
ACI Mobile
Cost: Free
Developer: American Concrete Institute (ACI)
Description: ACI develops consensus-based standards, technical resources, and certifications for concrete design, construction, and materials. App accesses institute’s catalog and industry terms and provides current weather conditions for a job site.
Sector: Concrete construction
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Smooth operation allowing you to move between app's sections
Android
Apple

American Concrete Pavement Association
Cost: Varies
Description: Apps can be found here: http://www.acpa.org/app-library/
Agency Practices Explorer, Airfield Steel Calculator, Area and Volume Calculator, Bonded Concrete Overlay on Asphalt (BCOA) Calculator, Compression Seal Joint Width Calculator, Mixture Proportioner, Temperature Calculator, Dowel Bar Alignment Calculator, Evaporation Rate Calculator, Friberg Dowel Analyzers, Gradation Analyzer, Green Streets Calculator, Highway Specs for Airfields Lookup, Joint Noise Estimator, Joint Movement Estimator, k-Value Calculator, Maturity Calculator, Maximum Joint Spacing Calculator, M-E Tie Bar Designer, National Concrete Overlay Explorer, Glossary, Thickness Designer, Radius of Relative Stiffness Calculator, Rate-of-Delivery Calculator, Relative Cost Analyzer, Staking Interval Calculator, Strength Analyzer, Strength Converter, Subgrade Resilient Modulus Calculator, Taper Length Calculator, Total Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESAL) Calculator, Units Converter, Westergaard Stress & Deflection Solver
Sector: Streets & Roads
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Wide variety provides resource for practically any job
Android
Apple

AFC Mapper
Cost: Free
Developer: Trimble Water
Description: Does your agency or municipality have American Flow Control gate valves and/or American-Darling and Waterous fire hydrants? Based on Trimble Unity "smart" infrastructure software, this app automates mapping and managing of hydrants, valves, and related assets using the assets' barcode. Export data in formats including Shapefiles, Microsoft Excel, and Esri File Geodatabase. Available for Android and Apple, but you must register via Trimble's website.
Sector: Water

Asphalt Magazine
Cost: Free
Developer: Asphalt Institute
Description: The Asphalt Institute is a non-profit association for petroleum asphalt producers, manufacturers, and affiliated businesses. That’s not you, but its website contains four databases of interest to public work departments: U.S. state binder, U.S. state emulsion, Canadian binder, and U.S. state multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR; per AASHTO M 332/T 350) implementation. No app for those, but there’s one for the institute’s bimonthly magazine.
Sector: Streets & Roads
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Useful only if you’re interested in the magazine
Apple

Construction Job Task Safety Analysis
Cost: $4.99
Developer: Snappii Corp.
Description: Prevent and/or minimize injuries by identifying and tracking potential project-site safety hazards.
Sector: Safety
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Extensive checklist includes diagrams
Android
Apple

Energi Advisor
Cost: Free
Developer: Lutron Electrics
Description: Determine a facility’s best lighting-control solution with minimal information (room size, number and type of fixtures, electric utility rates, rebates, and labor rates). Provides bill of materials, estimated return on investment, and energy savings information. Walk stakeholders and decision-makers through options to ensure budget requirements are addressed without compromising performance.
Sector: Sustainability
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Often difficult to input your specifications
Android
Apple

Esri ArcGIS
Cost: Free
Developer: Esri
Description: Use maps anywhere to ground truth your data, make observations, and respond to events. You'll improve the efficiency of your field workforce and the accuracy of your GIS.
Sector: Asset Management
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Smooth operation allowing you to move between the many parts of the app
Android
Apple

FloodMap Mobile
Cost: Free
Developer: Atkins North America
Description: Determine risk to a given address or area and access map numbers, quads, gages, and floodplains. Realtors and their clients use app to understand flood risk for specific properties and get estimated flood-insurance cost based on home value.
Sector: Stormwater
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Very easy to use, very accurate with location
Android
Apple

HCSS Field
Cost: Free
Developer: HCSS Software
Description: Compare job costs against budget, make notes, and transmit photos to and from coworkers and supervisors.
Sector: Construction
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Great interface, don’t have to buy company’s software to use app
Android
Apple

NIOSH Safety Apps
Cost: Free
Developer: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Description: Multiple apps including the Sound Level Meter App and Ladder Safety App. These help workers make an informed decision about potential hazards in different job sites.
Sector: Safety
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Wide selection of free safety apps
Android
Apple

Pesticide Label Matcher (PLM)
Cost: Free
Developer: US EPA
Description: Identify potentially illegal or counterfeit products before purchase. App compares photos of label in question to federal databases.
Sector: Safety
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Difficult to scan labels, some labels weren't found
Android
Apple

Ping4
Cost: Free
Developer: Ping4 Inc.
Description: Issues location-based alerts to any smartphone. Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency used platform during Hurricane Sandy and Boston marathon bombing.
Sector: Safety
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Residents must download app to receive alerts, which limits effectiveness
Android
Apple

PlanGrid
Cost: Per user, various plans
Developer: PlanGrid Inc.
Description: Contractors, architects, and project owners collaborate by uploading blueprints, specs, photos, RFIs, and punchlists to cloud-based platform that instantly reflects proposed edits.
Sector: Construction
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Easy to edit blueprints and move between project files
Android
Apple

PunchLists
Cost: $9.99
Developer: Smartools LLC
Description: Combine photos and dictations from the field into a PDF note that can e-mailed to anyone on project team.
Sector: Construction
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Expensive for what the app does
Android
Apple

QR Reader
Cost: Free
Developer: CertainTeed
Description: Reads any barcode, regardless of manufacturer, that accesses websites, videos, and/or technical documentation.
Sector: Facilities
Rating: ⋆
Why: Scanning capabilities could be better
Android
Apple

RC Design
Cost: Free (lite version)
Developer: eStructural
Description: Design and analyze reinforced concrete columns, slabs, and corbels based on American Concrete Institute (ACI) 318-08 and 318M-08. Features include tabs for rectangular and circular short columns and two-way shear design that displays "Excess Shear Stress" diagram.
Sector: Construction
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Easy to check slab condition via photos and surveys
Apple

Response on the Go
Cost: Free
Developer: US EPA
Description: Consolidates information and tools used by water utilities and response partners during and after emergencies such as severe weather. Work with local incident command on one app, monitor damage reported by residents, access National Weather Service Warnings.
Sector: Safety
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Difficult to move between complaint files
Android
Apple

RoadBump
Cost: Free
Developer: Grimmer Software
Description: Developed with the National Center for Asphalt Technology and University of Arkansas civil engineering department, uses smartphone’s accelerometer and GPS sensors to assess asphalt, concrete, dirt, and gravel smoothness to within 7.5% of International Roughness Index (IRI). Based on quarter-car model for calculating IRI, accelerometer data is gathered at ~100Hz as input to differential equation that models vehicle’s suspension in real time. The model simulates vertical movement of a wheel on a spring (suspension) with a resisting damper (shock absorber). Spring-and-damper model parameters vary with speed, which allows roads to be evaluated at normal (varying) driving speeds. A user-specified constant allows results from different vehicles with different device placements to be brought into the same range. Speed and location information for mapping come from the device’s GPS capabilities, which are recorded about once per second. Paid version (RoadBump Pro; $99.99) imports data into Esri Arc GIS, saves data, and exports data to a PC.
Sector: Streets & Roads
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Hard to get correct assessments
Android
Apple

Surveyor
Cost: Free
Developer: mWater
Description: Designed for locations with substandard internet access, enables water and wastewater utilities to monitor physical sites (water points, sanitation facilities, health clinics, households, schools) and non-geographic targets (sensors, grants, projects).
Sector: Water
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Easy to use and doesn’t require much data
Android
Apple

Total Dynamic Head (TDH) Pump Calculator
Cost: Free
Developer: Rain for Rent
Description: Enter hydraulic parameters of a pumping system and get total dynamic head (TDH) based on Hazen-Williams equations.
Sector: Water
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆
Why: Difficult to input all specifications to get an accurate read
Android
Apple

US Public Lands
Cost: $2.99
Developer: Two Steps Beyond
Description: Provides boundaries between public and private property.
Sector: Facilities, Construction
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Very accurate in terms of determining exact location
Android
Apple

Water & Wastewater Coatings
Cost: Free
Developer: The Sherwin-Williams Co.
Description: Products for new construction and rehabilitation for more than 35 functional areas including conventional water treatment, membrane water/wastewater treatment, water storage, water conveyance, sewer collection, and wastewater treatment.
Sector: Water, Wastewater, Stormwater
Rating: ***
Why: Easy to use; recommendations include primer, intermediate coat, and topcoat;, appropriate dry film thickness for each; and system total mils.
Android
Apple
Winter Web App
Cost: $479 per year per municipality
Developer: Ontario Good Roads Association with Salt Institute and Ontario Road Salt Management Group
Description: After walking you through series of questions, platform compiles responses into ready-to-print document with language and content based on best winter-maintenance practices from across North America. Standardizing processes and procedures into one resource takes most users less than three days. Winner of Transportation Association of Canada’s 2014 Achievement Award. How to use the app.
Sector: Streets & Roads, Snow & Ice Control
Rating: ⋆⋆
Why: Great idea but hard to use
Android&Apple

Work Zone Safety
Cost: Free
Developer: Leidos LLC
Description: Developed by American Traffic Safety Services Association with Federal Highway Administration grant monies, enables road repair/maintenance crews to configure proper work zone layout and setup.
Sector: Streets & Roads, Work Zone Safety
Rating: ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆
Why: Tons of information, all useful
Android
Apple
E-mail Editor Stephanie Johnston at [email protected] with comments or apps we can add to this list.