Known Places

A Known Place is a defined geographic location used for geofencing. Geofencing allows managers who are responsible for multiple departments or geographic areas to set the context for their time and attendance data. Employees can be configured so that punches can be restricted or notated based on whether they are in a Known Place.

When you log in, the system determines if you are in a Known Place based on the geofencing method used. The two geofencing methods used to detect* if a person is in a Known Place are:

  • GPS – A geographic point consisting of a longitude/latitude combination and a radius, as detected by the mobile app or browser. The radius is a distance (in meters) around the longitude/latitude point in any direction, forming a circle.

  • NOTE: The Global Positioning System (GPS) used in China, Baidu, differs from the GPS system used outside of China. The Baidu map service supports the GCJ-02 system, while the rest of the world is based on the WGS-84 system. The two systems are not compatible. The Mobile app processes coordinates using the WGS-84 system. Location-based features such as maps, Known Places, and Geofencing will not be accurate in China.

  • Wi-Fi Network – When the mobile device is connected to a Wi-Fi Network, the mobile app can use the Wi-Fi Network to detect and verify an employee’s location even when the GPS signal is not present or is not strong enough. Wi-Fi Networks provide more precise location detection. GPS can only detect locations based on latitude and longitude; a Wi-Fi Network can be used to restrict access within the geography/premesis. For example, in a 10-story building, a Wi-Fi Network can be valid only on the 3rd floor.

* QR Codes - Alternatively, a third method of "detecting" a Known Place is a QR Code. The word detecting is in quotes because this is technically not a detection; it blindly relies on the physical location of the QR Code. A QR Code can be created and displayed at a work location (on paper or on a screen). The QR Code has, in its definition, a Known Place. The code can be scanned at the work location to create a punch that includes a Known Place. This method is particularly useful in environments with weak (or no) location detection capabilities.

 

To use Geofencing, you need to:

  • Have the Manager > Known Places ACP (Access Control Point) set to "Allowed" in the manager's Function Access Profile.
  • Have all applicable locations set up as Known Places .
  • Enable (allow) Location Data in the Function Access Profiles for both managers and employees.

To configure Known Places

  1. From the Main Menu, navigate to Administration > Application Setup > Common Setup > Known Places.
  2. Click Create to create a new Known Place. or select one from the list and click Edit
  3. Enter a Name and optional Description.
  4. Click Select Locations. Navigate through the Business Structure hierarchy to find the desired location to associate the Known Place. You can select a specific job or a higher "node" in the Business Structure. When selecting a higher node, all jobs below are selected.
  5. Note: Associating multiple Known Places to the same job can have the following unexpected results: When a node is associated with a Known Place, it will be overridden if a location under that node is associated with another Known Place. Therefore, when associating nodes to multiple Known Places, they should be specified to the same level in each Known Place.
  6. Select the Active check box to activate the Known Place. Clear the check box to inactivate it.
  7. If you are using GPS to determine location, configure the GPS settings:

    1. Define the location (Latitude and Longitude) in decimal numbers, such as Latitude: 42.593 / Longitude: -71.318.

    2. Note: You can use any mapping service such as Google Maps to identify the latitude and longitude outside of China. The Global Positioning System (GPS) used in China, Baidu, differs from the GPS system used outside of China. The Baidu map service supports the GCJ-02 system, while the rest of the world is based on the WGS-84 system. The two systems are not compatible. The Mobile app processes coordinates using the WGS-84 system. Location-based features such as maps, Known Places, and Geofencing will not be accurate in China.

    3. Enter the Radius (in meters). The radius is a distance around the latitude/longitude point in any direction, forming a circle.

    4. Enter the GPS Accuracy Threshold, which is the maximum allowable punch accuracy value. The device reports location coordinates (longitude/latitude) and an accuracy value (in meters) when detecting a location. If the device reports an accuracy value that is higher that this threshold, the location will be considered “outside the fence” regardless of the GPS coordinates reported. The default value is 75 meters; valid values are between 10-5,000 meters.

  8. If you are using WiFi to determine location, configure the Wi-Fi settings by choosing a Wi-Fi Network for this Known Place from the list of Wi-Fi Networks. A check indicates a selection. You can select multiple Wi-Fi Networks here.
  9. If you are using QR Code validation, select the item to assign it.
  10. Select Single Factor or Multi-Factor validation. Use Single-Factor Validation if you want the location to be considered verified when any of the assigned validation types successfully matches the location. Use Multi-Factor Validation if you want the location to be considered verified only when all the assigned validation types successfully match the location. Multi-Factor requires that more than one validation type is selected.
  11. Set the Validation Order. You can assign multiple validation types for use in verifying that the user is in the Known Place.

    • When an item is selected (assigned), a check appears next to the item.

    • To remove an item from the Validation Order, deselect the item to remove the check.

    • To change the order, deselect all assigned items to remove the checks; then reselect the items in the desired Validation Order.

    • When using Single-Factor Validation, the order of “Current Assigned” determine the order in which verification is attempted. When using Multi-Factor Validation, the order does not matter (because all assigned validation types need to succeed).
  12. Click Save to save the Known Place. Note that you will not be able to save with misconfigured parameters. Examples: you have Wifi selected, but no Wifi Networks are selected. You have GPS selected, but any one of the four fields (Longitude, Latitude, Radius, and Accuracy Threshold) do not have valid values.