Pointr Cloud Dashboard Overview¶

Welcome to Pointr Cloud Dashboard Overview! Here you’ll find a comprehensive overview of Pointr Cloud’s functionalities, as well as important information like privacy statement and open-source components & licenses of Pointr Cloud Dashboard.

What is Pointr Cloud¶

Pointr Cloud is a platform where you can efficiently manage your digital maps and map content, including point-of-interests (POIs), building layouts, furniture, wayfinding, geofencing, and IoT device topology.

Pointr Cloud consists of two components:

• Pointr Cloud REST API - designed for developers. It enables users to directly manage map data, synchronize it with the Pointr Cloud Dashboard, and integrate it with 3^rd party platforms. The API provides extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor it to their needs. Visit the Pointr Cloud API Overview page to learn more.

• Pointr Cloud Dashboard - an easy-to-use interface designed to simplify the management of digital maps and map content stored on the Pointr Cloud API. It serves as a map content management system (CMS), enabling users with limited coding or API knowledge to effortlessly handle crucial map data.

Pointr Cloud Dashboard offers the following capabilities:¶

• Creating and managing Pointr Maps for sites, buildings, and levels (maps).

  

  Go to tutorial

• Easily creating and manage POIs (point-of-interest) directly on your map, keeping all your POI data up-to-date for your users.

  

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• Managing IoT Devices details (location, major, minor, UUID, and external ID) for BLE beacons, gateways, and similar tech that offers accurate positioning and wayfinding.

  

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• Creating and managing Wayfinding Network to define paths and transitions between areas, levels, and buildings (like stairs, elevators, shuttles).

  

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• Creating and managing Geofences to set virtual boundaries and areas of interest.

  

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• Creating and managing Map Objects such as Points of Interest, obstacles like walls and furniture, and other map elements like walkways, corridors, and stairwells.

  

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Privacy Statement¶

Rest assured that Pointr Cloud does not store or process any personal information. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy to learn more about our policies and practices.

Getting Started with Pointr Cloud Dashboard¶

This tutorial is a beginner’s guide to using Pointr Cloud Dashboard. It will teach you the fundamentals, such as accessing your Pointr Cloud environment, navigating the interface, utilizing helpful tools for efficient map content management, and publishing your map content. Throughout the tutorial, you will learn:

• Accessing your Pointr Cloud Dashboard

• Signing in to Your Pointr Cloud Account

• Understanding Pointr Cloud Dashboard Structure

• Navigating Pointr Cloud Dashboard

• Suggested Types for Map Content

• Showing or Hiding Your Items on Pointr Cloud Dashboard

• Adjusting Your Map View on Pointr Cloud Dashboard

• Accessing Information About Pointr Cloud

• Signing Out From Your Pointr Cloud Dashboard

• Publishing Your Map Content

For detailed instructions on managing your maps and map content, refer to the “Guides” in the left menu.

Accessing your Pointr Cloud Dashboard¶

To access Pointr Cloud Dashboard, contact your Project Manager. You will need the following prerequisites:

• Pointr Cloud URL (eg. https://clientname.pointr.cloud)

• Username

• Password
• Modern browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, or Safari) with a stable internet connection

Signing in to Your Pointr Cloud Account¶

To sign in to your Pointr Cloud account, follow these steps:

1. Obtain login credentials from your Project Manager.
2. Go to the URL of your Pointr Cloud Dashboard.
3. Enter your User Name (usually your email address) and Password to log in.

Understanding Pointr Cloud Dashboard Structure¶

Pointr Cloud (Dashboard & API) follows a structure, beginning with a client, then a site, followed by a building, a level, and finally, your map resides on the level. Here’s a visual representation of the hierarchy between a client, sites, buildings, and levels.

• Client(s): Refers to the owner or manager of sites and buildings. Please note that Pointr currently supports only one default client and does not have multi-client capability.

  

• Site(s): An area with one or more buildings. It’s like a campus where you can easily walk or commute from one side to another, for example, a hospital or an airport campus. All sites belong to the same client.

  

• Building(s): A physical structure with floorplans. Tunnels, bridges, and parking lots can also be buildings if they have floorplans. Each building is linked to a specific site.

  

• Level(s): Consists of multiple levels (floors). It’s important to arrange levels in the correct physical order. Number levels sequentially, but increase the index by two for levels with double-height ceilings (e.g., 1-2-4-5).

  

• Content: Refers to all GeoJSON features associated with the selected level. To access and edit map content, use the left-hand menu to navigate your sites, buildings, and levels, and select the desired content (POIs, IoT Devices, Wayfinding Network, Geofences, Map Objects) for modification.

  

Pointr Cloud contains 5 types of content:

1. Point of Interest (POI): A POI is any map feature that the end users may be interested to search for / navigate to. For example, a table is not typically a Point of Interest but if it’s a hot desk that can be booked (hence a user could search for a specific desk), it would qualify as a Point of Interest.

2. IoT Devices: Internet of Things sensors and devices such as BLE beacons, gateways and more.

3. Wayfinding Network: Wayfinding, otherwise known as routing or pathfinding, requires a network of components to work. These include the following: Paths - walkable/accessible lines across a floorplan (such as hallways). Transitions - allowing user to change floor or go from one spot to the other (eg. elevators, escalators, shuttles). Obstacles - map objects that block the routes from going through (eg. walls, furniture). For more information, refer to our wayfinding guide on Pointr Docs.

4. Geofences: Geofences are virtual boundaries, defined around a geographical area. These geofences are typically used for notifications (eg. “Welcome to the building”) or measurements (eg. “measure how many users enter a given area”).

5. Map Objects: Map Objects contain any object/feature that is visible to the end user on the map. Note: Points of Interest are also regarded as Map Objects so they are included both in this section and in the Points of Interest section at the top. Either section can be used for managing Points of Interest.

   

Navigating Pointr Cloud Dashboard¶

To quickly get started with navigating Pointr Cloud Dashboard, follow these easy and intuitive steps:

• Access specific map content by clicking on the corresponding item in the left-side menu.

  

• Use the arrow in the top-left corner to go back.

  

• Use the breadcrumb bar to switch between different sites and buildings without backtracking. This principle applies consistently across various pages like Buildings, Levels, Content, POIs, IoT Devices, Wayfinding Network, Geofences, and Map Objects.

  

  This is helpful when browsing the building list in one location (e.g., Site A: Workplace - Chicago) and needing to view levels in other locations (e.g., Site B: Airport or Site C: Department Store).

  

• Collapse the side panel for a larger screen area while editing.

  

Suggested Types for Map Content¶

Pointr Cloud Dashboard offers Suggested Types to help you quickly find relevant map content. For example, when creating POIs on a workplace floorplan, suggested types like meeting rooms and office spaces are listed. You can also access all types or use the search bar for specific POI types. This feature streamlines the mapping process.

Showing or Hiding Your Items on Pointr Cloud Dashboard¶

To control the visibility of your map items, use the Visibility icon to display or hide your content:

1. To view your map content, make sure the Visibility icon on the card is enabled.
2. Conversely, turn off the Visibility icon on the card to hide your map content.

Adjusting Your Map View on Pointr Cloud Dashboard¶

• Use the Quick Locate icon on the item’s card to quickly navigate to a specific site, building, level, or map content.

  

• Zoom in or out of your map view by clicking the or icon located at the bottom-right corner of the Dashboard.

  

Accessing Information About Pointr Cloud¶

Find detailed information about Pointr Cloud, including the current version, Privacy Statement, and Supported Browsers, by clicking the i icon at the bottom-left corner of the Dashboard.

Signing Out From Your Pointr Cloud Dashboard¶

To sign out of your Pointr Cloud account, click the User icon in the top-right corner of the Dashboard, where you can access your account details and sign out.

Publishing Your Map Content¶

Before you can use your edited content with the Pointr Cloud API or Pointr’s SDKs, you need to Publish it. This tutorial will guide you on how to publish your map content using Pointr Cloud Dashboard.

1. Click on Ready To Stage when you are ready to review your content before making it live.

   

2. Select Review and Publish to review your map content.

   

3. Use the breadcrumb menu to navigate the content you want to review.

   

   Note

   The map’s visual style is determined by the stylesheets used in the Pointr Cloud Dashboard. This page provides a preview of your chosen map widget style. You can customize the map’s appearance using your own stylesheet. Take a look at the example of a customized style map below, which shows how it will appear on the end user’s map widget. For more detailed information on customizing map styles, refer to Pointr’s Map Specification here

   

   To confirm the publishing of your map content, refer to step 6. If you wish to cancel the publishing process, refer to step 4.

4. To continue editing your map content, click Cancel and return to your Dashboard.

5. A pop-up notification will ask for confirmation to cancel publishing. Click Yes, continue to cancel your publishing request, or click No, go back to proceed with publishing your map content.

   

6. Once you are satisfied with your content, click on Publish.

7. A pop-up notification will appear asking you to confirm the publishing. Click Yes, continue to publish your map, or click No, go back to make further edits if needed.

   

8. After clicking Yes, continue, you will be redirected to the Pointr Cloud editing Dashboard, where your publishing request will be processed.

   

9. Once the publishing process is completed, you will see a notification in the bottom-right corner stating, “Your content has been published”