Why “We Already Have a GIS Person” Doesn’t Address the Field’s Need

Understanding the Difference Between GIS and Digital Stationing 

If you’ve ever said, “We already have a GIS person,” you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common responses we hear when teams are introduced to OnStation. And while having a GIS specialist is a valuable asset, relying solely on GIS doesn’t provide your field teams with the necessary tools or data to manage and document their daily work efficiently.

This article explores the differences between GIS and digital stationing and why both are essential, especially on active construction projects.

“Stationing doesn’t just follow the activities that are performed on the project, it’s the basis for all of the work that’s happening in the field.”

— GIS Professional

Quick Comparison: GIS vs. Digital Stationing

Key Functionality	GIS	Digital Stationing
Data Management	Stores and analyzes spatial data over time for enterprise use	Aligns data to exact station and offset locations for easy, dynamic access in the field
Field Usability	Built to manage and analyze geospatial data based on a coordinate system	Purpose built for the field, based on linear referencing system, no setup required by inspection team
Real-Time Documentation	Not designed for real-time input by field teams	Instantly capture photos, notes, and flags at station points
Offline Access	Requires internet connection for full access	Station reading operational offline for remote projects
Workflows Supported	Supports planning, environmental impacts, transportation through spatial analysis and visualization	Optimized for inspection directly in the field with, daily site documentation, and verification
Team Collaboration	Information generally shared through exports or internal systems	Shared access and updates in real time across all users, all organizations

Talk to Our Team About Integrating Both

Why Digital Stationing is Crucial for Construction Teams

The field is all about location. Digital stationing is explicitly designed for field operations, utilizing the linear referencing system and providing live users with real-time station and offset information, the measurement system that contractors, inspectors, and DOT teams use daily. Whether they are logging a density test, capturing progress photos, flagging an issue, or marking work completed, crews reference locations by stations.

Digital stationing is explicitly designed for construction and field workflows, particularly for heavy highway and civil construction, making daily operations efficient and accurate:

• Daily construction documentation: Simplifies logging tests, capturing photos, marking issues, and tracking progress.

• Real-time project alignment: Instantly accessible data keeps teams informed and coordinated.

• Seamless integration with design plans: Automatically syncs with project designs, removing manual data conversion.

Tools like OnStation provide teams with real-time access to the current project alignment and cross-sections. The app automatically reads design plans, enabling users to locate themselves, document activity, and collaborate clearly without needing to convert coordinates or search for information.

GIS and Digital Stationing Add Value to Each Other

Digital Stationing and GIS support each other, and when working together, add a straightforward data workflow, advancing digital delivery. Digital Stationing is purpose-built for the construction and the field. GIS is purpose-built to store, manage, and provide visual analysis of spatial data from multiple data sources. The data OnStation captures improves the quality and clarity of field data, making it easier for GIS teams to receive, manage, and analyze that information.

To better support this valuable workflow, OnStation is a proud member of the Esri Partner Network, working alongside industry leaders to enhance the way infrastructure teams connect the field with GIS. This partnership enhances the user experience by enabling end-users of both areas to utilize purpose-built tools, resulting in improved data accuracy and reduced manual work, particularly when coordinating between office and field teams.

Field Maps, ArcGIS Tools, and Digital Stationing: Understanding the Differences and How They Work Together

These tools all add a tremendous amount of value for their respective users. So, what are the primary differences, and how do they work together? Tools like Esri ArcGIS and Field Maps are foundational GIS platforms used across many industries to manage and analyze spatial data. In heavy highway and civil construction, GIS teams often rely on these tools to handle planning, asset inventories, environmental constraints, utility locations, or regional planning data. They primarily operate using GPS-based latitude and longitude coordinate systems and are powerful for long-range, high-level mapping, data visualization, and analysis.

While these systems are ideal for strategic and geographic planning, their workflows often fail to align with the day-to-day needs of construction crews in the field. Most construction plans and drawings are based on a linear reference system, which is based on station and offset measurements rather than latitude and longitude, making it challenging to align GIS data with what is happening on the jobsite.

Digital stationing tools, such as OnStation, are purpose-built to bridge this gap. Instead of working in broad geographic coordinates, OnStation references everything to the project alignment using station and offset locations, just as your construction plans do. This allows field teams to locate themselves on the alignment, drop pins, capture photos, take notes, and document activities directly tied to the exact station location, all while working live in the field.

The Proven Digital Stationing and GIS Workflow

The OnStation nd Esri partnership enhances the value for both user bases. The rich data collected in the field by OnStation, such as photos, documentation, flags, or notes, can be exported or shared in formats that align with GIS systems, providing real-time, as-built construction progress information for GIS visualization and analysis. This creates a seamless workflow between the boots-on-the-ground activity and the broader GIS groups, providing invaluable data.

For example:

• A GIS analyst in ArcGIS Pro can use OnStation's field documentation to overlay daily activity on top of long-term project layers.

• When using ArcGIS Field Maps, asset managers can supplement GIS data with construction-specific updates from OnStation, like test results or flagged locations, tied to the project stationing.

• With ArcGIS Online, teams can create dashboards that visualize recent OnStation field inputs, such as punch list items or site issues, directly within their broader project maps.

Using OnStation alongside tools like ArcGIS connects real-time construction activity with high-level GIS planning. This integration helps reduce confusion, improves communication between departments, and enhances accuracy through better data for both field execution and office decision-making.

Key Takeaway

GIS and digital stationing add value to each other. They are complementary tools that work better together. GIS is excellent for planning, mapping, and managing large-scale infrastructure data. However, when it comes to the daily work of building roads, inspecting projects, and tracking progress, digital stationing enables crews to operate with clarity, speed, and precision.

If you are already using GIS, you are halfway there. The next step is bringing that same level of insight and organization to the field. Tools like OnStation make it easy to connect the strategic work happening in the office with the real-world work being done on-site.

Stationing isn’t just a way to follow what’s happening in the field; it’s the foundation of how the work is performed. The sooner digital stationing is brought into your workflow, the easier it becomes for GIS teams and field crews to stay aligned, accurate, and efficient.

If you are reading this and thinking this would help your team, you are probably right. Learn More about the value of digital stationing and seamless GIS workflows: Book and Demo Today.