How it works
From a field action to a trusted record
SmartBuild embeds compliance in the work itself. Evidence is captured at source, positioned to sub-5cm, validated on the device, and the next step opens only after the last one is proven. It runs fully offline and syncs at end of day, so the record is trustworthy the moment the crew leaves site.
Get a demo →The flow
Compliance built into the work, not bolted on after
Most site documentation happens after the fact: photos taken loosely, forms filled at the desk, reports assembled days later from memory and reused images. SmartBuild inverts that. Compliance is embedded in every field action, so the evidence is created at the moment of construction and is trustworthy the instant it lands.
The path from a crew member standing in a trench to a record a client or auditor can rely on runs through five stages. Each one removes a place where data normally gets lost, fabricated or corrupted on the way up the hierarchy.
Stage 1 · Offline download
Everything the crew needs, before they lose coverage
SmartBuild is fully offline by design, built for exactly the geographies where construction happens and networks do not reach. Before the visit, maps, layers and the day's workflows download to the device.
- 01
Basemap and project layers
The route, owned-network layers and the area to be built, cached locally so the field app works with no coverage.
- 02
The day's capture sequences
Customizable sequences of entities, each defined as image, video, form and map mark in any order, downloaded ready to run.
- 03
Local save, deferred sync
Captured work is saved on the device and held until connectivity returns, so nothing is dropped between site and office.
Stage 2 · Field capture
Evidence captured at source, positioned to the centimetre
In the field, the app connects to positioning automatically and records each entity as it is built. There is no SDK lock-in and no credentials for the crew to manage: corrections are applied to the GNSS chip and the raw NMEA stream is decoded into position, accuracy, fix type and satellite count.
- 01
CORS auto-connect, NMEA decode
The device auto-connects to CORS for corrections, with no credentials for field users, and decodes NMEA into latitude, longitude, accuracy and fix type. PPK is supported for post-processed precision.
- 02
Guided, validated camera capture
The camera module runs blur, size, lighting and stability checks and supports auto-capture, so the image is usable as evidence the first time.
- 03
Entities: image, video, form, map mark
Each step in the sequence captures the entity as its configured mix of image, video, form and map mark, with counts and durations set per workflow.
- 04
Device-agnostic by default
The story is device-agnostic, working through NMEA decode and CORS corrections rather than a proprietary SDK. SmartMeasure is the higher-grade GNSS receiver where the work demands it.
Stage 3 · On-device validation
On-device validation, then auto-fill from the image
As each entity is captured, computer vision validates it on the device and fills the form from the image instead of asking the crew to type. The Digitrak readout is read by OCR, pit depth is derived from multiple images, and pole equipment is counted automatically.
Auto-fill flips the burden. Crews type less and close each stretch faster, while geotag and location checks, duplicate-photo detection and retained rejected-photo history make fabrication the only thing that gets harder.
The next step opens only after the last one is proven.
Workflow-locked sequencing runs entirely offline. A step stays closed until its evidence validates, so the record is built in the right order, on site, with no gap to backfill later.
Stage 4 · Workflow-locked unlock
Sequence that cannot be skipped or backdated
Validation gates progression. Once an entity's evidence passes its checks, the next step in the sequence unlocks. A crew cannot jump ahead, cannot mark a step done without the evidence, and cannot reorder the record after the fact. The compliance lives in the workflow, so the sequence on the screen is the sequence that actually happened on the ground.
Stage 5 · Sync and web review
One record, reviewed and reported in the office
At end of day the device syncs the captured evidence to the SmartBuild web system, where the office reviews anomalies, sees the work on the map and tracks progress against plan. Administration governs who captures what, and where.
- 01
Anomaly review, exceptions surfaced first
Anomaly and duplicate detection flag what needs a second look, so review starts with the records that matter rather than every photo.
- 02
Route on map, the build on the basemap
Captured evidence is shown route-on-map with layers, so progress is read against the network it belongs to.
- 03
Dashboards by location, user and entity
Realtime progress and dashboards roll up by location, user and entity, with export for the records a client or auditor asks for.
- 04
Administration: users, access, authorizations
Admin manages users and access, licenses and the location, module and entity authorizations that scope each crew.
What comes after v1
Where the validated record goes next
Captured at source and positioned to the centimetre, the build-phase evidence is designed to feed the digital twin. Integration with SmartInventory, the NetworkAccess inventory layer, is on the v1 roadmap, so the as-built record can become the trusted source the operations team relies on.
Beyond that, the roadmap extends the platform in stages: alerts over email, WhatsApp and push, then further computer-vision integrations, audio and video processing, each delivered as the platform matures.
Where it stands
A blueprint in build, proven where it counts
SmartBuild is a product in build, with version one in progress. The computer-vision core that powers on-device validation is the part already proven: six field use cases have completed proof of concept, covering trench, duct, manhole, last-mile cable, manhole-cover restoration and pole inspection. Further use cases, including cabinets, trench restoration, crew PPE and site barricading, are in the pipeline.
See SmartBuild capture a build, step by step.
Walk through the field-to-record flow with our team, on the construction workflows your crews run today.
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