Monitoring Devices Using Location Based Services

Location-based services (LBS) uses real-time location or geo-data from devices to monitor and track devices. The geo extension in WSO2 IoT Server provides real-time information about geospatial objects. It processes spatial data from an external source of events and analyzes/manipulates this data to produce meaningful information to end users. You can interact with it to generate a variety of alerts and warnings. 

The following sections guide you through installing the geo extension, using geofencing, and setting up alerts. 

Setting up geofencing

1. Download the WSO2 IoT Server.

   If you are running WSO2 IoT Server, stop the server before proceeding to the next step.

2. Navigate to the <IOTS_HOME>/wso2/analytics/scripts directory via the terminal and run the following command. This installs the geo extension feature to WSO2 IoT Server.

   mvn clean install -f siddhi-geo-extention-deployer.xml

3. Open the cdm-config.xml file found in the <IOTS_HOME>/conf directory and enable the GeoLocationConfiguration and PublishLocationResponse configurations.

   This enables the geo extension feature in WSO2 IoT Server.

   <GeoLocationConfiguration>
       <Enabled>true</Enabled>
   </GeoLocationConfiguration>
   <OperationAnalyticsConfiguration>
       <PublishLocationResponse>true</PublishLocationResponse>
       <PublishDeviceInfoResponse>false</PublishDeviceInfoResponse>
       <PublishOperationResponse>
           <Enabled>false</Enabled>
           <Operations>
               <!-- Publish specific operation responses -->
               <!--
                   <Operation>BATTERY_LEVEL</Operation>
                   <Operation>CHECK_LOCK_STATUS</Operation>
               -->
               <!-- use wildcard '*' to publish all responses -->
               <Operation>*</Operation>
           </Operations>
       </PublishOperationResponse>
   </OperationAnalyticsConfiguration>

4. Start the WSO2 IoT Server core and analytics profiles, and sign in to the WSO2 IoT Server Device Management Console.

    Click here for more information.

   1. Start the WSO2 IoT Server broker profile.

      cd <IOTS_HOME>/bin
      sh broker.sh

   2. Start the WSO2 IoT Server core profile.

      cd <IOTS_HOME>/bin
      sh iot-server.sh

   3. Next, start the WSO2 IoT Server analytics profile.

      cd <IOTS_HOME>/bin
      sh analytics.sh

   4. Access the device management console.

      • For access via HTTP: http://<IOTS_HTTP_HOST>:9763/devicemgt/ 

        For example: http://localhost:9763/devicemgt/
      • For access via secured HTTP: https://<IOTS_HTTPS_HOST>:9443/devicemgt/ 
For example: https://localhost:9443/devicemgt/ 

   5. Enter the username and password, and sign in.

      The system administrator will be able to log in using admin for both the username and password. However, other users will have to first register with WSO2 IoT Server before being able to log into the IoT Server device management console. For more information on creating a new account, see Registering with WSO2 IoT Server.

      

   6. Click LOGIN. The respective device management console will change, based on the permissions assigned to the user.
      For example, the device management console for an administrator is as follows:

      

   Deploying in a multi-tenant environment

   The geo analytics artifacts are deployed by default in the WSO2 IoT Server super tenant. However, if you are setting up geofencing in a multi-tenant environment, you have to deploy the geo analytics artifacts in each tenant. 

   1. Log in to the device management console using the tenant credentials.

   2. Click the button and select Configuration Management > Platform Configurations.

   3. Click the Deploy Geo Analytics Artifacts button. If required, you can use this button to re-deploy the geo analytics artifacts in the super tenant mode.
      

5. Enroll a device. Let's enroll an Android device for this tutorial.

   For more information on how to enroll an Android device, see Android.

   For more information on how to enroll other sample device types, see Enrolling Devices. 

6. Access the geofencing map for the device you just enrolled:
   1. Click the  icon, and then click Device Management.
   2. Click view on the device you just enrolled and select the Location tab. 

Setting alerts

Geofencing alerts allow users to set pop-up alerts when a device enters or exits the defined geometry boundaries. You can set up the following alerts using the WSO2 IoT Server geo extensions.

Geofence exit alert

A geofence exit alert notifies the user when the device leaves the specified geofence area. For example, a school administrator may set a geofence exit alert for the school laboratory's tablet devices so that when a device leaves the school premises, the admin is alerted and can disable the device. 

Follow the steps given below to define a geo area and set up a geofence exit alert. 

1. Click on the Add Geofence Exit Alert button. 

2. Define a geo area.

    Click to see more information

   There are two ways to define a geofence area.

   • Draw area - Draw an area on the map to set the boundaries of the geofence.
   • Enter area - Enter a geoJSON containing coordinates to set the boundaries of the geofence. You can import a geofence using this option.

   Draw area

   1. Click Draw Area.
      
   2. Select a shape (pentagon or square) on the drawing palette that is on the left corner of the map.
      

   3. Select the points on the map to draw a pentagon geofence, or click and drag to draw a square geofence.

      

   4. Enter an appropriate name for the geofence, and do one of the following actions:

      1. Click Save to save your geofence.

      2. Click Edit to edit the geoJSON that is generated when you draw the geofence.
      3. Click Export to export the geofence and download a geoJSON file. You can use this file to import the same geofence to a different device.

   Enter area (Import area)

   To enter or import an area using a geoJSON, you have to first draw an area using the map, as shown above, and then export it.

   Entering an area using a geoJSON is useful when you want to import the exact same geofence for another device or another system. You can draw the geofence in the first device and then copy over the same fence with the exact coordinates to define the same geofence for a different device.

   1. Draw an area using the map, as shown above.
   2. Enter an appropriate name for the geofence and click Export. A geoJSON file downloads on to your machine.
   3. Open the JSON file and copy the JSON code.
   4. Click Enter Area.
   5. Do one of the following to import the geofence:

   1. • Click Choose File and select the JSON file you exported in step b. Click Import.

      • Enter the JSON you copied in step c to define the geofence boundary and click Import. The code block below shows a sample JSON.

        {
            "type": "Feature",
            "properties": {},
            "geometry": {
                "type": "Polygon",
                "coordinates": [
                    [
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.911776767011602
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85373804112896,
                            6.911776767011602
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85373804112896,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ]
                    ]
                ]
            }
        }

Geofence enter alert

A geofence enter alert notifies the user when the device enters the specified geofence area. For example, an employer may set up a geofence enter alert to a room that contains files with highly classified information in them to notify him or prevent certain employees with restricted access from entering the room. 

Follow the steps below to define a geo area and set up a geofence enter alert. 

1. Click on the Add Geofence Enter Alert button. 

2. Define a geo area.

    Click to see more information

   There are two ways to define a geofence area.

   • Draw area - Draw an area on the map to set the boundaries of the geofence.
   • Enter area - Enter a geoJSON containing coordinates to set the boundaries of the geofence. You can import a geofence using this option.

   Draw area

   1. Click Draw Area.
      
   2. Select a shape (pentagon or square) on the drawing palette found on the left corner of the map.
      

   3. Select the points on the map to draw a pentagon geofence, or click and drag to draw a square geofence.

      

   4. Enter an appropriate name for the geofence, and do one of the following actions:

      1. Click Save to save your geofence.

      2. Click Edit to edit the geoJSON that is generated when you draw the geofence.
      3. Click Export to export the geofence and download a geoJSON file. You can use this file to import the same geofence to a different device.

   Enter area (Import area)

   To enter or import an area using a geoJSON, you have to first draw an area using the map, as shown above, and then export it.

   Entering an area using a geoJSON is useful when you want to import the exact same geofence for another device or another system. You can draw the geofence in the first device and then copy over the same fence with the exact coordinates to define the same geofence for a different device.

   1. Draw an area using the map, as shown above.
   2. Enter an appropriate name for the geofence and click Export. A geoJSON file downloads on to your machine.
   3. Open the JSON file and copy the JSON code.
   4. Click Enter Area.
   5. Do one of the following to import the geofence:

   1. • Click Choose File and select the JSON file you exported in step b. Click Import.

      • Enter the JSON you copied in step c to define the geofence boundary and click Import. The code block below shows a sample JSON.

        {
            "type": "Feature",
            "properties": {},
            "geometry": {
                "type": "Polygon",
                "coordinates": [
                    [
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.911776767011602
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85373804112896,
                            6.911776767011602
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85373804112896,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ]
                    ]
                ]
            }
        }

Stationary alert

Stationary alerts notify the users about the state changes of a device in a predefined geo area. If a device remains stationed within the defined geo area for a specific time period, an alert is generated. For example, you can use this alert to track a lost phone that you may have left in a taxi cab or a public bus. When the device stops moving, you can identify the taxi/bus location and retrieve your phone. 

1. Click on the Add Stationary Alert button. 

2. Define a geo area.

    Click to see more information

   There are two ways to define a geofence area.

   • Draw area - Draw an area on the map to set the boundaries of the geofence.
   • Enter area - Enter a geoJSON containing coordinates to set the boundaries of the geofence. You can also import a geofence using this option.

   Draw area

   1. Click Draw Area.
      
   2. Select a shape (pentagon, square, or circle) on the drawing palette found on the left corner of the map.
      

   3. Select points on the map to draw a pentagon geofence, or click and drag to draw a square geofence.

      

   4. Enter the following details:

      1. Fence name - Enter an appropriate name for the geo area.
      2. Fluctuation radius - Specify a radius. The fluctuation radius is used to minimize the fluctuation effect of the device.
      3. Time - The device should be stationary for the number of seconds specified in this field to generate a pop-up alert.

   5. Do one of the following actions:

      1. Click Save to save your geofence.

      2. Click Edit to edit the geoJSON that is generated when you draw the geofence.
      3. Click Export to export the geofence and download a geoJSON file. You can use this file to import the same geofence to a different device.

   Enter area (Import area)

   To enter or import an area using a geoJSON, you have to first draw an area using the map, as shown above, and then export it.

   Entering an area using a geoJSON is particularly useful when you want to import the exact same geofence for another device or another system. You can draw the geofence in the first device and then copy over the same fence with the exact coordinates to define the same geofence for a different device.

   1. Draw an area using the map as shown above.
   2. Enter an appropriate name for the geofence and click Export. A geoJSON file will be downloaded on to your machine.
   3. Open the JSON file and copy the JSON code.
   4. Click Enter Area.
   5. Do one of the following to import the geofence:

   1. • Click Choose File and select the JSON file you exported in step b. Click Import.

      • Enter the JSON you copied in step c to define the geofence boundary and click Import. The code block below shows a sample JSON.

        {
            "type": "Feature",
            "properties": {},
            "geometry": {
                "type": "Polygon",
                "coordinates": [
                    [
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.911776767011602
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85373804112896,
                            6.911776767011602
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85373804112896,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ],
                        [
                            79.85129186650738,
                            6.910663750244661
                        ]
                    ]
                ]
            }
        }

Speed alert

Speed alerts notify users when a device is traveling above the predefined speed limit. This alert does not require a geofence and is applied globally (wherever the device is located). For example, a system administrator for a taxi service may use this to monitor whether any of the taxi drivers are driving above the allowed speed limit. 

1. Click on the Set Speed Alert button. 

2. Specify a global speed limit (km/h).