By default you will find the locations displayed in the reports as original addresses: street, number, postcode, town and country. In order to be able to 'read' these reports well there is an option to give names to locations that are important to you, such as places of work. We call these Points of Interest (POI).In this chapter we will show you how to do this and what additional benefits this has.
Point of Interest
An address that is important to you can be made into a Point of Interest, abbreviated as POI. A POI is a location on the map (GPS longitude and latitude) with a radius around it. The radius is important because parking a vehicle does not always occur in exactly the same spot and therefore we have to build in a margin. This margin depends on the size and shape of the work area. You determine the size and shape of the radius, this is often a circle but can also be a polygon (a shape you draw yourself). Your preferred option depends on the area you would like to demarcate; if the work area is part of the motorway, you are probably better off with a polygon than a circle. It is important that the vehicle is in the POI when it stops (ignition off); if this is not the case, then the end location of the trip will not be displayed with the name of the POI but with the original address.
Grouping POI´s
Before you can create a POI, you should create one or more 'POI groups'. A POI always belongs to a POI group. A starting point of the Fielddesk software is that all items are grouped; that holds true for users, employees and vehicles and therefore also for POIs. Creating a POI group can be found in the 'FieldMap' module under the 'POI's' menu.
- Click on the option 'POI groups';
- Click on the [Add new] button;
- Here you enter the Name of the group and possibly a description and colour. In case you would like to display the POI on the live map (Showing POI's) you will see the name of the POI with a little ball of the chosen colour at the corresponding location.
- Click [update] to confirm the settings.
An overview of all POIs present can be found under option 'Manage POI's'.
Ways of adding POI's
POIs can be added in four ways.
Manually through 'manage employees'
The best way to add home addresses of the employees in the system is to do so under 'manage employees'. The home addresses created here (just one address possible) automatically belong to group 'home poi' and automatically receive POI type 'home address'. This is important if you would like for example to have the commuting travel time calculated automatically (Automatic travel cost compensation). Adding a home address is described in Manage employees.
Manually through a trip report
Creating a POI from a location that you have visited before is ideal. The system already knows the correct longitude and latitude of the 'parking' position. You only have to add a name and the size of the radius for the POI to have been created. A downside of this method is that the data that is already present in Fielddesk needs to be 'recalculated' by you once in order for the newly created POI to be recognised in the trips that were already present. This method can be found in the 'FieldLog' module under the 'Ritrapporten' menu.
- Click on one of the trip reports, for example [Trips per vehicle];
- Indicate the period and a vehicle at [Filter]. The report appears;
- In front of each vehicle there is a [+]. Click on it at a vehicle. Now all trips of this vehicle are displayed for the selected period.
- The start- and the end location are displayed as links. You click on the location that you would like to turn into a POI. The 'Edit POI' screen is displayed;
- From here, follow the method described in Add/edit POI
- As soon as you have created the POI, you are asked if you would like to 'recalculate' the trips.
- Click [cancel] if you would like to create more POIs from the report. It is best to recalculate all edited data in one go (go straight to step 7).
- Click [update] if you would like to recalculate the POI(s) created by you immediately over a longer period for multiple vehicles. If you click [ok] the screen 'recalculate date' will be displayed.
- From follow the method described in chapter 'Recalculating'.
Manually on the map
Adding a POI from the map is handy when you don't know the exact address but can find the location on the map. This method can be found in the 'FieldMap' module, 'Wagenpark' menu, option 'Track vehicles'.
- Click on the [Show on map] button at the bottom of the overview; the map will be started
- Scroll with your mouse to the location on the map where you would like to create a POI, zoom in on the detail data;
- Move your mouse to the exact place and click on the right mouse button;
- You will see the option 'add new'; if you click on this the 'add new POI' screen is displayed;
- From here, follow the method described in Add/edit POI'
Automatically through importing a file
Importing POIs is the best solution if you regularly have new places of work and you would like to perform the creation of addresses at one location only, namely from your order administration. This method can be found in the 'FieldExport' module, for this we refer to the chapter 'Interface with other software applications'.
Add-edit POI
Whichever manual method you choose; adding or editing a POI happens through the Edit POI' screen. Creating or editing a POI can be found in the 'FieldMap' module under the 'POI's' menu.
- Click on the option 'manage POI's';
- Click on [add new] to add a new POI (or on [edit] to edit a POI;
- The opened screen displays 4 tabs. Enter the desired details.
- Click [update] to confirm the settings
Tab sheet 'general'
In this tab you enter a number of POI specific details.
Name | the name of the location (compulsory field) |
Format | the shape of the demarcated area, a circle or a polygon |
Radius | the diameter of the circle |
Type | the type of POI. There are a number of default types, like business, private, home and petrol station but types can also be created. By using different POI types there is a lot of flexibility in the assigning of trip types (Automatic calculation trips between home and work); which trips are eligible to be reimbursed and which aren't; which trips are considered private and which aren't. |
Creating POI types can be found in the 'Management' module under the 'Settings' menu.
- Click on the option 'POI types';
- Click on [add new] to create a new POI;
- Enter the description of the POI type;
- Indicate whether the POI should be displayed as a location in the reports;
- Indicate whether the POI can also be used as location for geo-fencing (Event warnings (SMS/email)) (the listed priority of the POI type is not in use)
- Indicate whether the visiting time at the POI should be calculated as well;
- Click [update] to confirm the settings
Import ID | a free, unique code, used during the importing of POI data (Interface with other software applications). This field is filled by default with the name of the POI |
Import option | this function determines whether the current details of the POI should be blocked (not overwritten) if this POI is imported again(Interface with other software applications) |
Group | the group in which the POI has been placed |
Notes | here you can manually enter remarks about the POI |
Tab sheet 'contact'
In this tab you can enter the contact person of the POI.
Name | the name of the contact person |
Phone | the phone number of the contact person |
the email address of the contact person | |
Fax | the fax number of the contact person |
Tab sheet 'address'
In this tab you can enter the location details that you would like to add as POI. If you don't have these, you can also draw the area on the map.
Locate by | You can search by address, postcode or coordinates. In case of address you enter: town, street, postcode, country, numberIn case of postcode you enter: town, postcode, countryIn case of coordinates you enter: latitude, longitude (make sure that the separation mark is set properly and make sure that in case of an XLS file the properties of the field are set right) |
Find on map | Here you can enter address details. The system then searches the location on the map. From that point you can draw an area on the map. You can draw a polygon by clicking on [ |
] or a circle by clicking on [ 
]. With the [ 
] button you remove the drawing. With the [ 
] button you can display previously made POIs on the map.Tab sheet 'projects
In this tab you can link the location to one or more projects. This is important if you want to book travel and visiting hours to the corresponding project (Automated project/assignment actual costing). If you click on [add project] the project list appears from which you can select one or more projects.
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