What is Geofence?
- Howard Krinitzsky
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
In today's world of smart technologies and location-based services, geofencing has become a powerful tool used across various industries, including logistics, marketing, urban planning, and more. But what exactly is a geofence, particularly in the context of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)?
What is a Geofence?
A geofence is a virtual perimeter or barrier that is established around a physical location. It can range in size from a house to an entire city block. An alert, data logging, or automatic action is triggered when a device or item enters or exits this predetermined limit.
Common applications for geofences include:
Marketing based on location
Asset and fleet monitoring
Automation of smart homes
Protection and monitoring
Zoning regulations and urban planning
What is Geofencing in GIS?
Geofencing is the process of drawing spatial borders on digital maps in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in order to track, examine, or initiate activities depending on location data. When combined with real-time monitoring data, these geofences—which are usually polygonal objects like circles, rectangles, or complicated polygons—are utilised.
Advanced spatial analysis offered by GIS-based geofencing allows organisations to:
Track the movements of personnel or vehicles.
Set up automated notifications for sensitive zone entry and exit.
Examine movement trends over time.
Improve decision-making by utilising spatial information.
How to Implement Geofencing in ArcGIS
Esri's ArcGIS is among the most potent geospatial analytic tools. The following actions are involved in implementing geofencing in ArcGIS:
1. Define Your Area of Interest (AOI)
First, decide which region you wish to keep an eye on. This might serve as an administrative boundary, a warehouse, or a service route.
ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Pro can be opened.
Your geofence can be digitised as a polygon layer using the Draw or Editor tool.
As an alternative, you can import feature services, GeoJSON, or pre-existing shapefiles.
2. Create the Geofence Layer
Give your layer a name, such as Geofence Zones.
Include attributes like the kind, zone name, and any pertinent metadata.
Save the layer, then publish it to your local server or ArcGIS Online.
3. Integrate with Real-Time Tracking
Connect the geofence to real-time tracking data to enable it. For real-time analytics, ArcGIS offers technologies like GeoEvent Server and ArcGIS Velocity.
Real-time location data streaming from IoT sensors, smartphone apps, or GPS devices
Set up GeoEvent Services to track asset movements.
Configure geofencing processors and filters to recognise when a feature enters or leaves a geofenced area.
4. Configure Alerts or Actions
After a geofence is activated, you can program reactions like:
Sending alerts via SMS or email
Recording occurrences in a database
Activating webhooks or updating dashboards
These can be set up in:
ArcGIS visualisation dashboards
Field Maps or ArcGIS Survey123 for gathering field data
Personalised web applications created with ArcGIS Experience Builder
5. Visualize and Analyse
Utilise the extensive collection of visualisation tools in ArcGIS to:
Keep track of your past movements.
Examine how much time is spent in and out of geofenced regions.
Create activity reports or heatmaps.
A scalable and accurate method of managing spatial boundaries and tracking movement in real time is provided by geofencing in GIS, particularly when used with ArcGIS. Geofencing has the potential to revolutionise a variety of tasks, including field labour management, urban area planning, and delivery optimisation.
For more information or any questions regarding Geofence, please don't hesitate to contact us at
Email: info@geowgs84.com
USA (HQ): (720) 702–4849
(A GeoWGS84 Corp Company)
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