HourDoc GPS/Location Services Feature – HourDoc Support Center

GPS Location Feature

HourDoc can now track the location of users at login, using an HTML5 technology called Location Services. Users must allow the tracking (see Browser Prompts below). The tracking is a one-time tracking event that tracks the user's location (see Accuracy below) at the moment they clock in. This is useful for employers who need to verify the location of their employees who work off site. Additionally, managers will now have a map utility they can use to see where employees were at clock in.

In Time Tracker, go to View All Entries. Next to some employee's names you will see a blue GPS icon . This uses location services with HTML5 to grab the user's location if they allow it. It will automatically do this if the user clicks the "Allow to share location with HourDoc.com" with the user's first log in.

If you click on the blue GPS icon, a map image will appear in "quick view" mode and will show where that person is located.

Accuracy

Location Services is a part of HTML5 web technology and works in regular desktop browsers as well as mobile devices. The accuracy to a user's location depends on the device being used. Nearly all current-generation smart phones and many mobile devices have GPS built in. Depending on the manufacturer GPS accuracy and speed varies, however, if the GPS gets a good "lock" the user's location will be very accurate.

Location Services on a desktop Mac or PC is not nearly as accurate and relies almost exclusively on the user's ISP to report an accurate location. There are too many factors to be considered here, but generally speaking, the location reported from a browser is not very reliable. Please keep that in mind when viewing location info from your employees.

Browser Prompts

To track the location of a user at login, HourDoc must gain explicit authorization from that user to do so. This authorization appears in the form of a prompt, which varies in wording depending on the device and browser being used. Please see some examples below.