> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.fieldko.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Use Location and Attendance Data Responsibly > What location data FieldKo captures, who can see it, how check-in accuracy works, and how to use global positioning system (GPS) data fairly. This page is for admins, sales leaders, and field managers who decide how location and attendance data is collected and used. The outcome is a field program that collects only the location data it needs, tells workers plainly what's captured and why, limits who sees it, and treats uncertain readings fairly. > [!WARNING] > > This page gives operational guidance, not legal advice. Laws on monitoring workers differ by country and state. Get advice that covers your employees and contractors before you set location rules. ## What Good Looks Like * Each location data element has a written purpose, such as confirming a scheduled visit happened at the right store. * Reps know what's captured, when, who can see it, and how long it's kept, before they start. * Only people who need raw location records can see them. * An out-of-range check-in is a question to review, not proof of misconduct. * Retention follows a written policy. * Productivity targets never push reps to use their phone while driving or ignore store access rules. ## When to Use It and Common Failure Patterns Use this page when you set up FieldKo, when you change location settings, and when a manager wants to use location data in a performance conversation. Common failure patterns: * **Collecting because it's available.** Location is captured at more points than the purpose needs, and nobody can say why. * **No notice.** Reps learn what's captured only when a manager quotes it back to them. * **Wide access.** Everyone with a FieldKo license can open every rep's attendance trail. * **One reading as proof.** A single uncertain fix is used to decide a disciplinary outcome. * **No retention rule.** Location trails pile up for years because nobody decided otherwise. ## Operating Procedure ### Write a Purpose Statement for Each Data Element For each capture point in [What FieldKo Captures](#what-fieldko-captures), record the purpose, who can see it, and how long you keep it. If a capture point has no purpose, decide whether you need it, and ask FieldKo how to limit it. ### Tell Workers Before You Start Give reps written answers to these questions: * What location information is captured, and when? * Is anything captured outside working activities? * Who can see raw records, and who sees only reports? * How long is the information kept? * How can someone challenge an inaccurate reading? * What happens when the signal is poor, or a visit is done away from the store's mapped location? Include reps in testing, especially where they work in underground parking, large shopping centers, or remote areas. ### Design Fair Exceptions * Treat an out-of-range check-in as a prompt to review, and accept legitimate explanations. * Fix wrong store coordinates before you judge rep behavior. * Have a person review disputed events. * Never base a consequential employment decision on a single uncertain reading. ### Include Safety and Store Rules Don't set targets that encourage risky driving or phone use while driving. Follow store access rules, and plan lone-worker and escalation procedures where they apply. ## How to Implement It in FieldKo ### What FieldKo Captures The FieldKo Atlas app (version 1.0.70) doesn't track location continuously or in the background. Each capture is a single reading taken at the moment of an action. | When | What's Saved | Where | | - | - | - | | Check-in | The rep's location; the distance when the rep is out of range | Visit **Checked In Location** and **Check In Compliance Reason**; a point on the day's Attendance trail | | Check-out | The rep's location | Visit **Checked Out Location**; a point on the Attendance trail | | Canceling a visit | The rep's location | A point on the Attendance trail | | Starting and completing a survey task | The rep's location when the survey opened and when the task was completed | Task **Actual Start Location** and **Actual Completion Location** | | Each sync the rep runs | The rep's location | A point on the Attendance trail (**Historical Location Data**). Background syncs and Reset Sync don't capture a location. | | Logging out | The rep's location, only when **Enable Location Tracking** is on | Attendance **Logout Location** | | Logging in | Nothing in version 1.0.70; the app doesn't send a login location | Attendance **Login Location** usually stays blank | | Taking a photo | Latitude and longitude, when the photo file contains them | Shown on the photo's details | Incident and pack-out records also have location fields. FieldKo Atlas 1.0.70 doesn't capture a location for them. **Availability:** Built-in. Check-in and check-out location on the visit is controlled by **Capture Geolocation**. See [Set Up Check-In Location Checks](https://support.fieldko.com/admin/call-cycles-and-visits.md#set-up-check-in-location-checks). Attendance records need the FieldKo Native package. > [!NOTE] > > Don't assume **Capture Geolocation** turns off every capture point in the table. If you need to limit location capture beyond check-in and check-out, for example at sync or task completion, ask FieldKo before you write your policy. ### Who Can See It Access depends on permission sets and on record sharing. These are the package defaults; your org may differ. | Data | Permission Sets That Can Read the Fields | Record Sharing | | - | - | - | | Visit **Checked In Location** and **Checked Out Location** | **FieldKo Manager Permission Set**, **FieldKo Representative Permission Set**, **FieldKo Basic Representative Permission Set** | Visit is recommended as Private: reps see their own visits, and managers see their teams' visits through the role hierarchy | | Attendance **Login Location**, **Logout Location**, and **Historical Location Data** | **FieldKo Native Permission Set** | The package installs Attendance as Public Read/Write, so anyone with the permission set can see every rep's attendance. FieldKo recommends Private. | | Task **Actual Start Location** and **Actual Completion Location** | **FieldKo Native Permission Set** | Task is recommended as Public Read/Write so reps can update tasks managers create | To restrict access: 1. Check the org-wide default for **Attendance** in Sharing Settings, and set it to Private unless you have a reason not to. See [Security Model and Sharing](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/access/security-model.md#recommended-starting-org-wide-defaults). 2. Use field-level security to hide location fields from users who don't need them. See [Profiles, Permission Sets, and Permission Set Groups](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/access/permission-sets.md). 3. Review report folders that include location fields. See [Share, Schedule, and Subscribe to Reports](https://support.fieldko.com/managers/platform/share-and-schedule.md#share-reports-with-folders). Test any sharing change in a sandbox first: records a rep can't see don't sync. ### How Accurate Check-In Locations Are * The app asks the device for a fresh reading from Wi-Fi and mobile networks, then GPS, and waits up to about 45 seconds. If it gets nothing, it can use a reading from the last 3 minutes that's accurate to within 1,000 meters. * Before it warns the rep, the app subtracts the reading's reported accuracy, up to 100 meters, from the distance to the store. * The out-of-range check is a warning, not a block. A rep can confirm and check in anyway, and the full distance is saved in **Check In Compliance Reason**. The accuracy itself isn't saved. * Wrong or missing store coordinates cause false warnings. See [Keep Account Coordinates Current](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/data/data-quality.md#keep-account-coordinates-current). For the full rules, see [How Accurate Check-In Locations Are](https://support.fieldko.com/admin/call-cycles-and-visits.md#how-accurate-check-in-locations-are). ### Retention Location data stays in your Salesforce org under your organization's own data policies. No packaged job that deletes location trails or coordinates was found. To set and apply a retention period, see [Plan Retention and Archiving](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/data/data-volume.md#plan-retention-and-archiving). ## Fictional Example Fictional example: a made-up drinks company, Bluegill Beverage Co., writes this purpose statement for its 25 reps. | Data Element | Purpose | Who Sees Raw Records | Kept For | | - | - | - | - | | Check-in and check-out location | Confirm scheduled visits happened at the right store | The rep and their manager | 24 months | | Attendance trail | Investigate disputed visits and missing time | Regional managers, on request | 6 months | | Task completion location | Not needed | Hidden with field-level security | Not reported | **Max Distance From Store To Checkin** is 200 meters. A rep checks in 350 meters from a store's mapped location, with a reported accuracy of ±60 meters. After the allowance, the distance is 290 meters, which is more than 200, so the app warns the rep. The rep continues, and the visit shows "Checked in 350 meter(s) away from Store". The manager sees the store is in a large shopping center whose pin is at the far parking entrance. The admin fixes the account coordinates, and no action is taken against the rep. ## What to Measure | Metric | Definition | Population | Denominator | Exclusions | Owner | | - | - | - | - | - | - | | Out-of-range check-in rate | Visits with an out-of-range **Check In Compliance Reason** ÷ completed visits with a check-in location | Completed visits in the period | Visits with a check-in location | "Location is Not Enabled", and location unavailable or timed out | Field operations manager | | Location unavailable rate | Visits where the device couldn't find a location ÷ completed visits | Completed visits in the period | Completed visits | Reps with location capture turned off | Admin | | Coordinate fixes | Stores whose coordinates were corrected after a review | Stores with repeated out-of-range check-ins | Count, not a rate | None | Admin | | Access review | Users with read access to raw location fields, reviewed each quarter | All active users | Count | Integration users, listed separately | Admin | Report these by store as well as by rep. A store that triggers warnings for every rep usually has wrong coordinates. ## What to Do When It Goes Wrong | Symptom | Likely Cause | What to Do | | - | - | - | | Many reps are out of range at the same store | Wrong or missing store coordinates | Fix the account coordinates, then recheck | | Check-in shows "Location is Not Enabled" | **Capture Geolocation** is off for this rep | Check the **Visit Configurations** custom setting for the rep, profile, or org | | A rep can't check in | Location permission is off on the device while **Capture Geolocation** is on | Ask the rep to allow location for the app | | A rep disputes a reading | Poor signal, or the store layout | Review the accuracy rules, the store pin, and the rep's explanation before acting | | Reps can see each other's attendance | Attendance org-wide default is Public Read/Write | Set it to Private, and test in a sandbox | ## Checklist * [ ] Write a purpose statement for each capture point. * [ ] Get legal advice for each country and state you operate in. * [ ] Tell reps what's captured, who sees it, and how long it's kept. * [ ] Set the Attendance org-wide default and field-level security. * [ ] Check store coordinates before you turn on the distance check. * [ ] Set **Max Distance From Store To Checkin** with real store layouts in mind. * [ ] Agree a retention period and how you'll apply it. * [ ] Agree how reps challenge a reading, and who reviews it. * [ ] Ask FieldKo about any capture point you need to limit. ## Industry Best-Practice Context FieldKo's guide [GPS, Attendance and Privacy: Build Trust in Your Field Program](https://fieldko.com/best-practices/field-location-privacy-safety/) sets out the principles behind this page: purpose, transparency, fair exceptions, and safety. ## See Also * [Set Up Check-In Location Checks](https://support.fieldko.com/admin/call-cycles-and-visits.md#set-up-check-in-location-checks) * [Track Your Team's Performance](https://support.fieldko.com/managers/monitor-your-team.md) * [Security Model and Sharing](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/access/security-model.md) * [Plan for Data Volume, Storage, and Retention](https://support.fieldko.com/platform/data/data-volume.md) * [Coach Your Field Team](https://support.fieldko.com/retail-execution/coaching.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.