Introduction #
Maps in OnPing are represented in map layers. Map Layers are like a stack of transparent papers, each with a different type of information. When looking at a map layer, the information on each transparent paper is displayed to help visualize the area.
A map layer can be created by plotting the coordinates of a device via Google Maps. This shows exactly where the device is located and can provide navigational directions to the exact location from where the user is located. Additional information about the device can be found on the map layer.
Overall, map layers in OnPing help the user understand the locations of the devices more efficiently, make it quicker to locate them and easier manage them.
Why use Maps? #
Maps are a valuable tool that provide users with a range of benefits and help them make informed decisions about the world around them. Maps are helpful for many reasons, including:
- Navigation: Maps provide a visual representation of an area and can help users navigate to their desired location.
- Location-based services: Maps can help users find nearby services and amenities.
- Geographic analysis: Maps can be used to analyze geographic patterns and trends, such as land use, and environmental data.
- Emergency response: Maps can be used in emergency situations to help locate people and resources, and to plan evacuation routes.
What are Coordinates? #
Coordinates are like street addresses for places on a map. Just like a street address displays exactly where the place is, coordinates display exactly where a place is on a map.
This is quite convenient when working with virtual maps as the location is represented in two numbers. The first number is how far to the right or left, and the second number is how far up or down.
Creating a Map Layer in OnPing #
Step 1: Gather Coordinates
In this example, Google Maps will be used to find coordinates for specific locations. In the browser window, open a new tab. Go to: google.com/maps
Navigate to the desired location on the map by typing in the location in the ‘Search Google Maps’ text bar. Click on the location on the map to display the coordinates in the URL text bar in the browser window. The URL link is commonly referred to as the website address.
Gather the target coordinates for all desired locations. This can be achieved by copy / pasting the coordinates from the URL into a notepad text file or a word document.
Step 2: Import Coordinates into OnPing
Now that the coordinates are organized, they can be imported into OnPing. It is important to note that the coordinates are sent to the actual devices themselves, not on the Lumberjack or the parameter in OnPing.
In this example, a new ‘manual entry parameter’ will be created to demonstrate how to use the coordinates.
On the dashboard to the left, click the ‘Driver Add Links’ panel to add a new parameter. Locate ‘manual entry parameters’ and click on the link to add a new manual entry parameter.
Select the Company, Site, and Location of the device. In this example the company is called ‘Plow Demo’. Click the checkbox next to the company to display the sites for that company.
The available sites will be displayed in a list to the right of the company list. In this example, the site ‘Best Bread Bakery’ is selected.
Click the checkbox next to the site to display the list of available locations for that particular site.
Select the location. In this example, the location selected is ‘Oven’.
By clicking on the checkbox next to the location, more information will be displayed below.
On the right side of the screen, click the ‘Edit’ button in the action column.
A dropdown table will appear below allowing further customization, including the coordinates in Latitude and Longitude.
Navigate to the notebook list of coordinates created in Step 1. Locate the Latitude coordinate for the Oven. Highlight the number to copy.
In this example the Latitude coordinate is ‘35.41777346’.
With the number still highlighted, right click and select copy. Additionally this can be accomplished with the keyboard command ‘CTRL + C’
After copying the number to the cache, navigate to OnPing and locate the Latitude Coordinates text bar. Right click on the text bar and select Paste. This can also be achieved by the keyboard command ‘CTRL + V’.
The same procedure will be followed for the Longitude Coordinate. Navigate to the notebook list and highlight the second number of the coordinates. The second number will be separated by a comma after the first number.
In this example the second number is ‘-97.7161634,12,42’.
While the number is still highlighted, right click and select Copy.
Now that the longitude coordinate is copied to the cache, navigate back to OnPing in the web browser. Paste it into the text bar under ‘Longitude’.
After the coordinates have been imported, click the green ‘Update’ button to the right under ‘Action’.
A notification in OnPing will appear in the bottom right corner stating that the device has successfully updated.
Notice that the coordinates are now visible under the ‘Coordinates’ column.
Add additional coordinates for all desired locations by repeating the same process. In this example, 4 locations will be updated with coordinates to better demonstrate the maps feature in OnPing.
Step 3: Manually Verify Coordinates
Right click on the link with the coordinates and select ‘Open link in New Tab’. This will open a new tab with google maps displaying the map from the user location to the coordinates.
Generate Route to Location via Google Maps
Manually verify the coordinates are accurate by viewing exactly where the devices are located. Directions from the user location can be generated by clicking on the route options toolbar on the left on Google Maps.
Step 4: Create a New Map Layer
On the ‘Info Label’ panel, a custom table has been created in order to efficiently display the information for the locations from Step 2.
Click the blue ‘+ Map Layer’ on the toolbar just above the custom table containing the locations to add a new map layer.
Format the table for the new map by naming, describing, and selecting the column information display options.
Name the new map layer. In this example, it will be named ‘Bakery Map’.
Next, Describe the new map layer.
In this example, the description for the new map layer is ‘An example Map of a Bakery’
Next, select the column information display options. The ‘Name Column’ can remain as the default selection: ‘Machine Name’ because that information will be useful later on.
Select the ‘Location Columb’ display option ‘Value’ from the drop down list.
The device coordinates needed for this example are in the value column.
Select the Icon Column display option and also change it from the default ‘Machine Name’ to ‘Value’. Different Icon Rules can be applied based on this selection.
In the event that more information needs to be displayed, the checkboxes to the right in the ‘Included in More Info’ table can be selected for additional information to be displayed. In this example, all boxes are selected in order to display maximum available information.
With all the names and selections complete, navigate down to the blue ‘+Icon Rules’ Button to create an icon rule. Icon Rules can animate icons on the map for increased visibility of real-time data.
Create Icon Rules
In this example, a new Icon Rule is created labeled ‘Has Value’. The idea behind creating this Icon Rule is to change the color of the icon when something happens, such as obtaining a positive value.
Navigate to the right and select ‘>’ (greater than) from the drop down list of available comparator rules.
The icon will be triggered when the value is greater than 0.
To change the color of the icon, click on the color bar. A dropdown window will appear with options to customize the color of the icon. In this example, Green is selected from the quick selection panel.
Change the icon shape to something appropriate for the location.
In this example, the building icon is selected.
Now the icon on the map will be represented as a building.
Note: External Mapping software files such as Shapefiles, can be uploaded into OnPing.
Navigate to the right side of the ‘Icon Rules’ window and click the green ‘Save’ button to save the custom rules.
A notification will be displayed at the bottom right of the screen stating that the new map layer has been successfully saved.
Step 5: Linking the Dashboard with Google Maps
The names of the locations in the custom table can be edited to be displayed as links. Navigate to the wrench icon at the top of the info table.
Next, click the blue ‘Edit Table Contents’ button on the left side of the window. This will open the available customization options for the table.
Click the ‘down arrow’ in the ‘Machine Name’ column to display additional options.
Select the blue ‘Text’ button.
Type the name of the device machine name location in brackets and the link to the dashboard in parentheses.
[Oven](OnPingDashboardLink)
Once all the location names have been linked, click the green ‘Save Custom Table’ at the top of the ‘Info Table’ panel.
Click the wrench icon in the top right corner to exit edit mode.
Now when viewing the list, the device machine names are displayed with links to the desired dashboard. This is particularlly useful when using Google Maps to quickly jump back and forth.
Viewing Map Layers in OnPing #
Click the ribbon icon on the OnPing toolbar on the right side of the window. It will be next to the user email. This will display a dropdown menu with additional options.
Select ‘Map’ from the dropdown list.
Select ‘Map’ from the dropdown list. This will open a new map via Google Maps in order to view the created map layers.
Click the checkbox next the map layers to view them. In this example ‘Bakery Map’ is selected.
Additional information can be found by clicking the ‘Show Legend’ link next to the map layer name.
The icon rule from Step 4 of Creating a Map Layer can be seen here in the Legend.
Click on the icon on the map to view a small window displaying more information about the location.
Notice that the location name is linked to the OnPing dashboard from Step 5. Click the link ‘Oven’ to open the dashboard.
The link will open the dashboard containing the location.
Conclusion #
Maps in OnPing help users to efficiently manage the locations of devices. Maps in OnPing are represented in map layers that contain various types of information about the area.
Coordinates are essential for creating maps in OnPing, and they can be added by following the steps outlined in the document. Google Maps is used to find the coordinates of a particular location, and the coordinates are then imported into OnPing. Once the coordinates have been imported, they can be manually verified to ensure that they are accurate.
Users can generate navigational directions to the exact location from their own location.
