Positional Report Notifications

Understanding Positional Report Notifications

Podium offers two types of positional report notifications:

Real-Time Notifications: Send position updates immediately as they are received from the vessel's terminal. Ideal for monitoring critical vessels or time-sensitive operations.

Periodic Summaries: Send scheduled notifications at set times containing all positional information received since the last summary. Useful for routine monitoring without constant alerts.

Prerequisites

Before configuring positional report notifications:

• Your Podium account must have permissions to create and manage Vessel Rules
• Vessels must be transmitting position reports to Podium
• You need accurate contact information for notification recipients

Creating the Notification Rule

Access Vessel Rules

1. Log into Podium and navigate to the Configure tab
2. Select the Vessel Rules tab
3. Click the blue Add New Rule button at the top right

Configure General Information

In the General section, enter a descriptive rule name such as:

• "Positional Report - Real-Time"
• "Daily Position Summary"
• "MV [Vessel Name] - Position Reports"

The name should be unique and clearly identify the notification purpose.

Add Communicator Messages Condition

1. Click Add Condition
2. Select Communicator Messages from the condition options
3. The description reads: "Check for messages received from vessel communicators"
4. Click SELECT

Configure Position Report Settings

After selecting Communicator Messages:

1. Select Communicator Type:
2. • Click the dropdown menu labeled "Communicator type"
   • Choose the appropriate terminal type:
   • • INM-C (Inmarsat-C terminals)
     • DSAS (DSAS terminals with position reporting)
     • Other available communicator types
2. Select Position Report:
3. • Check the box next to Position Report
   • The message "This rule will become active when the following messages are received" appears
3. Choose Email Format:
4. • Click the "Email Format" dropdown
   • Select your preferred format:
   • • Real-Time: Sends notifications immediately when position reports arrive
     • Periodic Summary: Sends scheduled summaries of position reports
   • The description notes: "This format will be used for all poll emails for this communicator"
4. Additional Messages (Optional): For DSAS terminals, you can also select:
5. • Battery OK
   • Battery Test Report
   • Battery Voltage alerts
   • Mains Power status
   • Poll notifications
   • Power Up notifications
   • SSAS Alert Reset
   • Tamper Alerts
5. Click ADD CONDITION to save

Configure Recipients

1. Click Add Recipient
2. Enter the recipient's name (e.g., "Fleet Manager" or "Operations Team")
3. Select notification type:
4. • EMAIL for email notifications
   • SMS for text message alerts
4. Enter contact information:
5. • Email: Complete email address
   • SMS: Phone number with country code (+447700123456)
5. Click SAVE
6. Repeat to add multiple recipients

Recommended Recipients:

• Fleet Operations Manager
• Vessel traffic coordinator
• Chartering department
• Voyage management team

Select Vessels

1. Click CHOOSE VESSELS
2. Check boxes next to vessels for position report monitoring
3. Click CONFIRM

You can select individual vessels or multiple vessels depending on your monitoring needs.

Customize Notification Subject

The subject line can include:

• Vessel Name - Identifies which vessel
• Vessel IMO - Official vessel identification
• Rule Name - Notification type
• Event ID - Unique event identifier

Click the blue buttons to add parameters to the subject line. For positional reports, a clear subject might be:

"Podium Vessel Rules: [{VesselName}], [{RuleName}]"

This generates subjects like: "Podium Vessel Rules: MV Ocean Star, Positional Report - Real-Time"

Configure Email Content

Customize the notification email by adding relevant information:

Essential Position Information:

• Vessel Name
• Vessel IMO
• Date and Time
• Position Lat/Lon
• Heading
• Speed over ground
• Speed through water

Additional Operational Data:

• Vessel at Sea/Port status
• Shaft RPM
• Instructed Speed
• Vessel Details
• Position Image (map)

Engine Consumption (if available):

• Main Engine Cons Rate
• Aux Engine Cons Rate

Click the blue buttons below the email content box to add these parameters. The default content includes:

Rule Name: [{RuleName}]
Date: [{Date}]
Time: [{Time}]
Type: [{NotificationType}]
Conditions Met: [{ConditionsMet}]

You can add additional parameters and custom text as needed.

Test the Notification

Before activating the rule:

1. Click Test Notification
2. Verify all recipients receive the test
3. Check email formatting and content
4. Confirm SMS messages are readable
5. Ensure position data displays correctly

If issues arise, correct contact information and retest.

Save the Rule

Review all settings and click Save. The rule appears in the Vessel Rules list and begins monitoring position reports from selected vessels.

Managing Position Report Notifications

Editing Rules

To modify an existing positional report rule:

1. Click the rule name in Vessel Rules list
2. Update recipients, vessels, or content as needed
3. Send a test notification to verify changes
4. Click Save

Common Modifications

Switching Between Real-Time and Periodic:

• Edit the condition
• Change the Email Format dropdown from Real-Time to Periodic Summary (or vice versa)
• Save the rule

Adding More Vessels:

• Click CHOOSE VESSELS
• Select additional vessels
• Click CONFIRM and Save

Updating Recipients:

• Add new recipients as personnel change
• Edit existing recipients to update contact information
• Delete outdated recipients