User Guide
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Public Works Features Customer User Guide
User Guide
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This reference guide outlines the features within the Fleet Management Application that can benefit Public Works fleets and, subsequently, any fleet. Public Works is defined as any reactive or proactive service provided over a defined geography by a centralized service provider.
User Guide
May 2024
Public Works is defined as any reactive or proactive service provided over a defined geography by a centralized service provider.
The common perception is that Public Works only applies to government fleets with vehicles such as plows, solid waste vehicles, sweepers, line painters, sidewalk machines, graders, and boom trucks, to name a few. However, the Public Works solution and several of its features can meet the needs of various fleet management requirements regardless of its name. This reference guide outlines the features within the Fleet Management Application that can benefit Public Works fleets and, subsequently, any fleet.
✱ NOTE: To improve our products, we may at any time, and without warning, change the design, presentation, or functionality of the software. The images shown here are for illustration purposes and may appear slightly different in the software.
! IMPORTANT: In order for the vehicle to transmit data to the Materials Management reports, it must have the IOX-WRKS cable connected, and the Telematics Device must be on the Pro Plus Public Works rate plan.
On the Rules page, there are six rules in the Material Management section required to support the Material Management reports. You must set these six rules to On to successfully run the report.
✱ NOTE: The plow input for Deadhead and Plow Active rules can be changed depending on the installation, but the input number for both rules must be the same.
To turn the Materials Management Rules On:
Two reports are powered by the Rules mentioned above. They support material management for your fleet by allowing you to view your material usage on a per-trip basis. Please ensure the applicable security clearance is enabled for users to view these reports:
Click Preview and select the options for your reports, then click Apply changes.
✱ NOTE: To run Materials Management reports, the vehicle’s Telematics Device must be on the Pro Plus Public Works rate plan.
You can generate Material Management reports for any uploaded Route Completion routes. Refer to the Material Management Rules section to enable reports for routes. Please ensure the applicable security clearances are enabled for users with this option to either enable the rules (as required) and view the report:
These reports provide detailed and summary totals for Winter Operation materials (solid, pre-wet, anti-ice), and operations activities (spread time, plow distance), per service group, route group, and routes.
To obtain data in Materials Management reports based on any imported Route Completion service groups, you must configure the Material Management rules for the associated Route-based service groups:
To investigate what happened in a particular area over a specific time frame, you can use the Area Activity search. From the map, zoom in to the area, click the particular location, select Area Activity, and enter your date and time range. The Fleet Management Application takes you to the Trips History page, where you can see the exact vehicles and assets that were in the area, and trips that happened during that time. You may need to adjust your zoom level before the Area Activity feature becomes available.
✱ NOTE: The date and time range is limited to 72 hours.
The Replay feature allows you to replay trips for single or multiple vehicles to better understand how the driver’s trip progressed. For example, you can view parts of the trip where the driver may have experienced delays, or drove at optimal speed and exception events or other insights.
To see a Replay, navigate to the Trips History screen, select the trips you want to replay, and choose Show replay from the Map options dropdown list. While watching the animated trip history, you can click play or pause at any time. You can also change the replay speed and use the timestamp bar to jump to a desired section of the trip.
On the Map, you can view the vehicles’ previous trip and the vehicles’ current position during a trip in progress at the same time. For example, a fleet involved with winter operations can see the previous trip activity of the snow plows and the current location of the snow plow in the trip history.
To use this feature, set Always show latest trip and current trip in progress to On from the Options menu on the Trips History page.
The Custom Maps feature allows your organization to design business-specific maps to combine with the application’s vehicle information. Some possible usages include maps that show customer-centric information, underground water flow, municipal boundaries, or city infrastructure (power, roads, sewage, etc.). Please refer to the Custom Map Guide for information and configuring custom maps.
Under the Asset Health tab, you have the ability to see the configuration of your spreader, as well as the firmware version of the spreader. This insight allows you to understand the release configuration and communication of the spreader.
To access this information, from the main menu > Asset. Select your asset from the list and navigate to the Health tab. Under Associated Devices, you can view the Firmware version, Last known configuration, and the Last communication date and time.
The Route Completion feature ensures that important infrastructure is serviced adequately while controlling costs and tracking material usage. Government agencies who manage assets such as salt spreaders, snow plows, street sweepers, and waste management assets can benefit from the feature for complying with maintenance and service standards.
To import Routes, navigate to System > System Settings. On the Route Completion tab, you can import your routes by uploading a Shapefile. For details and instructions, please refer to the Route Completion configuration with a Shapefile guide.
To make future edits to your routes after the initial shapefile is uploaded or to manage multiple services using the same route, it is recommended to upload changes via the Excel option. For details and instructions, please refer to the Route Completion Excel/CSV import guide.
As the vehicles complete the various imported routes, you can view Route Completion in the Map menu. Please ensure the applicable security clearances are enabled for users to view this report: View Route Completion reports and View exception rules
✱ NOTE: These display only when polylines are shown on Historical View.
Live Route Tracking allows users to view near real-time when roads have last been serviced, and provides the ability to monitor and analyze how recently service group routes have been completed by assigned vehicles. Live Route Tracking uses the same Service Groups and routes imported for Route Completion.
! IMPORTANT: Ensure that Route Completion is configured with appropriately defined Service Groups and GIS route data is uploaded to the Fleet Management Application before using Live Route Tracking, For more information, refer to the Route Completion configuration with a Shapefile.
✱ NOTE: If the Service time window is not required, click Remove in the Service Window section.
To view Live Route Tracking, navigate Productivity > Public Works > Route Completion page and, in the Display Options box, select Live, the Service Rule, and the vehicles Click Apply changes to view the vehicles and routes on the live map.
The map will display the current status of the selected route and when it was last serviced, according to the configured service time intervals for the Service Rule.
While viewing the live route map, the date and time are automatically set. It is possible to control the relative time from which last service time is computed using the Reset button in the top right of the Live Route map, as shown below.
For example, if the last service time to be monitored is from the start of a weather event or an operator shift change, the New Reset Point would be set to the corresponding date and time. Click Apply and the Live Route Tracking map will now reflect service times based on the new reset point entered.
To view any telemetry or diagnostic spreader controller data from the vehicle on the Map, hover over the Vehicle icon to see the vehicle data on the right-hand side of the map.
! IMPORTANT: This Add-in can be found and installed directly from the Fleet Management Application’s Marketplace. For installing assistance with this Add-In, please contact your Partner.
The Spreader Controller Add-in is a tool that is used by Customers and Partners to apply controller configurations to the IOX-WRKS harness, without the need to contact Support. Each Spreader Controller has a unique data protocol which requires a specific configuration that needs to be applied to the IOX-WRKS, so that the controller data can be interpreted and transmitted effectively. This Add-in is also used as a validation tool to confirm that valid controller data is being transmitted to the Fleet Management Application.
The Spreader Controller Add-in must be installed to your Fleet Management Application before attempting the configuration or validation process.
1 | From the Fleet Management Application main menu, navigate to System > System Settings. |
2 | From the System Settings page, select the Add-Ins tab. |
3 | Click the New Add-In button and an Add-In popup displays. |
4 | In the open text field, replace the current configuration with the following: { "url": "https://app.geotab.com/addins/geotab/ioxwrksaddin/manifest.json" } |
5 | Click the OK button, and then Save. ✱ NOTE: If a yellow information message displays notifying you to refresh your page, click Refresh and repeat steps two through four. |
6 | From the Fleet Management Application main menu, select Productivity > Spreader Controller. The Spreader Controller Add-in is now available. |
After the Add-in is installed to your Fleet Management Application , use the Spreader Controller feature from your Fleet Management Application main menu to begin assigning the Spreader Configuration to IOX-WRKS.
1 | From the main menu go to Productivity > Public Works >Spreader Controller. |
2 | From the Spreader Controller Configuration page, select your vehicle from the Select Vehicle dropdown. ✱ NOTE: Narrow the results by typing part of the vehicle name or serial number into the Select Vehicle text field. |
3 | Once the vehicle is selected, the Device Information displays. |
4 | Once the Device Information details are confirmed, select the desired Spreader Controller from the Controller Type dropdown. |
5 | Use the Set Spreader button to send the controller configuration to the IOX-WRKS. ✱ NOTE: The vehicle ignition must be on in order to send a configuration to the IOX-WRKS. |
6 | After sending the controller configuration, an in progress… message displays. The message changes to a success message once the process is complete. ✱ NOTE: This message should appear within a few seconds but can take up to one minute. |
After sending the Spreader Controller configuration, verify simulated controller data.
! IMPORTANT: The vehicle’s ignition should be running for at least five minutes, or the vehicle should have a short trip before verifying controller measurements.
1 | Begin Simulation Mode on the Spreader Controller that is connected to the IOX-WRKS. ✱ NOTE: The vehicle’s ignition must be on during this test. |
2 | From the Fleet Management Application main menu, navigate to Engine & Maintenance > Spreader Controller. |
3 | From the Spreader Controller Configuration page, select your vehicle from the Select Vehicle dropdown. Narrow the results by typing part of the vehicle name or serial number. Then select the Verify Measurements button. ✱ NOTE: You do not need to re-select your vehicle if it is already selected. |
4 | The Spreader Controller details initially display No Data. This data refreshes every five seconds. Expect to see controller data reporting within five minutes. This data should match the Spreader Controller display in your vehicle. |
Q: What Rate Plan is required on my Telematics Device to set a Spreader Controller Add-in on my IOX-WRKS?
A: The Telematics Device must be on the ProPlusWinterOps plan in order to send and receive data using the IOX-WRKS. ✱ NOTE: Please reach out to your Partner if your desired Telematics Device does not display the correct plan.
Q: Why does my Telematics Device not display a Rate Plan?
A: The Telematics Device must be installed in a vehicle to establish its first communication with the server and receive its first updates, so that it can report the plan.
Q: What should I do if I get a timeout message after using the Set Spreader button?
A: The timeout message occurs if no success message displays within one minute of using the Set Spreader button. Ensure you have the correct Telematics Device and Spreader Controller selected. In the Device Information section, make sure the IOX-WRKS is Detected, you have the ProPlusWinterOps Rate Plan, and there is an IOX-WRKS Firmware present. If all of these are present and correct, try the Set Spreader button again. If you still do not see a success message, please contact Support.