The Locator Search works on the same principle as the regular search. Admins use this search to locate applicants who are abroad at a specific location. This search also includes those applicants who may be participating in side-trips or excursions. These trips and excursions are scheduled simultaneously with their regular programs.
The Locator Search feature is an important part of Terra Dotta software because it helps offices, in the case of emergencies, to identify applicants in a certain location more effectively. It can allow you to quickly identify who is in the specified location, who should be there but is registered to be away on a side trip, and who is normally elsewhere but is registered to be in that location on a side trip. You can then send a SMS text message to those applicants.
Another subset of the Locator Search is the ability to search within a radius of a certain area: Search Radius. The results display a map, indicating the location of individuals abroad. NOTE: This is an optional feature that must be enabled via System Features.
Permissions
To use this feature, admins must have the following permissions under Application Admin:
-
Locator Search
-
Map Results
Where This Tool is Found
The Locator Search tool is located at Applicant Admin > Locator Search in the left navigation menu on the Admin Home page.
Preliminary Configuration
In order for this feature to work correctly, student applications must have a complete itinerary record with start and end dates. A properly configured itinerary is very important for this feature.
In addition, in order for the Map Results feature to properly display, you must have latitudes and longitudes configured for your locations.
Searching for an Application
In the Locator Search page, you can search for applications based on the location at which the applicant stays.
- You may select the location (City, Country, Region) from the respective list boxes.
- The Applicants Abroad drop-down provides you with two options: On or Between.
- If you select On, you are prompted to enter only one date.
- If you select Between, you are asked to provide a date range.
- These dates that you choose are the date or date range during which applicants would be Abroad.
- At the bottom of the page are three options:
- Click “< Cancel -” to go back to the Admin Home page.
- Click “- Reset -” to select fresh data.
- Click “- Search >” to open a new search results page with a list of all the applications that meet the search criteria:
- Just like a typical search, the results page tells you what you searched for.
- In addition, the results provide Locations of applicants and Start and End dates for their programs.
- Click “Back” to ignore the results and return to the Locator Search home page.
In the Locator Search page, you can search for applications based on the location at which the applicant stays.
Include Program Locations/Dates
You have the ability to search for students based on program dates. In the instance that some of your students may not have itineraries, they were previously not included in the Locator Search results. Now, if you check this box, all students meeting the criteria will be in the results.
Note: You must have the program start and end dates populated for this to work.
The "Search Radius (optional)" Feature
This feature allows admins to search for applicants whose addresses fall within a certain radius.
There are a few things that must be enabled and set up in order to use this feature:
- Applicant Addresses
- Latitude and Longitudes
- A Google API Key
Applicant Addresses
If any applicants have not provided their Abroad Address, then they will not appear in any Search Radius search.
You must make sure each Applicant has their address populated with a correct address so that they appear in the map results.
Latitude and Longitudes
Another important aspect is for the latitude and longitudes to be populated. As mentioned before, they must be populated for the Map Results to display.
Google API Key
In order for the “Search Radius (optional)” to appear on the Locator Search page, your site must have a valid Google Maps API key entered in the related field:
In order to get to this field, go to Settings > System Features > Features tab.
This key may be obtained via Google: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/get-api-key
Once you have a key, copy it and paste it into the corresponding field within Settings > System Features > Features tab > Locator Map section.