Descartes is pleased to announce the integration of Kestrel with Descartes MacroPoint™, enhancing location intelligence with high-precision geofence data that improves arrival, departure, and dwell event detection.
For years, freight visibility solutions have relied on GPS pings and radius-based geofences to determine shipment milestones. While effective in many scenarios, traditional geofencing can struggle to accurately capture activity at large warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing sites, and complex freight facilities. The result can be missed arrival events, inaccurate departures, and unnecessary manual intervention.
By integrating Kestrel’s geofence libraries into Descartes MacroPoint, customers can now leverage facility-specific polygon geofences that more closely reflect real-world locations and operational boundaries. This added precision helps transform location data into more reliable, actionable insights across transportation workflows.
Turning Location Data into Actionable Intelligence
Descartes MacroPoint is trusted by shippers, brokers, carriers, and logistics providers to deliver real-time freight visibility across global supply chains. The addition of Kestrel’s geofence intelligence enhances that visibility by providing a more accurate understanding of when assets arrive, depart, and dwell at specific facilities.
Rather than relying on generalized circular geofences (see Image A below), Kestrel’s structured geofence libraries help align shipment activity with actual facility footprints (see Image B below). This improves how location events are interpreted within Descartes MacroPoint, providing users with greater confidence in the shipment milestones that drive day-to-day operations.
Image A:
Image B:
Rather than relying on generalized circular geofences (see Image A below), Kestrel’s structured geofence libraries help align shipment activity with actual facility footprints (see Image B below). This improves how location events are interpreted within Descartes MacroPoint, providing users with greater confidence in the shipment milestones that drive day-to-day operations.
Improving Automation Through Better Event Accuracy
Accurate location events are the foundation of effective transportation workflows. By incorporating Kestrel’s geofence intelligence, Descartes MacroPoint can generate more reliable arrival, departure, and dwell events, helping teams automate key processes with greater confidence.
More precise location data supports everything from milestone updates and ETA calculations to workflow triggers, notifications, status updates, and downstream system integrations. As event accuracy improves, organizations can reduce manual tracking efforts, minimize exceptions, and spend less time validating shipment activity.
The integration is particularly valuable for operations that depend on timely, location-driven decisions. Improved dwell visibility can help identify detention risks earlier, while more accurate arrival and departure detection can strengthen shipment milestone confidence and operational accountability across facilities, distribution centers, and customer locations.
From Visibility to Operational Impact
The combined value of Descartes MacroPoint and Kestrel extends beyond tracking. By improving the quality of location-based events, organizations can create more dependable workflows and unlock greater value from automation initiatives.
Instead of reacting to inaccurate or delayed location updates, teams can operate with increased confidence that shipment milestones reflect real-world activity. This translates into time savings, improved operational accuracy, fewer exceptions requiring manual intervention, and stronger performance across location-driven processes.
Simply put, Descartes MacroPoint provides the tracking data, while Kestrel helps make that data more actionable.
Delivering Greater Confidence in Freight Visibility
This integration reinforces Descartes’ commitment to providing the most accurate and actionable freight visibility available. By combining Descartes MacroPoint’s industry-leading tracking capabilities with Kestrel’s geofence intelligence, customers can improve location accuracy, strengthen automation, and gain greater confidence in the events that power their transportation operations.
