Zone Maker - 365 Management

Zone Maker - 365 Management

What is Zone Maker?

The Zone Maker (also known as Rezone on the Fly) screen gives you full control over your zones and allows you to make minor and major changes to each zone via an interactive map.


Zone Maker is a tool that is specifically designed to help you create and edit your service zones simply and efficiently. With the flexibility to work using a draft mode, you can make both minor and major changes to your operational zones using an interactive map interface. This tool allows you to easily add and modify zones to your current system, providing you with greater control and customisation options.

How to Use Zone Maker

Located in 365 Management, Zone Maker can be found by navigating to Dispatch > Zones > Zone Maker in the left-hand menu.

Before using the Zone Maker to create zones or edit your zone configuration, you must change to draft mode.

Live Mode & Draft Mode

There are two different modes you can switch to and from.

In Live mode, you can view the live configuration of your zones. Any changes you make while in this mode are automatically published to your live system.

In Draft mode, you can view and edit your zone configuration as a draft, and then apply this draft to live.

Once in Draft mode, you can create a new draft of your current configuration.

Note: When you create a new draft, the current draft will be overridden and any changes made will apply to all zone areas. (e.g. Zone Maker, Zone List, Backup Zones,...)

Once you are happy with your current draft, you can select the Apply Draft to Live button, publishing your new draft to your live system.

Understanding the Toolbar

When in Live Mode, options 8 and 9 are unavailable and can only be used in Draft mode. See the table below for an explanation of each option on the toolbar.


Key:

Zoom In: Zoom in on the map. You can also use the scroll button on a mouse.
Zoom Out: Zoom out on the map. You can also use the scroll button on a mouse.
Centre Map (CTRL + C): Centres the map back to its original location.
Toggle List: Opens and closes the list of zones.
Create Bounds (CTRL + Q): Select (or use the shortcut) to create a new zone boundary on the map.
Edit Bounds (CTRL + E): Select a zone on the map (or in the list) and press this button to edit its boundary.
Toggle Polygon Centre Point: Toggles on and off the centre point of each boundary, highlighting the centre with a double grey circle (PolygonIcon.png) icon. 
Validate Map: Use this button to locate and display any issues with your zoning configuration. If issues are found, a pop-up appears stating the errors within the map. If no issues are present, a different pop-up appears stating that fact.
Auto-fix Zone Boundaries: Use this button to automatically fix any identified issues with zone boundaries.


Creating a Zone

Before creating a zone, you must switch to Draft Mode. You will be unable to create any new zones in live mode to prevent any potential issues affecting your live system.

  1. Firstly if you have not already done so, switch to Draft Mode.
  2. To create a new zone in your draft, select the Create Bounds tool or use (CTRL + Q). Proceed to click on the map to add the first boundary point. Continue to add points until your zone area is defined. You must connect to your initial point to complete the zone boundary. 
  3. Upon joining up the boundary points, a modal appears in which you enter the zone's Descriptor and Name properties.
    • Descriptor: Provide a short name or code for your zone. This name is displayed over your zone on the map and the dispatch screen within Booking & Dispatch. It is important to choose a sensible name that matches your zone area so that your operators can easily understand it.
    • Name: Enter the full name of the zone area you are covering. This name appears within the zones screen in Driver Companion and various sections within 365. Again, ensure this name properly conveys the covered area.
  4. While creating a new zone using the Create Bounds tool, there are several options to select from in the left-hand menu. 
    • Start Over: Remove any progress you have made on your zone boundary and start the process again.
    • Undo Last: Undo the last boundary point you placed on the map.
    • Enable Snapping: To enable 'Snapping', which is a feature that allows your cursor to automatically attach to nearby zone boundaries, toggle Enable Snapping on. This feature is particularly useful for preventing overlapping or incorrect gaps between zones. To draw your zones freely without the 'Snapping' action, toggle it off. 
    • Snapping Distance: To snap your cursor to the nearest boundary point, you need to be within a certain range. The number in the circle icon indicates this range and can be set from 1 to 5. If you set it to 1, you need to be very close to the point, while setting it to 5 means that you only need to be in the vicinity for the cursor to snap automatically. To change the value, click the Circle with a Number icon.
    • Cancel: Select Cancel to end boundary creation and delete any progress.
  5. To save and complete your zone select Confirm to add your new zone to the map.
  6. Once you are happy with your configuration, use the Apply Draft To Live button to enter all your changes into your live system. 
     After this, your operators and drivers can interact with your new zoning.

Editing an Existing Zone

In Draft Mode, you can modify any existing zones, whether it is altering the boundary points or changing details.

To edit a zone:

  1. To quickly edit the zone Boundary, click on your zone on the map so it appears red. Then select the Edit Bounds button (or CTRL + E) from the right-hand menu. Now you can manipulate the existing boundary points. For a more in-depth editing menu, right-click on the zone on the map. This highlights the zone in red and a menu appears.

    • Edit Bounds: Select to begin editing the boundary points of your zone. This opens a new menu with options to help you modify your zone. For step-by-step instructions on editing your zone boundary, please scroll down to step number 2.

These settings allow you to change any parameters or settings for your zone, without the requirement of saving and changing to 'Zone List' to do so.

    • Quick Rename: Easily and quickly modify the Descriptor and Name of your zone.
    • Edit Zone: This setting opens the Edit Zone modal that appears in Zone List, allowing you to modify the Zone Details, Configuration and Geolocation Settings. For more information on the settings available, see Zone List. This allows you to easily adjust any settings without leaving the Zone Maker screen.

The following options control where your zone sits if there are overlapping zones. 

    • Move to Top: Sends the zone to the top of any overlapping zones, giving it the lowest MDT ID of all overlapping zones and the highest priority. This is useful if you have a small zone within a zone, for example, an 'Airport Taxi Rank' zone inside the wider 'Airport' zone and you need to move the taxi rank zone higher in priority.
    • Move Up: Moves the zone one layer up among overlapping zones, adjusting the MDT ID accordingly.
    • Move Down: Moves the zone one layer down among overlapping zones, adjusting the MDT ID accordingly.
    • Move to Bottom: Sends the zone to the back of any overlapping zones, giving it the highest MDT ID of all overlapping zones and the lowest priority.

There is a central point for each zone, which can be adjusted using the settings provided. This is useful in case the system incorrectly places the centre point or if it causes any issues. The system uses the centre point for various purposes, such as the GPS Tolerance of your drivers if configured to do so.

    • Set Zone Centre: To set a custom centre point for your zone, select Set Zone Centre. This will turn your cursor into a plus (+) icon. Then, single-click on the desired area within your zone where you want the new centre point to be.
    • Reset Zone Centre: Select to reset the zone centre based on the zone boundary.
    • Copy Zone Centre Coordinates: Select to copy the coordinates of the zone centre point (latitude and longitude) to your clipboard, e.g. "53.473009, -2.239524".

    • Delete Zone: Permanently delete your zone from your list and the map. You CANNOT undo this action once deleted.
  2. When you choose the Editing Bounds option, the zone you're working on changes appearance. The current zone boundary points will be highlighted with a red circle with small grey circles in between these points. These grey circles indicate where you can add a new boundary point to adjust the boundary from that point onwards. 
  3. To modify the zone boundary, click and hold a red boundary point and drag it to the desired location. If you want to adjust the boundary more precisely, select a grey circle to create a new boundary point and position it in the desired location.
  4. To revert any changes you've made, you can use the Undo Last button or press CTRL + Z to undo the most recent action. In case you want to undo all of your changes without repeatedly pressing the Undo Last button, you can use the Undo All button. This button also displays the total number of changes made in a numerical format. 
  5. Using the Snapping tools when designing or modifying zone boundaries can be helpful. These tools are designed to aid you in editing and creating zones and ensure that you design the dimensions and boundaries you require.
      • Enable Snapping: To enable 'Snapping', which is a feature that allows your cursor to automatically attach to nearby zone boundaries, toggle Enable Snapping on. This feature is particularly useful for preventing overlapping or incorrect gaps between zones. To draw your zones freely without the 'Snapping' action, toggle it off.
      • Preview Snapping: Enable so that when dragging a point, this will visually snap to the nearest point, allowing you to preview what the change will be before snapping the points together. If disabled, this visualisation does not occur. 
      • Snapping Distance: To snap your cursor to the nearest boundary point, you need to be within a certain range. The number in the circle icon indicates this range and can be set from 1 to 5. If you set it to 1, you need to be very close to the point, while setting it to 5 means that you only need to be in the vicinity for the cursor to snap automatically. To change the value, click the Circle with a Number (SnappingDistanceIcon.png) icon.
  6. If you have a zone that overlaps with the zone you are currently editing, then you can use the Create Points on Intersections option to add new points on intersecting lines.  This is particularly useful if the overlapping of the zones is incorrect and needs to be separated. By doing so, you have more flexibility when contouring and manipulating the zone boundary. 
  7. If modifying the boundary of a zone that is connected to another polygon, you can use the Enable Connected Moving setting to control whether any connected points from other polygons move when you move a point on the current polygon. This setting is helpful when making minor changes, as it ensures that there are no irregularities, such as small gaps between zones. 

Deleting a Zone

In Draft Mode, you can delete any zone. However, once deleted, you cannot undo this action.

To delete a zone:

  1. Right-click on the zone to delete to open the edit menu.
  2. In the dropdown menu, select Delete Zone.
  3. A pop-up will appear asking if you are sure you want to delete that zone. To proceed with the deletion select I'm Sure. To back out, press Cancel.
  4. Another pop-up will appear stating the zone you have deleted, press OK to close the pop-up.
  5. Ensure to Apply Draft to Live to apply your new zone configuration to your live system.