user types in GpsGate VehicleTracker: Application Administrators (also
referred to as Operators with administration rights), Operators, and Vehicles. The table below shows
the differences between the user types.

User type Send tracking data Viewing rights Administration Act on alarms Geofence
rights
Administrator Yes Yes Yes Yes Create/Edit
Operator Yes Yes - Yes View
Vehicle Yes - - - -

3.1.1 Vehicles
Vehicles are users that can send tracking information to GpsGate Server. These users can not login
to the VehicleTracker user interface. Normally this user type is selected for vehicle mounted
tracking devices.

3.1.2 Operators
In addition to the Vehicle functionality Operators are able to login to the VehicleTracker user
interface to view vehicles, draw tracks, export track data in KML and CSV formats, generate
different reports and act on alarms.

3.1.3 Application Administrators


In addition to the Operator functionality Administrators can create, manage and delete other users in
the application.

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3.2 Adding Operators


As an Application Administrator you can create new Vehicles, Operators and Application
Administrators.
You create an Operator by selecting “Users” under the “Admin” menu. Click “Add User” to open
up a window where you can enter the Username, Name, Surname, E-mail and Password.
Note: The Username and Password are used both as login credentials to the VehicleTracker user
interface and as the client login when sending data to GpsGate Server from a GpsGate Client.

Click “Next” to continue and select whether you want this Operator to have Admin rights or not.

Click “Next” to continue and select the tags you want to associate with the user. You can also create
new tags at this point. Read more about tags in chapter 6, “Tags and Views“.

Click “Next” to continue. Select “Finish” to save the Operator or “Configure device” to move
directly to the device configuration step.

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Please move on to chapter 3.4.1, “Devices“ for information on Device configuration, Track
Recorder, Tags and Markers for the user.

3.3 Adding Vehicles


As an Application Administrator you create a Vehicle by selecting “Vehicles” under the “Admin”
menu. Click “Add Vehicle” to open up the window below.

Although a Vehicle can not login to the VehicleTracker user interface, you still have to give it a
Login ID and Password as that can be used for authentication for example if you have GpsGate
Client installed in your vehicles.

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Click “Next” to continue and select the tags you want to associate with the user. You can also create
new tags at this point. Read more about tags in chapter 6, “Tags and Views“.

Click “Next” to continue. Select “Finish” to save the vehicle or “Configure device” to move directly
to the device configuration step..

Please move on to chapter 3.4.1, “Devices“ to configure Devices, Track Recorder, Tags and
Markers for the Vehicle.

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3.4 Account Settings


As an Application Administrator you can edit an existing Operator or Vehicle account by selecting
“Manage Vehicles” or “Manage Users” in the “Admin”-menu. To display the Operator / Vehicle you
then click the Username/Login ID in the list.
On the Details tab you can add and change user information such as password and description. If
you want to upgrade an Operator to an Application Administrator you have the option to set
Administrator rights here.
You can also manage Devices, Track Recorder Settings, Tags and Markers here, this is explained
further in the sections below.

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3.4.1 Devices
You can configure GPS tracking devices to both Vehicles and Operators.
You can enter the following information for a device:
Device name A description of your device
Device type The protocol your device uses to connect
IMEI The device IMEI number (usually printed somewhere on the device)
Device mapper The device mapper you want to use to map status messages
Phone number The device phone number in international format (i.e. +...)
APN The Access Point Name (GPRS setting received from your telecom operator)
GPRS username The GPRS username (GPRS setting received from your telecom operator)
GPRS password The GPRS password (GPRS setting received from your telecom operator)

Note: the fields Country, Operator, APN, GPRS username and GPRS password will only be
available if your installation has SMS support.

Save your settings when you are done.


Configuring your device
Click “Send settings to device” to initiate a tracking device with the correct settings to connect to
your GpsGate Server. This requires that your device is supported and that your system
Administrator has set up SMS support for your implementation.
For additional information on how to configure additional devices, please have a look at the
connection guides found on this link. http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=41

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3.4.2 Track Recorder


A Track is a collection of geographical positions referred to as Track Points. In the Track Recorder
you specify when a new Track should start and how often a Track Point from a User or Vehicle is
stored in the database.

You can enter the following information in the Track Recorder:


Update Interval The time required between two position updates to create a new Track
(new track)
Update distance The distance required between two position updates to create a new Track
(new track)
Restart Interval The maximum length of a Track (useful for devices that are rarely turned off)
UTC Offset Offset for the Restart interval (e.g. +2 initiates the Restart Interval at Midnight
in the UTC+2 time zone)
Update Interval The time between two position updates. Used both for position recording and
(new position) device configuration for supported devices.
SMS Update The time between two position updated when using tracking over SMS.
Interval
(new position)
Update Distance The minimum distance between two position updates to make recording. Used
(new position) for position recording.
Speed change Speed change required to trigger position recording.
(new position)
Direction change Minimum direction change to trigger position recording.
and movement Minimum movement, used together with ”Direction change”

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3.4.3 Tags
Tags are used to associate users to different groups in VehicleTracker. You can add a Tag to a user
by selecting it in the list below. You can also create a new Tag by writing a Tag name and clicking
“Add new Tag”.
Read more about Tags in Chapter 6, “Tags and Views”.

3.4.4 Marker Color


On the Marker tab you can select a color for the users marker. You can categorize your users based
on color for improved visualization. You can choose a color from the pre-defined colors or add any
custom color in HEX format, e.g. 000000 for black or FFFFFF for white.

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4 Drawing Tracks and Displaying Status Signals

4.1 Selecting Tracks


You can show multiple tracks for multiple Operators/Vehicles at the same time on the map. First
you select the desired Operators/Vehicles by checking the Track box next to the name in the Vehicle
list in the Vehicle panel. This will populate the Tracks panel with the tracks of the selected
Operators/Vehicles.
The default sort order is with the newest track first, you can sort the lists in another order by
clicking the column headers. You can limit the tracks you wish to show by narrowing the start and
stop time stamps. By doing so you will only display Tracks that have Track points inside the
selected time period.
To view a Track click on the check-box in the
Select column in the Track list. This will open
then Track points panel and fill the Track points
list with all the Track points from the selected
Track.
You can also delete tracks in this list by clicking
the icon to the right of a track.
If you have selected the “Auto update points”
option all you changes in the Tracks panel will
instantly take effect in the Track Points panel. If
you are working with many tracks and Track
Points at the same time you can disable this
function by clearing the check-box. This will
Speed up load time. If you have done this then
use then Update-button to load the Track Points
into the Track Points panel.

4.2 Drawing Tracks


When you select a track in the Tracks list it is opened the Track Points panel, where you see the
individual positions in the track.
Clicking on the Draw Tracks button will draw the chosen tracks on the map in different colors for
each track. There is also a button here for clearing all tracks from the map.

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You can select an individual track point in a track either by clicking on it on the map, or by clicking
on it in the Track point list. You remove the tracks drawn on the map by clicking the icon next
to the Draw Tracks-button.

4.2.1 Track settings


Next to the “Draw tracks”-button you have a split-button menu (facing down
arrow). Clicking it exposes a menu with different options for track drawing.
Check the check-box next to the specific option to enable it for track drawing.
You have the following options:

● Show polyline
Select this option to connect all the track points in a track with a solid line.

● Show points
Select this option to show markers with direction arrows on the track points.
To show a bread crumb trail you should enable this option without the
polyline option above.
● Show Fatpoints
Select this option to show “Fatpoints” where the vehicle has been idle. A
Fatpoint also includes information on the length of the stop.
● Zoom to fit
Select this option to zoom in on the selected tracks when drawing and re-drawing them. You
should un-check this option if you have zoomed in on a part of the selected tracks and you
wish to re-draw them without changing the zoom level and position of the map.

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4.2.2 Advanced Filters


You can narrow down your search further based
on different search criteria. This is done by
expanding the Advanced filters options found
on top of the Track points panel.
You have the options time, speed and altitude.
By default the search options are disabled. You
enable them by checking the check-box to the
right of each field.
Below the search fields you have a check-box
named “Live Filtering”. When this option is
enabled the Track Point list below will update directly when you change your search criteria. If you
are working on large amounts of data you have the option to disable the Live Filtering by clearing
the check-box and using the Apply Filter button to the right.

4.3 Showing Status Signals


The “Select Columns” icon to the right of the Track points list header lets
you choose what to display in the Track points list. The drop-down is
populated with all the status message variables you have in the selected
tracks, select the fields you want to show. The following fields are default:
• Track color identifier – identifies the vehicle in the track list
• Date – date
• Time – time stamp
• km/h – speed (shown in the selected unit)
• Alt – altitude
• Heading – heading
• Lat – latitude
• Lon – longitude
• Valid – validity of the position update

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5 Working with Geofences


The “Geofence” tab is divided in two modes, Administrator and Operator mode. As an Operator you
can only view existing Geofences created by an Administrator.
Operator mode
Click on the “Geofence” tab and select the Geofence Tag you would like to view in the drop-down
menu. You will get a list of all included Geofences. Click on a Geofence to pan the map to the
location of the selected geofence.
Administrator mode
As an Administrator you have the ability to create and edit Geofences. You also have the ability to
group Geofences using Geofence Tags.

5.1 Geofence Creation


To create a new Geofence click the “Geofence mode” radio-button next to the drop-down menu is
selected. Then select “-- New circle--” or “-- New polygon--” in the drop-down menu.
Type in the desired name of the Geofence in the “Geofence name” text box. Use names for your
geofences that describe the location (e.g. New York, Acme ware house, etc.).

When choosing a circle geofence, the red circle that appears on the map is the Geofence boundary.
Click on the circle center and drag it to the right place on the map. You can click and drag on the

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circle border to increase or decrease the Geofence radius.


Note: You can also place and resize the Geofence using the input fields in the Geofence form.
When choosing a polygon geofence, left click on the map to start drawing the polygon. Left click
on the map for each new point of the polygon that you wish to create. Right click to create the final
point and to close the polygon.
You connect a single Geofence to a group of Geofences by adding a Geofence Tag. There are two
predefined Geofence Tags that trigger alarms:
• Go inside – Alarm: Triggers an alarm when a vehicle enters the Geofence area
• Go outside – Alarm: Triggers an alarm when a vehicle leaves the Geofence area
Select the one you would like to use in the drop-down menu named “Select Tag”. Save your
Geofence when you are done. The Geofence will now trigger alarms for all Vehicles in your
application.
Advanced: The advanced-link lets you add new Geofence Tags. You can also use it to add your
Geofence to multiple Geofence Tags. Custom Geofence Tags can be used to create more advanced
Event Rules (See the chapter about Event Rules for more information).

5.2 Geofence Editing


You edit an existing Geofences by selecting the Geofence in the drop down menu. You can then
rename, move, resize or remove the Geofence just as you do when creating one.
You can also Edit Geofence Tags by selecting the “Tag mode” radio-button next to the top drop-
down menu. All the Geofence Tags will then be selectable in the drop down menu. Here you can
select and de-select Geofences within each Geofence Tag. Click Save to apply your changes.

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6 Tags and Views


Note: This chapter is mainly aimed at Application Administrators.
Tags and Views are used to group Vehicles and Users. You can for example create a View based on
Vehicle type (e.g. truck or taxi) or any other criteria (e.g. “West coast group”, “Subcontractor
ACME” or “Unit Managers”). This enhances the usability of VehicleTracker as the information on
the map can easily be kept relevant to the task at hand.

6.1 Manage Tags


Tags are used to create different groups of Users in VehicleTracker. Tags are set per user and a user
can have multiple tags. A user might for example be tagged with Tags such as: “West Coast”, “Los
Angeles”, “Manager”, “Taxi”.
Tags are used as one selection criteria when you create Views (discussed in the next section).
The picture below shows the Tag Manager.

The Tag Manager is divided into two sections. The upper area lists the tags currently defined in the
system. The lower area is used to add new or edit existing Tags.

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You can enter the following information for a tag:

Name The name of the Tag


Description A description of the Tag
Apply to users: Select the users you want the Tag to apply to

6.2 Manage Views


Views are used to filter users in the user interface. Only the users that fit into the View criteria are
shown in the user interface. This can be used to group vehicles after their status, such as Online /
Offline. It is also possible to add tags for additional filtering such as “Taxi”, “Truck”, “Department
A”, “Operator A”, etc.
The picture below shows the View Manager.

The View Manager is divided into two sections. The upper area lists the Views currently defined in
the system. The lower area is used to add new or edit existing Views.

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You can enter the following information for a view:

Name The name of the View


Description A description of the View
Status: Select the device status criteria for the View:

Sending: User is connected and sending position updates


Connected: User is connected, but not sending position updates
Offline: User is not online now, but it has been at some point
Never been...:User has never been connected. This status can be selected to
create an operator view and de-selected to omit operators from a
vehicle view.
Tags: Select the tags you want the View to apply to:

Match all: A user has to have all selected tags to fit the view
Match any: A user has to have at least one of the selected tags to fit the view

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7 Sending Commands to Devices


The Command Tab in the Vehicle Management Panel is used to send commands to your tracking
devices.
To send a command to a device:
1. Select the Vehicle in the Vehicle list to activate the Command Tab for that vehicle
2. Open the Command Tab (shown below)
3. Select the appropriate command from the list
4. Click on “Execute”

As an application Administrator you can control which commands are available (read more about
Template Commands below).
The following commands are available in a default installation for most devices:

Device setup Sends default setting to the device

Poll position Sends a request to the device for a single position update

Start tracking Starts tracking with the selected tracking method with the current Update
interval. The Update interval can be changed in the Track Recorder settings

Stop tracking Stops tracking

7.1 Template Commands


Note: This section is mainly aimed at Application Administrators.
You can add additional commands to your application using the Template Command functionality
in the Site Admin application.

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8 Workspaces
A Workspace is a specific layout of the VehicleTracker user interface. You can have multiple
Workspaces with different layouts for different tasks.
A Workspace keeps track of the following information:
• Panel positions and sizes
• Columns visible in lists (e.g. the Vehicle list)
• Sort order in lists
• Current View
Note: VehicleTracker has a Default Workspace that you can always go back to.

8.1 Adding a Workspace


You can at any time save the state of the user interface as a Workspace.
To add a new Workspace:
1. Select the menu Workspace
2. Select Save to re-save the current Workspace
- or -
Select Save As to save a new Workspace
3. Give your Workspace a name

Note: If you select Save when you are using the Default Workspace you will be prompted for a
name as the Default Workspace can not be over written.

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8.2 Deleting a Workspace


You can delete the Workspaces you have created.
To delete a Workspace:
1. Select Manage Workspaces in the Workspace menu
2. Click Delete for the Workspaces you want to delete
3. Save your settings and close the window

8.3 Public Workspaces


As an administrator you can make Workspaces public to other users. This is useful as you can
prepare different layouts of the user interface for different tasks for your operators.
To make Workspaces public:
1. Select Manage Workspaces in the Workspace menu
2. Check the Public check-box for the Workspaces you want to make public
3. Save your settings and close the window

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9 Device Mappers
Note: This chapter is mainly aimed at Application Administrators.
VehicleTracker can handle status messages and alarms from a large number of supported devices.
Device specific messages are mapped to GpsGate messages using Device Mappers for each device
type.
Device specific inputs are mapped to the common GpsGate message format. For example: the
message “SOS Alarm“ can be different for different devices, such as: “SOS”, “SOS Button”,
“Alarm1”, “Input1”, “In1”. The Device Mapper is used to transform these device specific messages
to a GpsGate “SOS Alarm” message.

9.1 Device Mapper Configuration


You find the Device Mapper under “Device Mappers” in the “Admin”-menu. There are predefined
default mappings in the installation that you can edit to suit your needs or delete if you don't need
them. Go through the following steps for each device type in your implementation.
1. Select “Add new Device Mapper” or “Edit” the Device Mapper you want to update.
2. Select a supported device in the drop-down menu (please contact us at
support@gpsgate.com if you want to discuss support for additional devices)
3. Give the mapper a name and a description
4. Map the device specific messages to GpsGate Messages. You only need to map the
messages that you actually use in you implementation.
5. If you are mapping analog inputs you can add a multiplier and constant to transform the
device specific input to a “real” value.

For example: If your vehicle tracking device sends fuel level represented as 0 – 255 for 0 to
70 liters your multiplier should be set to 70/255 = 0.2745098. This way the GpsGate “Fuel
level” message will contain the actual fuel level in liters. The constant can be used to add an
offset to the value.
Note: You can add several Device Mappers for one device type. For example you would want to do
this if you have two types of trucks with different fuel tank volumes or different fuel level meters.
Note: When you add devices to your system you can select one Device Mapper for each device.

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The picture below shows a list of device mappers.

The picture below shows a sample device mapper for a GpsGate TrackerOne device.

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10 Event Rules
Note: This chapter is mainly aimed at Application Administrators.
Event Rules decide under which conditions incoming messages should create alerts and how they
should be handled in VehicleTracker. Rules can also detect when a tracking device has been offline
for a certain duration of time.
This approach enables flexible implementations where alarm monitoring can be customized to
include exactly the right messages or missing messages.

10.1 Event Rule Configuration


Event rules are used to create events based on GpsGate messages, or offline events in the case of
lacking device activity. Event rules are configurable and can be combined in a powerful way. One
Event Rule might simply check if a value is true (e.g. if a SOS button has been pressed) whereas a
more complex Event Rule can check how a value has changed over time or distance (e.g. if there
has been an unexpected fuel loss). Another event rule could check if a device has been offline for
more than two hours during work hours.
For ease of use a wizard guides you when you setup an event rule. If you make a mistake or omit
something a yellow triangle comes up next to rules that have potential issues. Moving the mouse
over a triangle brings up a detailed explanation as shown in the picture. The picture below shows
the list of Event Rules and illustrates the concept of the configuration alerts.

Click on “Add new Event Rule” to create a new event rule. The wizard below opens to assist in the
process.

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Give the rule a name and description and click “Next” to configure who the rule applies for.

Select the tags that you want to include in the rule and click “Next”.

A rule can either be active at all times or at certain time periods such as weekends or office hours.
Leave the rule as “Always active” or set a specific schedule for the rule and click “Next”.

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An event rule is evaluated using expressions. You can add multiple expressions to a rule. The table
below describes the available expression characteristics.

Match all or Select if all conditions should be true, or if one is enough to make the event
Match any true. In other words, decide if your rule is an AND or OR rule.
Analog Analog Expressions let you create an expression for analog inputs. The
Expression expression compares the input value to the value you set. To use this expression
you need to map an analog input from your device to a GpsGate variable using
the Device Mapper.
Changes Changes Expressions let you create an expression based the change over time
Expression or distance for an input. You can for example detect a rapid temperature change
or fuel loss. To use this expression you need to map an analog input from your
device to a GpsGate variable using the Device Mapper.
Digital Digital Expressions let you create create an expression for digital inputs. The
Expression expression compares the input value to the value you set. To use this expression
you need to map an analog input from your device to a GpsGate variable using
the Device Mapper.
Geofence Geofence Tag
Expression
Offline Offline Expressions let you specify a time period since last connection for a
Expression device to be considered as offline.

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An event can be triggered immediately when the expressions are evaluated as true, or after a set
delay. Delayed events are used to fulfill conditions such as “Create an alert if a vehicle has its
engine on for more than 30 minutes without moving”.

Leave the event as an Immediate event, or add a delay if appropriate and click “Next” to setup
notifications.

Notifications can be sent to the following “recipients”.

Application Events can be displayed in the Alarm panel or just be stored in the database
Icon The Icon notifier creates an additional column in the Vehicle list for real time event
status monitoring. The column gets a green or red icon or is left blank depending on
the event status.
email The email notifier is used to send emails. The email can contain template variables
(as shown in the picture above). Variables include event details and map links.
Recipient lists are created using tags.
SMS SMS notifier is used to send SMS. The email can contain template variables (as
shown in the picture above). Recipient lists are created using tags.

When you are done adding notifiers, click “Next” and Save the event rule.

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10.2 Editing Event Rules


When you edit an existing event rule the wizard is opened in “edit” mode as shown below. Please
look at the previous section for details about the different steps in the wizard.

Note: You can collapse the different steps in the wizard by clicking on them to make space for the
step you are working on.

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11 Reports
VehicleTracker Reports are found on the “Reports” tab in the “Reports”-menu. To generate a report
you click on a report name in the list of reports. Currently the following report types are available in
VehicleTracker: “Distance Report”, “Distance Report (detailed)” and “Event rule report”. They
are explained in more detail below.
The reports in the list are created from report templates that are created by your application
administrator. Before you have created any report templates the “Reports” tab looks like the picture
below.

When reports have been added to the application they are listed on the “Reports” tab for easy
selection. The “Reports” tab can look like this.

To generate a report you select it from the list. By default the report is shown for the “current” time
period (e.g. today, this week or this month). You can step backwards and forwards in time with the
“Previous” and “Next” buttons in the report header.
You can click the “Print” button to open the reports in a new window for printing.
You can click the address-links in the detailed report to show the start and stop positions for each
trip on a Google map (this requires an Internet connection).

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11.1 Distance Report Templates


There are two types of distance report templates, Distance Report and Distance Report (detailed).
The reports contain the distance traveled for each vehicle, travel time, average and maximum speed.
The start and stop addresses and the length of idle time between two trips is also displayed.
To add a new distance report template you select the report type from the drop-down list on the
Reports tab and click “Select”.

1. Select the users you want in the report


2. Select a time period for your report
3. Select the time frame or full day for your report
4. Give the report a descriptive name, e.g. “Weekly distance report for all vehicles”
5. Click “Preview” if you want to see a sample report
6. Click Save to save the template in the report list

The “Daily” report template is shown below:

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If you select “Weekly” or “Monthly” you also get to select what days to include in the report:

If you select the “Custom period” you can set the actual start and stop dates for the report:

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11.1.1 Sample Distance Report


Below is sample report showing a part of a detailed distance report

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11.2 Event Rule Report Templates


The Event Rule Reports list all the occurrences of a specific event for a time period. To create a
report you:
7. Select an event rule to make a report template for. The event rule selection drop-down is
automatically populated with the Event Rules available in your application.
8. Check “Report by vehicle” if you like to choose only specific vehicles to be included in the
report.
9. Select a time period for your report.
10. Select the time span or full day for your report
11. Give the report a descriptive name, e.g. “Monthly SOS report for all vehicles”
12. Click “Preview” if you want to see a sample report
13. Click Save to save the template in the report list

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11.2.1 Sample Event Rule Report


Below is sample report showing an event rule report of SOS events

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12 Exporting track data


There are two ways to export tracks. The Export-window that you open in the “Reports”-menu,
and the Export button that you find in the Track points panel.

12.1 Using the Export Window


The Export window allows you to choose one or more vehicles that you wish to export Tracks for,
the start and stop time stamps, the option to “trim” any Tracks that cross a start/stop time stamp, and
whether it should be exported as CSV (Comma Separated Values) for use in, for example, Excel or
Access, or in KML (Keyhole Markup Language) format for Google Earth.
You can select the Status Message fields to include in the export in the drop down list at the bottom
of the Track Export window.
Note that all time stamps are exported in UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) format.

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12.2 Exporting from the Map View

Exporting from the map view page is done by clicking on the “Export” -button in the Track points
list. You export the tracks that are listed in the Track points list, and shown on the map if you have
drawn them. All time stamps are exported in UTC (Universal Time Coordinated) format.
With the split-button menu next to the “Export” button you can select either KML or CSV as the
export format.
Note: The columns currently displayed in the Track points list are exported. Use the “Select
Columns” icon to the right of the Track points list header to select the Status Massage fields you
want to include in the export.

12.3 Exporting Views as KML

You can export your current selected View as a live KML feed and use it in for example Google
Earth. Click on the KML icon next to the View selector. Press the “Mark URL” -button to high light
the URL to the KML feed. Then use CTRL+C to copy the URL. You can also Save the KML file by
using the “Save as” -button.

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13 Application Settings
Under the Settings link in the top menu you can select the Language file of choice, change the
Measurements you want the user interface to display (Metric/EN-US/Nautic) and change your
password.

13.1 Changing your Password


Under the “General” tab on the Settings menu you can change your password. Enter your old
password, your new password and finally a verification of your new password.

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13.2 Track Visualization


Under the “Track Visualization” tab on the Settings menu you enable Track filtering.
Track filtering has been added to better visualize the true movement of a GPS tracking device.
Under imperfect conditions, such as under a roof or in dense areas with high buildings, a GPS
receiver can report a valid position with bad accuracy. On an unfiltered track this can be seen as
jerky moves, that not only look ugly but also add distance traveled to a GPS device actually
standing still.
You can set the minimum time required for a fatpoint (stand still) to be displayed on the map. You
can use this setting to filter out short Fatpoints that you do not want to see.
To enable Track filtering, you check the “Use filtered reader”. This adds Fatpoints and re-calculates
the Track length to better depict the actual movement of the GPS device.
Note: The original Tracks are kept so you can un-check Track filtering at any time to see the raw
un-filtered Track data.

13.3 Localization
Under the “Localization” tab on the Settings menu you can change your preferred language and the
measurements you want your application to use.
Ask you GpsGate Server Site Administrator for help if you would like to add more languages to
your application.
Here you also set the timezone for your application. The application shows everything in local time,
so this setting control the time used in the user interface and the reports.

13.4 Style
The “Style” tab contains settings for the number of vehicles that you want to have in the vehicle list
to the right of the map. The default setting is 10 vehicles.
You also have options for map marker style and content.

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14 Map Selection
In the Maps menu you can choose between the maps available to your VehicleTracker application.
Ask your GpsGate Server Site Administrator if you want to add custom maps to your application.

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15 Plug-ins
Note: This chapter is mainly aimed at Application Administrators.
GpsGate VehicleTracker supports plug-ins for easy application extension. The following plug-ins
are supplied with the application in the current version.

CloudMade Map Plug-in Enables CloudMade Maps

Google StreetView Window Adds a floating window with Google map and Google StreetView
for the selected vehicle

Map24 Map Plug-in Enables Map24 Maps

OpenLayers Map Plug-in Enables OpenaLayers plugin for OpenLayers, Yahoo, Bing and
Google Maps

Terminal Window Adds a floating windows with the Terminal to analyze traffic
between the server and the device for the selected vehicle

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16 Mobile Web Interface


VehicleTracker has a light weight web interface for mobile devices. You can view your vehicles on
a map and act on alarms in real time. The application works on mobile devices with a web browser.
The picture below shows an SOS alert (marked “A”) and the vehicle (marked “V”).

The mobile web interface uses the same uses name and password information as the main
VehicleTracker application.
Note: Ask your System Administrator for the connection details.

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17 Connecting Devices to GpsGate VehicleTracker


Note: This chapter is mainly aimed at Application Administrators.
Connecting devices to GpsGate VehicleTracker is usually handled by your GpsGate Server
Administrator. This is a brief overview of how it works, please contact your GpsGate Server
Administrator for additional help.
To get position updates to GpsGate VehicleTracker you need to connect a GPS device to GpsGate
Server over the Internet. The two main device types are:
● GpsGate Client (available for Windows computers, Windows mobile devices and Java
mobile phones)
● Dedicated GPS tracking devices.

17.1 GpsGate Client


GpsGate Client is a client product that can be downloaded from GpsGate.com. It is identified as a
VehicleTracker user with a Username and Password. Please look at these online guides for
connection instructions:
Windows: http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=30
Windows Mobile: http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=40
Mobile phone (Java): http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=42

17.2 Dedicated GPS tracking devices


Tracking devices all have different identification methods. The most common is the use of an id
number or the device IMEI number. Please look at these connections guide for supported devices
and a generic guide for most devices using a NMEA based message format:
Supported devices list: http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=41
Generic guide: http://gpsgate.com/index.php?id=45
Note: Please contact us at support@gpsgate.com if you have a device you would like us to support!

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