How to use Chainage

01Getting started

1. Open chainage.com.au in your browser. You don't need an account to find chainages.
2. Tap Find my chainage to use your location, or tap anywhere on the map.
3. To save points, photos and projects, create a free account (Starter plan). Confirm your email address from the message we send you.

On a phone, add Chainage to your home screen so it opens like an app. See Tips and shortcuts.

02Find a chainage

Tap or click the map

• On a computer, click anywhere and the result card opens on the left.
• On a phone, a single tap drops a pin and shows its chainage on the pin. To open the full details, tap the pin, double-tap, or press and hold on the map.
• Tapping the map keeps your current zoom. The map only moves if the pin would be hidden behind the card.

Use your GPS

Tap Find my chainage. Chainage zooms to you, shows your chainage on the button and keeps updating as you move. That's ideal for a passenger recording chainages during a drive-through inspection. If you pan the map, following pauses; tap the button to re-centre.

Search

Use the search bar at the top (press / on a keyboard). You can type:

• a road name, for example Bruce Highway or Gympie Road;
• a road section number, for example 10A or U14;
• coordinates in decimal (-27.4705, 153.0260) or degrees, minutes and seconds (27°28'13.8"S 153°01'33.6"E);
• or paste a Google Maps link shared from a phone, email or message.

Your recent searches and pins appear when you open search.

Go to a chainage on a road

With a result open, scroll to Find another chainage on this road. Enter a distance in kilometres or metres (switch with the km / m toggle) and tap Go, or jump to the Road start or Road end.

03Read the result

The result card shows everything Chainage knows about the point.

Values with a map-pin icon (traffic count, heavy vehicles, speed sign) can be tapped to show on the map where that figure comes from.

More information loads extra detail on request: the current speed limit from OpenStreetMap and heavy-vehicle route access from the NHVR.

Below that are the actions:

• Save chainage point
• Make a chainage range
• Street View
• Google Maps
• Google and Apple directions
• Copy coords
• Share

04Dropped pins and snapping

If you tap right on a Main Road, the pin snaps to the road and shows its chainage. Tap anywhere else and it stays exactly where you put it as a cyan dropped pin, for example a site compound, a driveway or a sign location off the road. A dotted line joins it to the nearest road, labelled with the distance, and the card shows that road's nearest chainage.

You can switch at any time with Snap to road or Use dropped pin on the card. Both kinds can be saved to a project.

05Map views, 3D and night mode

• Main Roads overlay: state-controlled roads glow orange. Zoomed in, they show chainage marks every 100 m, labelled every 500 m, and every 100 m when you're close. Turn the overlay on or off with the road button on the right-hand toolbar.
• Base map: choose OpenStreetMap (the default), Google Maps or Google Satellite from the map button on the toolbar.
• Day and night: the sun/moon button switches between a light map and a dark navy night map. On Google Maps, night mode uses Google's own dark map.
• 3D: tap 3D to tilt the map; buildings stand up when you're zoomed in. You can also tilt and turn by hand: two fingers on a phone, or right-click and drag (or Ctrl and drag) on a computer. The compass button puts north back at the top and flattens the map.
• Full screen: the corners button hides your browser's toolbars.

06Street View

Tap Street View on a result to see the location full screen. The chainage point is drawn in the scene, with a compass along the top showing which way you're facing and a readout of how far away the point is.

• Tap the pin to open its details card over Street View.
• Move the point: press and hold on the road (phone), or Ctrl + click (computer), to put the chainage point exactly where you're looking. The map and card update too.
• Back to the pin: if you walk far enough down the street that you've lost the pin, a Back to the pin button takes you back to the view facing it.
• Save point saves it straight into your project, and Google Maps opens the same view in Google.

07Share a location

Tap Share on a result to get a link that opens the map at that exact point, plus a QR code you can scan, print on a plan or Download as an image. On a phone, Share… sends the link through your usual apps. Nothing is saved when you share a location this way. To share saved work, see Share a project.

08Save points and ranges to projects

Projects keep your saved work together. Each project has phases (for example stages of work or shifts), and each phase has its own layers (for example Signs, Closures, Detours). Base layers show in every phase, which suits things that never change, such as site access.

Save a point

1. Find a chainage or drop a pin, then tap Save chainage point (or Save dropped pin).
2. Choose the project and layer, or create new ones right there.
3. Add a title, an optional map label that always shows on the map (for example SIGN A1), a marker shape and colour, and notes.
4. Tap Save point.

Save a range

A range is a stretch of road between two chainages, such as a lane closure or work zone, drawn along the road itself. On a result, tap Make a chainage range. Then tap the end of the range on the same road, or type the end chainage, pick a colour and line style, and save.

Work with saved items

Tap an item on the map or in the project panel to open its card. From there you can:

• edit its details;
• move it or change its chainage;
• add photos straight from your camera;
• add links;
• open it in Street View.

The current project

The project you're working in shows in the Project / Phase / Layer box (top right on a computer, under the logo on a phone). New points go into the layer selected there. To use the map without a project, tap the ✕ on that box or choose Close this project from your account menu. Open it again any time from Projects.

09The project hub

Projects home (in your account menu, top right) lists every project you can open:

• your own projects, in folders you create;
• company projects;
• Shared with me.

Search by name, or type #tag to filter by tag.

Opening a project shows its hub:

• Overview: client, job or reference number, status, dates, location, notes, and recent activity. Tap Open map to work on the map.
• Files: drag in PDFs, drawings, spreadsheets and documents (up to 500 MB each) so the current TGS or TMP is always with the job.
• Activity: who added, edited, moved or deleted what, and when.
• Access & sharing: the people who can open the project, and its share links.
• Settings: export to GeoJSON (for GIS) or CSV (for spreadsheets), move the project into a company, or delete it.

10Share a project

Share links

From Access & sharing, create a link that opens a read-only view of the project. For each link you choose:

• which phases and layers it shows;
• an optional password;
• an optional expiry date;
• whether viewers see notes and photos, can download full-size photos, and can see project files.

Change the settings or revoke a link at any time. Changing its password signs out everyone who had unlocked it.

Invite people

Add someone by email as a viewer of one project (always free), or as a member of your company with a role. People you share with never need a paid plan just to view.

11Companies and teams

A company workspace (Business or Government plan) lets a team share projects, folders and pooled storage, with each person's access set by their role.

• Create a company: open Teams & companies from your account menu, choose a plan and the number of seats, and pay by card. You become its owner.
• Invite members: enter their email address and choose a role. The invitation arrives by email.
• Roles: Owner, Admin, Accounts, Project manager, Editor, Contributor and Viewer are built in, and you can add your own. Each role has a list of permissions you can switch on or off, for example creating projects, deleting items, creating share links, creating links without a password, managing billing and exporting.
• Seats: roles that can change things use a paid seat; view-only roles are free.
• Many companies, one login: one person can belong to several companies, and each company pays for its own seats.
• Settings: the owner or an admin can rename the company (pencil next to its name), and the owner can transfer ownership. Government companies can require passwords and expiry dates on every share link.

12Plans and billing

Need more space? Add storage packs of 50 GB for $19 per month. Manage your plan from Plan & billing in the account menu: upgrade, change seats or packs, update your card and download tax invoices. Cancel any time; you keep your plan until the end of the period you've paid for. Full details are on the pricing page.

13Tips and shortcuts

• Install on iPhone: in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.
• Install on Android: in Chrome, open the ⋮ menu, then Install app (or Add to Home screen).
• Keyboard: / jumps to search and Esc closes whatever is on top. In Street View, Ctrl + click moves the chainage point.
• Copy fast: the copy icon next to the chainage copies it; Copy coords copies the latitude and longitude.
• Found an unexpected result? Check whether the pin snapped to the road you meant. At interchanges and dual carriageways, zoom in and tap directly on the carriageway you want.

14Glossary

15Frequently asked questions

16Help and support

Questions, feedback or a chainage that doesn't look right? Email support@tekswipe.com.au and include a share link to the location if you can. Companies on the Government plan get priority support.