Managing Encampments in Outreach

 

Encampments are user-defined areas in Outreach that designate groups of client locations. To view encampments within Outreach, toggle on Encampments in the Outreach Data Filter.

 

To view or edit the details of an existing encampment, click any area within the encampment boundary.

The number of client locations, or Persons, that display within an encampment (indicated by the number that displays on the Encampment icon) is based on the CoC’s Outreach Encampments Location Filters and the Data Filter options defined by the user in the Outreach map. For more information on how locations are included in an encampment, see Persons in Encampments.

Creating Encampments

To create a new encampment, click the Add Encampment icon in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

 

The Add Encampment icon disappears; in its place is a panel of tools for drawing the encampment boundary. Click the polygon icon to begin drawing.

• To draw straight line segments: click on the map, move the cursor, and click again.
• To draw a curve: click and hold while you move the cursor. The system will create a series of short line segments to approximate the curved shape.

Double-click to indicate that you have finished drawing the boundary.

 

You can use the "snapping" tool to help you draw parallel lines and 90-degree angles. To activate this “snapping” tool:

• Click the gear icon on the drawing tools panel, then turn on the Snapping enabled toggle.

OR

• Hold down the Crtl button on your keyboard. 

Then select the polygon tool and begin drawing. As you click on the map to end one segment and start a new segment, you will see the following guides:

• A right-angle symbol appears when the current segment is at a right angle to the previous segment.
• A parallel line symbol appears when the current segment is parallel to another segment.

If you want to delete what you drew and start over, click the red X; otherwise, click the green checkmark to save the boundary.

The system will display a warning if it detects an issue with the boundary: 

• Polygon boundary validation: If you draw an area with lines that intersect or do not form a vertex, you will see the following message:

• Encampment boundary-crossing: If you create a new encampment area or restore a previous encampment that overlaps with another active encampment, you will see a message asking you to redraw the boundary.

Completing the Encampment Screen

After you create the boundary and click the green checkmark, you will be prompted to complete the fields required by the CoC’s designated Encampment Screen. 

Complete the fields, then click the SAVE button at the bottom of the screen. The encampment you created is now visible on the map.

Backdating

The Encampment Start Date field allows an encampment to be “backdated." These backdated encampments display in Outreach for the corresponding time period when viewing the Outreach map using the Time Scrubber. Backdated encampments also are reportable for the corresponding time period. 

For encampments created before Bitfocus added the Encampment Start Date field to Encampment Screens, the encampment creation date populates this field. Users can update this date if necessary.

Editing Encampments

Clicking a saved encampment on the Outreach map displays the PERSONS screen in the sidebar. 

Along with the encampment's name, UID, and a list of clients in the encampment, this screen also includes a group of icons for use in editing and managing the encampment:

1. Click the Copy icon to copy the UID to your clipboard.
2. Click the Alerts & Notes icon to add or view encampment Alerts and Notes.
3. Click the Subscribe icon to subscribe to an encampment (or to unsubscribe if you have previously subscribed). 
4. Click the Gear icon to open the Encampment Profile. Refer to the Encampment Profile section of this article for details.
5. Click the Close icon to exit this sidebar screen. (You will not be able to see other encampments or individuals on the map until you exit.)
6. Click the Add Persons icon to add person(s) to the encampment.
7. Click the Move Persons icon to move a client from one encampment to another.
8. Click the Photo icon to add a photo of the encampment to the Encampment Profile.

• • You’ll be prompted to upload a file from your computer. After you upload the photo, adjust the cropping as appropriate, then click APPLY.
    
  • To delete the photo, click the trash can icon in the lower right corner of the photo.

• • If you add a photo from a mobile device, you will have the option of using the device's camera.
    

Encampment Profile

Clicking the Gear icon on the PERSONS screen displays the Encampment Profile. This screen displays the fields associated with the CoC's designated Encampment Screen and provides additional functions such as editing the encampment boundary, viewing Encampment Teams, and deleting or inactivating encampments.

Editing Encampment Boundaries 

To edit the boundaries of an encampment, click the Edit Encampment Boundaries icon.

 

The sidebar will disappear, and an orange box will appear around the encampment.

• Click and drag the midpoint of one of the orange lines to increase or decrease the size of the encampment in a horizontal or vertical direction.
• Click and drag a corner of the orange box to increase or decrease the size of the encampment equally on all sides.
• Click and drag the circle at the top of the orange box to rotate the encampment.

To edit individual points on the boundary, click inside the boundary. The orange box will disappear, and the endpoints and midpoints of each line segment will appear. Click and drag the points to reposition them as needed. 

 

If you want to delete what you drew and start over, click the red X; otherwise, click the green checkmark. Then click SAVE at the bottom of the Encampment Profile screen to save the changes.

Encampment Teams

Click the Encampment Teams icon to view options associated with Encampments and Teams.

Deleting an Encampment

To delete an encampment, scroll to the bottom of the Encampment Profile and click the trash can icon. The locations within the encampment will not be deleted. 

 

Inactivating an Encampment

You can make an encampment "inactive" so that it is no longer visible on the Outreach map after the designated end date. The encampment will still be visible in historical views (i.e., viewing the map using the Time Scrubber).

To make an encampment inactive, set the Status toggle to Inactive. The Encampment End Date field will appear. Enter the date, then click SAVE.

 

Audit Log

Clicking AUDIT LOG displays details about the creation and editing of the encampment.

 

You can track field value and boundary changes to an encampment in the Audit Log. You can filter the Audit Log based on the change type (Field, Boundary, Persons, or All).

 

Encampment Status Updates

You can update data in the Encampment Profile by editing the screen and clicking SAVE within the Encampment Profile. You can also update data and save it as a new Status Update by clicking the SAVE AS NEW STATUS UPDATE button.

 

The update will then appear in the STATUS HISTORY section of the Encampment Profile.

To exit the Encampment Profile and return to the PERSONS screen, click the Back icon.