Geofence
What is a geofence?
A geofence is a digital perimeter drawn over the map of an industrial plant. When a connected device enters or leaves that perimeter, the system generates an alert in real time. In workplace safety, a geofence protects people who get close to high-risk areas and supports access management.
Also called a virtual fence, a geofence exists only as a polygon drawn on the plant’s digital map. The system compares the position of connected devices with that polygon and triggers rules when someone enters, leaves, or stays longer than planned. It all happens in real time, with no new physical barriers and no change to the way people work.
On industrial sites, geofences protect the sensitive spots in an operation: the radius around a load being lifted, an energized area during maintenance, heavy vehicle traffic zones, or restricted-access areas. When a worker approaches one of these perimeters, the alert reaches both the worker and the control room before the risk materializes.
Geofences also help organize large-scale operations. During a maintenance turnaround with thousands of people on site, they show the headcount in each area in real time and support an evacuation by indicating who is still inside each zone. Each event is logged as auditable evidence that feeds into risk management.
In Safeline, PHYGITALL’s workplace safety platform, geofences work together with the Smartbadge: instant alerts on the device and operational visibility in the control room.
Related terms
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Indoor positioning is the technology that locates people and assets inside buildings, where GPS doesn't work well. With wearable devices…
Read the entryAuditable evidence
Auditable evidence is a digital record that proves when, where, and how an operational event happened, with data that can be verified…
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