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Not where expected

Know when an asset should be at a place and is not. One rule covers three ways of deciding it is late: it has been away too long, it is not back by a time of day, or it has not visited recently.

Use it to catch a vehicle that has not come back to the depot, a tool that has not been returned by close of business, or a site that has not been serviced this week.

Choosing how lateness is decided

These were three separate rules. They are the same worry, and the difference between them is a deadline, so they are now one card with three modes.

Mode Fires when Use it for
Away too long The asset has been away from the zone for longer than a set time A vehicle out on a run that should be back within four hours
Not back by a time The asset is not at the zone by a time of day, on the days you choose Tools that must be back in the store by 18:00 on weekdays
Not visited recently The asset has not been to the zone within a set interval A site that must be serviced weekly

The first two ask where the asset is now. The third does not: it looks at when the asset was last at the zone, so an asset that visited yesterday and left is fine, and one that has not been for a month is not, wherever it happens to be today.

How it works

Pick the zone, pick the mode, and set that mode's deadline. Each mode asks for what it needs and nothing else, so a return-by time never appears on a rule measured in hours.

Modes are not mixed. Switching mode clears the settings of the one you left, because a return-by time means nothing to a visit interval.

Parameters

The mode you choose decides which parameters the rule carries.

Away too long

Parameter Description
base_zone_id The zone the asset should return to
max_away_duration_seconds Alert once it has been away longer than this
auto_resolve Resolve the alert when the asset returns. On by default.

Not back by a time

Parameter Description
base_zone_id The zone the asset should return to
return_by_time The deadline, as HH:MM
return_by_days The days it applies on, 0 = Monday to 6 = Sunday
timezone The zone the deadline is read in
grace_period_minutes Extra time allowed after the deadline

Not visited recently

Parameter Description
zone_id The zone the asset should visit
min_visit_interval_seconds Alert once this long has passed since the last visit

Any mode can target zones by keyword instead of by id, and can be limited to specific tags or asset types. Like every rule, you can set its severity.

See the rule types reference for the full specification of each mode's rule type.

Example: vans back by six

A contractor's vans should be at the depot by 18:00 on weekdays.

  1. Create a Not where expected rule and choose Not back by a time.
  2. Set the base zone to the depot.
  3. Set the return-by time to 18:00 and select Mon to Fri.
  4. Give it a 30-minute grace period, so traffic does not raise an alert every evening.
  5. Set the severity to medium and add an email notification to the yard manager.

Notes

  • One alert per asset per day for the time-of-day mode. It resets at midnight in the rule's timezone.
  • The three modes remain three rule types on the wire (return_to_base, scheduled_return, minimum_visit_frequency), so an existing rule and anything reading the API are unaffected. Opening one brings you back to this card, on the mode that wrote it.

Questions? Contact Blecon support — we're happy to help.