Geofencing

Why in new?

The government has tested an application that triggers e-mails and SMS alerts to an authorised government agency if a person has jumped quarantine or escaped from isolation, based on the person’s mobile phone’s cell tower location, which is essentially geofencing.

About geofencing

• Geofencing is a location-based service in which an app or other software uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location, known as a geofence.
• To make use of geofencing, an administrator or developer must first establish a virtual boundary around a specified location in GPS- or RFID-enabled software.
• This virtual geofence will then trigger a response when an authorized device enters or exits that area, as specified by the administrator or developer.
• The Centre is using powers under the Indian Telegraph Act to “fetch information” from telecom companies every 15 minutes to track COVID-19 cases across the country.

Prelims Question

Which of the following statements best explains ‘geofencing’?

a.Application or service that triggers alerts if a device crossed virtual boundaries set on a geographical location.

b.Process of adding geographical identification metadata to various media such as a photograph or video.

c.Identification or estimation of the real-world geographic location of an object.

d.Method of land and sub surface surveying using GPS that presents a detailed view of a site and the surrounding area.

Answer to the Prelims Question