Methods, systems, and devices for data capture instructions for asset tracking are provided. An example method for capturing data involves obtaining raw data from a data source onboard an asset and monitoring the raw data for satisfaction of a simplified data capture trigger. When the simplified data capture trigger is satisfied, a dataset simplification algorithm is performed on the raw data to generate a simplified set of raw data, and the simplified set of raw data is logged. The method further involves monitoring the raw data for satisfaction of a rich data capture trigger. When the rich data capture trigger is satisfied, an unsimplified block of raw data is identified and logged for rich data analysis. The data is transmitted to a server. The unsimplified block of raw data contains raw data that is additional to the raw data contained in the simplified set of raw data.