The Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed type in ArcGIS Velocity periodically polls a Geotab DeviceStatusInfo database table for real-time automatic vehicle location (AVL) data by sending an HTTP request to a specified URL. For more information about Geotab, see About Geotab in the Geotab documentation. The Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed type differs from the Geotab (LogRecord) feed type by requesting data from the Geotab database's DeviceStatusInfo table. The DeviceStatusInfo table contains more attributes than the LogRecord table, but is generally updated less frequently than the Geotab database's LogRecord table.
Examples
The following are example uses of the Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed:
- A city wants to monitor their fleet of snowplow trucks during the winter season. The Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed is used to observe the real-time location of each truck and gather other ancillary information such as whether the plow blade is engaged or if the bin storing deicing salt is at a low threshold.
- A waste management company wants to improve the efficiency of their fleet through data-driven analysis. The Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed is used to collect each vehicle's location, driver, load weight, idle time, and fuel level in real time.
Usage notes
Keep the following in mind when working with the Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed:
- The Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed constructs events using the data from tables in the Geotab database. For example, location, speed, and bearing attributes are retrieved from the DeviceStatusInfo table. The Device table is used to retrieve additional attribute information such as the VIN, vehicle license plate, and so on. Group names and group IDs associated with each device are obtained from the Group table. For more information, see Schema below.
- The data from Geotab is highly normalized and, the Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed follows a fixed schema by default. The Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed automatically sets the location, date and time, and Track ID. The Track ID field can be changed.
- Optional diagnostic IDs can be provided to enhance the schema with additional attribute values. For example, if a vehicle is equipped with a sensor to monitor total fuel usage, providing the DiagnosticDeviceTotalFuelId diagnostic ID causes the feed to collect this specific information in a new attribute field. Diagnostic fields are reflected in the feed schema.
- One or more optional groups can be specified to limit the type of device data that is retrieved from the Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed.
- Additional fields with driver information can be appended to the default schema of the Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed. Only choose fields that have values provided by Geotab. If a field is unknown, the value may be null, an empty string, or contain a predefined string by Geotab. For additional information, see the Additional fields below.
- The recommended interval to poll for Geotab data is every 30 seconds or greater. For more information, see Rate Limits in the Geotab documentation.
Schema
| Attribute | Data type |
|---|---|
device_id | String |
vehicleName | String |
vehicleSerialNumber | String |
vin | String |
vehicleEngineType | String |
vehicleLicensePlate | String |
vehicleLicenseState | String |
deviceType | String |
dateTime | String |
latitude | Float64 |
longitude | Float64 |
speed | Float64 |
bearing | Int32 |
groupIds | String |
groupNames | String |
Additional fields
| Attribute | Data type |
|---|---|
firstName | String |
lastName | String |
phoneNumber | String |
phoneNumberExtension | String |
employeeNo | String |
id | String |
name | String |
companyName | String |
Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Data type |
|---|---|---|
URL | The URL used to authenticate with Geotab. The URL commonly takes the form of https://[myserver].geotab.com/apiv1. | String |
Database | The name of the Geotab database. | String |
Username | The user name for authenticating Geotab. | String |
Password | The password for authenticating Geotab. | Password |
Groups (optional) | Optional group names used to filter for entity members. For example, street sweeping vehicles may belong to a group named Sweepers. Only vehicles that are entity members of the Sweepers group will be retrieved for real-time processing. Note:Specify multiple groups using a semicolon (;). | String |
Diagnostic IDs (optional) | Optional diagnostic IDs used to obtain diagnostic values. For example, the value in the DiagnosticDeviceTotalFuelId field is the diagnostic ID used to retrieve total fuel consumption from vehicles equipped with the correct sensor. A diagnostic value field and a diagnostic time stamp field are added for each diagnostic ID. Note:Specify multiple diagnostic IDs using a semicolon (;). | String |
Additional Fields | Choose from a list of additional fields to enrich the feed schema with driver information. Note:Only choose fields that have values provided by Geotab. Otherwise, the resulting value of the fields may be null, an empty string, or contain a predefined string by Geotab. | String |
Additional logging | Optionally enable logging for raw HTTP requests and responses issued by Velocity to the Geotab API. Note:This parameter should only be enabled for troubleshooting purposes and disabled when troubleshooting is complete. Once enabled, start the feed and the debug level logs will be available on the feed logs page. If necessary, contact Esri Technical Support for assistance with troubleshooting. | Boolean |
Considerations and limitations
There are several considerations and limitations to keep in mind when using the Geotab (DeviceStatusInfo) feed:
- At each polling interval, Geotab provides the data it compiled at the last poll; data compiled after that poll is not included. Provided data may be older than the time stamp of the last poll made by the feed.
- Diagnostic values update at a rate different than other device data. For this reason, each diagnostic field is accompanied by a time stamp field. Consider whether diagnostic values are temporally relevant to the latest time stamp of the other data retrieved from Geotab.
- When specifying unique diagnostic IDs, you can use groups to filter the type of devices coming from Geotab first. Each diagnostic ID enhances the schema for all the vehicles from Geotab. For example, a diagnostic that captures the status of a snowplow blade will be appended to all vehicle types from Geotab, not only the snowplow trucks. The diagnostic value will be null for vehicles without the sensor. If a snowplow group is defined first, only snowplow trucks will be retrieved from Geotab and have the custom diagnostic field for the relevant snowplow blade status.
- Additional fields will only have values if they are provided by Geotab in the database. Consider the information reported by your organization's Geotab devices before choosing any additional fields. Fields without a value will be null, an empty string, or contain a predefined string by Geotab.