Add Native Geofencing Capability in Maximo Mobile to Restrict Access to Inspection Forms Based on GPS Location

Description:

We request IBM to introduce a native geofencing capability in Maximo Mobile, allowing system administrators to define a proximity-based restriction for access and submission of inspection forms. This feature is especially critical for field operations in industries like utilities, oil & gas, and transportation, where ensuring the physical presence of inspectors at asset locations is essential for safety, compliance, and data integrity.

Use Case:

Utility companies manage widely distributed assets such as power poles, transformers, and substations. These assets must be physically inspected at regular intervals to meet regulatory and safety standards. However, without geofencing, there is currently no system-level enforcement in Maximo Mobile to validate that the technician is physically near the asset/the location during inspection entry.

Proposing the following core features:

• GPS-based location capture at the time of form access or submission.
• A configurable geofence radius per asset or work type (e.g., 200m–500m).
• Real-time validation to enable or disable access to forms based on proximity.
• Support for offline caching of asset coordinates and on-device distance checking.
• Logging of user location at time of form submission for audit purposes.

Business Value:

• Improved inspection integrity and prevention of fraudulent or mistaken entries.
• Higher compliance with regulatory requirements that mandate in-person inspections.
• Increased safety, ensuring inspections are only conducted within approved asset zones.
• Significant interest from utility companies globally, including our own operations

Workaround Limitation:

Custom development using the Mobile SDK or third-party platforms is costly, inconsistent across deployments, and not scalable. A native implementation would allow standardization and wider adoption across Maximo customers.

Priority:

High – this feature has been requested repeatedly by Maximo utility customers, and lack of it has been a blocker for adopting Maximo Mobile for inspection use cases.