Built for projects that span miles, not floors.
Linear construction covers projects that extend across long distances rather than a single site — pipelines, highways, railways, transmission lines, and utility corridors. Because assets are spread across miles of right-of-way, often underground, linear projects depend on GIS mapping, GNSS-based location data, and mobile field tools that work without a constant connection. Smartapp.com combines scheduling, field data capture, and asset mapping in one platform built for exactly that kind of project.
Request a DemoAging infrastructure is driving investment — and the need for better data
Linear industry sectors are contending with aging infrastructure, the transition to renewable energy, climate change, and regulatory uncertainty — all of which require strategic planning, innovation, and collaboration among utilities, regulators, and other stakeholders to keep essential services reliable and affordable.
Context: The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2025 Report Card for America's Infrastructure gave the U.S. its highest-ever overall grade of C (up from C- in 2021), driven in part by Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding. Even so, ASCE estimates a $3.7 trillion gap between current planned infrastructure investment and what's needed for the nation's systems to be in good working order — and the energy category was one of only two sectors whose grade declined in the 2025 report, underscoring the pressure on energy and utility infrastructure specifically. That gap is exactly where accurate, real-time asset data and construction technology make the difference between a project that stays on budget and one that doesn't.
Linear construction sectors we support
Each linear sector has its own asset-tracking and regulatory demands — and all four Smartapp editions play a role in solving it. Here's a specific way each edition supports the sectors we work in most.
Heavy Civil
Heavy civil projects — grading, earthwork, drainage — run long linear sequences of work across changing site conditions.
PLANNER™CPM scheduling sequences production across miles of alignment while adjusting for weather and permitting delays.
FIELD™GNSS-based field capture tracks grade and earthwork progress in real time along the alignment.
CONTROLS™Automated payment tracking keeps pace with production-based billing across a long linear schedule.
SAFETY™Incident logging and certification tracking cover a mobile workforce spread across miles of active jobsite.
Energy – Gas
Gas pipeline and distribution projects require precise as-built documentation of buried assets for regulatory compliance and future maintenance.
- PLANNER™CPM scheduling sequences trenching, pipe-laying, and tie-in work across the alignment.
- FIELD™GeoCAD and CaptureNow record survey-grade GNSS location data for buried assets as they're installed.
- CONTROLS™Contract and change order tracking manages regulatory-driven scope changes common on gas infrastructure work.
- SAFETY™Certification tracking documents the specialized safety qualifications gas work requires.
Energy – Electric
Transmission and distribution line projects span long corridors with numerous structures, easements, and interconnection points.
- PLANNER™Scheduling coordinates structure installation sequencing across a long transmission corridor.
- FIELD™Asset tracking ties structure locations and inspection status to the same GIS record used after energization.
- CONTROLS™Budget tracking manages easement, right-of-way, and interconnection costs across the corridor.
- SAFETY™Incident and certification tracking addresses the elevated electrical hazard profile of live-line work.
Energy – Solar
Utility-scale solar builds involve thousands of repetitive foundation and racking installations across a large site.
- PLANNER™Production tracking monitors install rates against plan across the full array.
- FIELD™Field data capture verifies foundation and racking installation quality at scale.
- CONTROLS™Automated payment tracking keeps pace with high-volume, repetitive unit-based billing.
- SAFETY™Jobsite safety management covers a large, often-rotating installation workforce across the site.
Energy – Wind
Wind projects combine civil work, foundation installation, and turbine erection across remote sites with limited connectivity.
- PLANNER™CPM scheduling sequences civil, foundation, and erection work across a remote, multi-phase site.
- FIELD™Offline-capable mobile field tools let crews keep capturing data without reliable cell coverage.
- CONTROLS™Change order tracking manages the frequent scope shifts common on remote-site logistics.
- SAFETY™Certification tracking documents the specialized rigging and crane-safety qualifications turbine erection requires.
Utilities
Utility infrastructure programs often run many concurrent work orders across a service territory.
- PLANNER™Scheduling coordinates dozens of concurrent work orders across a service territory.
- FIELD™Centralized field data gives program managers status across every active work order, not just one project.
- CONTROLS™Cost tracking rolls up spend across every concurrent work order in the program.
- SAFETY™Incident logging maintains a consistent safety record across a dispersed, multi-crew workforce.
Power & Communications
Joint trench and communications infrastructure projects require careful coordination between multiple utility owners sharing the same corridor.
- PLANNER™Shared scheduling coordinates work sequencing between multiple utility owners in the same corridor.
- FIELD™GIS-integrated asset mapping shows every stakeholder what's already installed and where.
- CONTROLS™Contract tracking manages cost-sharing arrangements common in joint trench projects.
- SAFETY™Certification tracking documents compliance across multiple utility owners' safety requirements.
Highways, Railways & Bridges
Transportation infrastructure projects typically involve public agencies, strict schedule milestones, and detour or phasing plans that shift throughout construction.
- PLANNER™CPM scheduling keeps agency milestone dates synced with the field schedule as phasing plans change.
- FIELD™Real-time documentation supports agency reporting requirements throughout construction.
- CONTROLS™Automated payment applications keep pace with public-agency billing and audit requirements.
- SAFETY™Incident logging documents compliance with public right-of-way and traffic-control safety requirements.
Subterranean – Pipelines, Waterline, Sewer
Underground utility work carries real risk of utility strikes when existing buried infrastructure isn't accurately mapped.
- PLANNER™Scheduling sequences excavation work around confirmed utility locations to avoid delays from strikes.
- FIELD™AR-assisted underground utility visualization helps crews see what's below grade before they dig.
- CONTROLS™Change order tracking manages the cost impact of unexpected utility conflicts when they occur.
- SAFETY™Incident logging documents excavation safety compliance and any utility-strike near-misses.
The Utility Pioneers Build with us
GIS & GNSS asset mapping, explained
Asset mapping is one of the most differentiated parts of Smartapp's linear construction toolset. Here's the workflow.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Capture | Field crews use CaptureNow to record survey-grade GNSS coordinates for assets as they're installed — pipe, conduit, structures, valves. |
| 2. Geolocate | GeoCAD ties captured points to CAD/GIS reference data so asset positions are accurate relative to the design and existing infrastructure. |
| 3. Integrate | Location data syncs with the project's GIS and ERP systems, keeping one spatial record shared across construction and operations. |
| 4. Track | Both underground and above-ground assets are tracked in real time, giving owners an accurate as-built record at handoff instead of a static drawing set. |
“Whiting-Turner is using Smartapp to build a linear utility underground avoidance system that leverages augmented reality, helping field crews visualize the location of existing underground utilities before excavation begins — reducing the risk of costly and dangerous utility strikes on active jobsites.”
Jovan Petrovic
Vice President, The Whiting-Turner Contracting CompanyFrequently asked questions
What is linear construction software?
Linear construction software manages projects that extend across long distances rather than a single fixed site, such as pipelines, highways, railways, and utility corridors. It typically combines scheduling and field coordination with GIS mapping and GNSS-based location data, since linear projects need to track exact positions of buried and above-ground assets across many miles of right-of-way.
How does Smartapp track underground utility assets?
Smartapp's FIELD™ module includes GeoCAD and CaptureNow, which use survey-grade GNSS data collection to record the precise location of underground and above-ground assets as they're installed. That location data integrates with GIS systems, giving utilities and contractors a real-time, spatially accurate record of buried infrastructure instead of relying on as-built drawings alone.
Can Smartapp integrate with GIS systems for pipeline or utility projects?
Yes. Smartapp integrates asset location and field data with GIS and ERP systems, so pipeline, utility, and energy projects can maintain a single spatial record of assets that's usable by both the construction team and the operations team after handoff.
What construction technology helps with heavy civil and highway projects?
Heavy civil and highway projects benefit from mobile-first field software that works offline in remote areas, GNSS-based asset and grade tracking, and CPM scheduling that accounts for long linear sequences of work. Smartapp combines these in its PLANNER™ and FIELD™ modules.
Does Smartapp support augmented reality for underground utility work?
Yes. Smartapp customers, including Whiting-Turner, have used Smartapp's AR capabilities within FIELD™ to visualize underground utility locations on-site, helping crews avoid utility strikes during excavation.
