Resource groups are comprised of resources that share one or more characteristics. Some resource groups, including All Aeromedical, All Ambulances, All Hospitals, All Resources, My Resources (all regions or current region), are available to all users. Additional resource groups can be created by you or your administrator, and might include, for example, all Trauma Level I facilities in the region, dialysis centers in the state, or mobile medical units in neighboring counties. Resource groups are created as a means of collecting information about resources for use with gadgets that display information on dashboards.

Static and Dynamic Resource Groups

There are two types of resource groups - static and dynamic, which determine how the groups are structured and updated. 

Static Resource Groups

Static resource groups are created by specifying exactly which resources to include. The group is clearly defined and does not change unless you edit the selected resources. As a result, you need to manually maintain static resource groups by adding and removing resources. For example, a static resource group might consist of EMS resources known as ALS 911 in four neighboring regions. If a new ALS 911 vehicle is added to the fleet in one of these regions, an administrator would need to add it to this resource group.

Dynamic Resource Groups

Dynamic resource groups, on the other hand, are created by identifying resource types. The resources in this group depend on whether you define the region as fluid, according to the region you log in to, or select one or more specific regions. You then select either Standard Resource Types or Resource Types. All resources that belong to the selected type or types within your defined region are then included. The resource group can also be further defined by state and/or county. The list of resources in dynamic resource groups is automatically updated when resources are added or removed from the selected resource types in the selected regions, states, and/or counties.

To demonstrate the configuration of dynamic resource groups, imagine you are a regional administrator with access to two or more regions. Every time you log in, you want to view information about the local ALS 911 ambulances for the region you logged in to. When creating this dynamic group, you select the top, default option to create a group that includes resources for whichever region you are logged in to. As a result, only Standard Resource Types are available. You select Ambulance ALS 911, and when information about this resource group is presented on the dashboard, you only see details for the current region’s resources. Adding a new vehicle with this standard resource type to either region will automatically update the resource group and any dashboard gadgets that use that group.

Alternatively, imagine you are a regional administrator with access to two or more regions, but you only want to view information about ALS 911 ambulances when you are logged in to one specific region. When creating this dynamic group, you select the option to use one or more regions whose resources you want to include in the group and then select the regions. You can select Standard Resource Types or region-specific Resource Types to identify the resources you want to include. Adding a new vehicle with one of these types in any of the selected regions will automatically update the resource group and any dashboard gadgets that use that group.

Accessing Resource Groups

Resource groups are created and managed through the Setup menu, by selecting Resource Groups. Available resource groups can be selected as the data source when creating dashboard gadgets. Resource group accessibility is categorized as Global, Shared, or Private.