Getting Started with OnStation: 3 Key Features Every New User Should Learn

A beginner-friendly walkthrough with real jobsite examples.

If you're new to OnStation or helping someone on your team get started, these three features are the best place to begin. They’re the core tools that help users navigate, understand their jobsite, and document work more effectively—no advanced training required.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how each feature works, what value it provides, and where to find additional learning resources so you can build your OnStation skills from day one.

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Station Finder: Understanding Your Location in Real Time

What is Station Finder?
The Station Finder uses your phone’s GPS to show your current location on the project alignment. It tells you your exact station—no wheeling or measuring required.

Why it’s important:
This helps you quickly figure out where you are on the job, so you can mark issues, check plans, or talk with your team about a specific location.

How to use it:

1. Open the OnStation App on your phone.

2. Search for and select your project.
   (Need help? Learn how to find your project.)

3. Tap the navigation icon in the top right corner to enable GPS.

4. When the crosshair turns solid blue, your location is now live and updating in real time.

5. Start walking the jobsite and watch your station update automatically as you move.

Real-World Use Cases for Station Finder

The Station Finder isn’t just for navigation—it’s a foundational tool that helps teams work smarter across all phases of a project. Here’s how it comes into play on real jobsites:

• Paving Operations: Confirm your start and stop points before the first truck even rolls in. No second-guessing where the crew should begin.

• Quality Testing: Whether you're running density tests or pulling core samples, use the Station Finder to locate precise testing stations—ensuring your results match exactly where they need to be.

• Field Inspections: Eliminate the guesswork. During walkthroughs or field checks, you can reference exact locations to report issues, track progress, or verify work completed.

• Pre-Bid Site Reviews: Even before construction starts, the Station Finder gives estimators and PMs an edge. Walk a future jobsite using digital stationing—no physical markings needed—to visualize the alignment and make more accurate cost estimates.

By making location crystal clear, Station Finder helps crews stay aligned, cut down on confusion, and move faster with confidence. It's one of those tools that once you start using, you won’t want to work without.

More Helpful Resources:

• Understanding Project Stationing and Coordinates

Design Layers: See the Plans, Even in a Field

What Are Design Layers?

Design Layers let you see project plan details—like utility lines, proposed pavement, right-of-way boundaries, and more—right on your phone or tablet. These CAD files are overlaid on the map, aligned with your real-time location in the field.

Why Its Important:

Not everyone on the job has access to full-size plan sets or the software to read CAD files. With Design Layers in OnStation, you don’t need special tools or guesswork. Whether you're walking a greenfield site or checking clear zones, the design comes with you—accurately displayed in the exact spot it’s meant to be.

How to use it:

1. Tap the Layers icon from the map screen. (Top right corner)

2. Choose the plan sheets or CAD layers you want to see.

3. Zoom in to see station-based details in real time.

Real-World Use Cases for Design Layers

Design Layers are especially useful when not everyone on site has access to CAD software—or wants to haul around a full set of paper plans. With everything overlaid in the app, you get instant clarity without the extra gear.

• Greenfield Projects: No road yet? No problem. Use Design Layers to see exactly where the alignment is supposed to go, even when it’s just dirt and brush in front of you.

• Before You Drill: Not sure what’s below? A quick glance at the map might reveal a water line or utility path—helping you avoid a costly mistake without flipping through plan sheets.

• Planning Ahead: When scoping work in a new section, check for buried utilities, drainage, or right-of-way markers—all right in the app, synced with your real-time location.

Design Layers turn your phone or tablet into a live, location-aware set of plans—making it easier for everyone on the crew to work smarter and safer.

Helpful Resources:

• Viewing Layer Metadata

• Displaying Multiple Layers

Documenting the Job: Flag & Chat and Camera Notes

What is Jobsite Documentation?

Jobsite documentation in OnStation means you can drop a Flag & Chat, capture a Camera Note, or write a quick note—all tied to a specific station, date, and time. It gives you a fast, accurate way to log exactly what happened and where.

Why Its Important:

Field-to-office communication is often a back-and-forth puzzle. Maybe you're trying to explain an issue to your manager—or maybe they’re calling you to ask, "Where exactly did that happen?" Then comes the follow-up texts, emails, photos, and a report you’ll have to write later.

It turns into a bigger burden than it needs to be.

With Flag & Chat and Camera Note, you capture everything in the moment—with both context and clarity—right at the station where it happened. It cuts down on confusion, keeps the whole team aligned, and creates a timestamped record you can trust later.

Next to Station Finder, this is one of the most powerful tools in OnStation. It makes documenting your work easy, clear, and connected to the real-world location.

How to use it:

To document something new:

1. Move the crosshair to the location where you want to drop a flag.
   (Tip: If you're flagging your current location, you can skip this step.)

2. Tap the flag icon in the bottom right corner to open the details.

3. Give your flag a title and choose a flag type—like “Issue,” “Installed,” or “Observation.”

4. Add more context by including a photo, note, or chat message.

5. OnStation will automatically stamp your entry with the time, date, and station so it’s easy to reference later.

To review existing documentation:

1. Tap a flag on the map to open its details.
   – Or, tap the flag icon in the bottom menu to view a full list of flags and choose the one you want.

2. Read any existing chat messages or notes associated with the flag.

3. Add updates or replies to continue the conversation or document new information.

Real-world use cases:

• Documentation matters at every level of the project—whether it’s for closeout, payment, or solving problems fast.

  • Managers need clean records for closeout packages and reports.

  • Executives need proof of work to get paid faster and show project progress.

  • But what about you, the person out on the road?

  Here’s why it matters to the crew doing the work:

  • Take a quick photo to prove a sign was replaced—no paperwork, no confusion later.

  • Snap a picture of a core sample to log your density test and move on to the next task.

  • Drop a flag and message your manager if something goes wrong—now they know exactly what happened, when, and where. No phone tag or backtracking.

Flag & Chat and Camera Note help you cover your work, solve issues faster, and keep everything tied to the station so you don’t have to explain it all again later.

💡 Tip: Before starting your day, check for flags and chats already on the project. You might find helpful notes or updates from your team that save you time or prevent rework.

Learn more:

• Chat Functionality in OnStation

🎓 Ready to Keep Learning?

These three features—Station Finder, Design Layers, and Documentation—are your foundation for using OnStation effectively. Once you’re comfortable with them, you’ll be ready to explore more tools in the app.

Need extra help or a walkthrough? Schedule a training session here.