Pins v boats – the benefits
Marina Assist offers visual maps as standard for all users. But we’ve taken a fresh approach to what maps can deliver, and it’s a whole lot more than just occupancy and boats on slips.
We’ve spoken to lots of different operators – independent marinas, groups and multi-sites and harbor managers – and taken a good look at our competitors. Not surprisingly, we found that people like maps, and they like to see boats on the maps, but they also wanted more.
Operators told us that they wanted more detail on the boats – like how long they were staying, if there was money owing, or even if they’d been checked-in without an accompanying order. Plus, they needed to know more about their sites and equipment and see these displayed on the map – boats, docks, cranes, dry storage, washrooms, commercial property and more.
Boats or assets?
We decided to overturn the convention that maps had to show representations of boats and instead provide the kind of detailed information to make the map a central element in marina operations. So, we switched the focus of the map from boats to assets.
Focusing the map on assets means that information about maintenance inspections and fault reports is visible alongside occupancy and boat information.
Boats or pins?
Dockmasters aren’t daft – they know a 36-footer is longer than a 30-footer, so once they have that information, why clutter the map with generic boat shapes? We use the familiar Google Maps-style pin markers overlaid with easy-to-read icons and a color code system to illustrate occupancy, licensing, inspections and issues in switchable screen views.
Swapping to pins makes the map easier to view and enables enriched layers of information without cluttering the display. Extra detail like boat names and slip numbers can be shown or hidden in one click. Drill down to view just electricity points or slip availability during a date range, or search asset name, customer or boat.
Mapping is just one of the ways that users navigate the system. Some clients use it all the time, others rarely – we give users a choice.
Marina Assist map views
Using the same map, you can flick between views to highlight information of value to different team members:
1. Occupancy view
In busy transient marinas, it’s vital to quickly identify who is due to depart, overstayers and available space. Any user with a tablet can depart a boat, add nights to the invoice, allocate slips and more right from the map.
A simple search ensures allocation of the right space – searching by length, draft, beam and mooring space type.
2. Licensing view
Suppose your marina offers annual or monthly licenses/contracts. In that case, it’s handy to see which slips remain unlicensed as you approach the renewal date – what is available to sell and who needs a reminder to sign.
3. Inspection view
Move your maintenance to Marina Assist, and you can identify overdue and upcoming inspections on the map.
Equip your maintenance team with a tablet, and they can check and complete tasks right from the map view down on the dock.
4. Faults view
Like the inspections view, issues are easily identified and resolved right from the map. Colour coded for high, medium and low severity, and the maintenance team can prioritise as they walk the site.
Mapping styles
You decide how your map or marina plan looks – it can be the same full-color plan you use on your website or brochure, or a line drawing; you’re in control. We can even use Google Maps on large sites like harbors or rivers, with the bonus of flicking between map and satellite views.
Put slip numbers and asset names in a map overlay and the user can switch them on and off, providing a clearer or more detailed view as required.
Making map changes
We don’t charge extra for uploading a new map. So if you extend your marina or reconfigure the floating docks, move a line of mooring buoys or install a new launch ramp, it isn’t going to cost you.
Because Marina Assist is a modern platform, the maps aren’t hardcoded – adaptability is built-in. We want our users to make the most of the system, not be constrained by budgets.
If you want more from your maps, take a look at Marina Assist.
Interested? Call us on (410) 834-0559 or email [email protected] and let’s talk about how we can help your marina team to work smarter and connect with customers.
