With ExakTime Connect and ExakTime Mobile, location/GPS data can be used to determine where a location is, where a mobile device is when an employee clocks in/out, the overall movement of a mobile device, and more. Some functions can be automatic such as showing where an employee was at the time of clocking in/out, while other functions must be enabled.

While the use of this location/GPS data is intended to help ensure that an employee is where they should be when working, there may be concerns with how and when the data is gathered and utilized. 

Table of Contents

• GPS Accuracy for ExakTime Mobile
• Data Usage
• In ExakTime Mobile
  • When Clocking In & Out
  • While Viewing Locations during Clock In
  • Warnings & Restrictions
  • With GeoTrakker
  • Team View on ExakTime Mobile
• In ExakTime Connect
  • From Time Card Detail
  • From Map View
  • GPS Data for GeoTrakker

GPS Accuracy for ExakTime Mobile

Before we discuss how we utilize location/GPS data, a common question is how accurate the GPS data is gathered and used in ExakTime Mobile. The GPS data we utilize in ExakTime Mobile is not generated by ExakTime Mobile at all and is generated by the mobile device itself. As we are 100% reliant on the mobile device, our GPS data is as accurate as whatever the mobile device provides to us.

In short, ExakTime Mobile does not generate its own GPS data but instead uses whatever GPS data that the device provides.

Data Usage

A common concern associated with GPS data is the data usage of ExakTime Mobile as many employees may have limited data plans when using their personal or company devices. 

• If an employee were to clock in/out with a FaceFront photo 100 times, it would be about 1 MB, which is .001 GB. 
• If an employee were to clock in/out without a FaceFront photo 1000 times, it would be about 1 MB.
• The data sent if an employee uses GeoTrakker is roughly 6 KB per hour. If an employee were to drive 60 MPH continuously for a 40-hour workweek, it would be about 1.68 MB of data used at the end of the week.

In short, ExakTime Mobile data usage is minimal and should be barely noticeable. 

We also offer a handout that details the data usage of ExakTime Mobile:

 ExakTime Mobile Data Usage Handout

In ExakTime Mobile

The use of many GPS related features requires that ExakTime Mobile has permission to access the "Location Services" of the device. ExakTime Mobile will prompt for permission the first time it tries to access "Location Services". If the employee denies it by accident, they can grant permission through the settings of the device.

When Clocking In & Out

By default, ExakTime Mobile will record the position of the device of the employee when they clock in or out for themselves from the "Clock In" menu if ExakTime Mobile has permission to location services. The position of the device can be reviewed from the employee's time card or Map View on ExakTime Connect.

The employee's position can also be recorded with the "Clock For" function, but it may not be accurate as we are recording the position of the device used by the employee using "Clock For" such as a supervisor. We are actually recording the supervisors position and associating it with the employee's time punch. This is an important distinction because if you are questioning where an employee was, it should actually be asked of the supervisor using "Clock For".

While Viewing Locations during Clock In

When an employee is selecting their location while clocking in, ExakTime Mobile will use GPS data to present locations that the employee could be in, based on the location's Geofence. This can help guide your employees in selecting the correct location and making your location lists more manageable. 

Warnings & Restrictions

You can enable an option for employees to receive a warning or restriction if they clock in/out while outside a known Geofence or if ExakTime Mobile is unable to confirm the position of the device. This can help you and your employees make sure they are working at the appropriate location.

With GeoTrakker

GeoTrakker is an optional feature for ExakTime Mobile that will track the movement of a device while the employee is clocked in. GeoTrakker will begin tracking after they have clocked in and periodically record "breadcrumb" data about an employee's position as they work and move. GeoTrakker will generally stop tracking the device after the employee clocks out, but can also stop tracking due to other factors such as low battery. The employee's GeoTrakker data can be reviewed from Map View on ExakTime Connect. 

Team View on ExakTime Mobile

After an employee clocks in, their last known recorded GPS during their clock-in is recorded and can be shown on Team View. This can allow supervisors/foremen to see where an employee had last clocked in. After an employee clocks out, they will disappear from Team View. This can help when needing to quickly check where an employee was at their last clock in.

Generating GPS with Device

If an employee has permission to add locations from ExakTime Mobile, they can add the GPS coordinates from their device with a new or existing location. This can help when a work site is too new to have an address, such as a new development, or if the GPS/Geofence is unique, such as for a worksite that is far away from the address of the location.

In ExakTime Connect

GPS Data Associated with a Location

Locations in ExakTime Connect can have a GPS coordinate associated to determine the overall size of the location with a "GeoFence." With this GeoFence, you can determine where an employee was in relation to the location and prevent an employee from clocking in/out if they are outside of the GeoFence with GeoFence warnings & restrictions. This GPS coordinate can be associated with any of the three methods:

• When entering the address for a location in ExakTime Connect, our system will automatically search Bing Maps for the address and the associated GPS coordinates.
• By entering the GPS coordinates manually for a location on ExakTime Connect.
• When using ExakTime Mobile, a user with sufficient permission can use the GPS information from their mobile device at that moment and associate it with the location.

Reviewing GPS Data for a Clock In/Out

The GPS data that is recorded when an employee clocks in/out can be reviewed in two locations of ExakTime Connect: 

• From Time Card Detail
• From Map View

From Time Card Detail

The Time Card Detail page will present all the time records/punches for the selected employee and date range. Each time record will have a colored icon next to it to indicate if the employee was within the Geofence of a location at the time of clocking in/out.

The icon next to each time punch is color-coded to provide context at a glance:

•  - A blue icon indicates that there is no GPS associated with the time punch. This can be due to:
  • Lack of location services at the time of creating the punch on ExakTime Mobile.
  • If the time punch was created manually with ExakTime Connect.
  • if the time record was created automatically by the system such as a midnight split.
•  - A grey icon indicates that there is GPS associated with the time punch, but the location for the time punch does not yet have a GeoFence.
•  - A red icon indicates that the GPS for the time punch is outside the GeoFence of the location for the time record.
•  - A green icon indicates that the GPS for the time record is within the GeoFence of the location of the time record.
•  - A yellow icon indicates that the employee clocked in early from a manual meal break. 

From Map View

The GPS information associated with a time record will appear on a map in relation to the location of the time record. This allows the administrator to verify if the mobile device was within the vicinity of a location when clocking in/out.

GPS Data for GeoTrakker

GeoTrakker is a function of ExakTime Mobile that records the GPS data being given by the mobile device as it moves throughout the day. We call this recorded data "crumbs". As the crumbs are recorded throughout the day, you can review the general movement of the mobile device after it has been sent. This information can be reviewed on ExakTime Connect and ExakTime Mobile by users with sufficient permission. Once the employee has clocked out, GeoTrakker will stop recording any crumbs.