Key terms used throughout Civic.ly. If you come across an unfamiliar word in the app or in these guides, check here first.

A

AGAR (Annual Governance and Accountability Return) A yearly financial report that parish and town councils in England must submit. Civic.ly lets you flag which assets appear on your AGAR asset register.

Area A type of asset that represents a boundary on the map, for example a park, playground, cemetery, or building footprint. Areas are drawn as polygons (shapes) on the map. Individual assets like benches and bins sit inside areas. You should map your areas before adding individual assets.

Asset Anything your council owns, maintains, or is responsible for. This includes physical items (benches, bins, play equipment, signs) as well as areas (parks, playing fields, buildings). Every asset has a location on the map and a record in your asset register.

Asset register The complete list of all your council's assets in Civic.ly. You can view it as a table, a grid of photos, or on the map. It replaces spreadsheets and paper lists.

Asset type The specific classification of an asset, for example "Slide", "Bench", or "Litter Bin". Civic.ly has over 700 asset types organised into categories and sub-categories. When you photograph an asset, AI suggests the correct type automatically.

Auto-detect assets An AI feature that analyses photos you upload and automatically identifies the asset type, description, and condition. It also maps the asset using the photo's GPS location.

C

Category (main category) The top-level grouping for assets. There are six: Infrastructure and Amenities, Land and Property, Equipment and Machinery, Natural Resources, Records and Information, and Cultural and Historical Assets.

Check The quick, graded level of checklist: a handful of questions written for that type of asset, each answered with a condition rating that names the fault (for example Swing Check, Fire Extinguisher Check, Van Check). Suits a weekly or pre-use look. Compare Sweep.

Checklist A structured list of items to check during an inspection. Civic.ly provides pre-built checklists matched to your asset types automatically. They come in three levels: the Simple Checklist, a Check, and a Sweep (called an Operational Check for play equipment). A checklist is optional: an inspection can also be marked simply passed or failed.

Condition A rating that describes the current state of an asset: New, Good, Fair, or Poor. You set this when adding an asset and update it after inspections.

Contractor An external person or company hired by the council for specialist work. Contractors can be given access to Civic.ly to see their assigned jobs, complete tasks, and report back without seeing your full asset register.

Councillor An elected member of the council. Councillors can log in to Civic.ly to view the dashboard, review asset condition, and check that maintenance is on track, providing oversight without needing to get into the day-to-day detail.

D

Dashboard The home screen of the Civic.ly web app. It shows a summary of your assets: totals by status, value breakdowns, category charts, insurance figures, and condition ratings.

Defect A specific problem found with an asset, for example a broken swing chain or graffiti on a bench. Defects are usually raised during an inspection when a checklist item fails. When a checklist answer fails, the app offers to raise one with the title pre-filled, and you choose whether to create it. They track what is wrong, where, and whether it has been resolved. Defects are different from jobs (see below).

G

Grounds and facilities staff The managers and team members responsible for maintaining your council's assets and spaces. They primarily use the mobile app in the field to complete inspections, report defects, and photograph new assets. Managers can also use the web app to plan schedules and review work.

I

Inspection A formal check of an asset using a checklist. Inspections record what was checked, what passed or failed, and any defects found. They create an audit trail for compliance and insurance purposes.

J

Job A piece of planned maintenance or work, for example "Repaint the railings" or "Replace broken gate hinge". Jobs are assigned to people, have due dates, and are tracked to completion. Jobs are different from defects: a defect is a problem found; a job is work to be done (which may or may not relate to a defect).

L

Location tag An automatically assigned label that tells you where an asset is. If the asset sits inside a mapped area (like "Memorial Park"), the area name is used. Otherwise, Civic.ly falls back to the nearest street name.

M

Main category See Category.

Map The interactive map in Civic.ly where you can see all your assets and areas plotted geographically. It supports street maps, satellite imagery, and Ordnance Survey layers. You can filter, search, and edit asset locations directly on the map.

Mobile app The Civic.ly app for iOS and Android, used by grounds and facilities staff, contractors, and volunteers in the field. It shows your task list, lets you complete inspections, raise defects, and photograph assets. Available from the App Store and Google Play.

N

Negative reporting A way of working where a checklist is attached to an inspection but only filled in when something is wrong. On the mobile app, swipe right passes the task in one gesture; swipe left marks it failed and opens the checklist so you can record what failed.

O

Office staff Clerks, administrators, and office managers who use the Civic.ly web app to manage the asset register, set up schedules, review inspection results, and run reports. You do not need to be technical: the interface is designed to be simple and clear.

Operational Check The itemised level of checklist for play equipment: one question per component (fixings, bearings, chains, foundations, surfacing depth and so on), answered OK, N/A or a named fault. Matches the operational inspection in BS EN 1176-7, with a recommended quarterly cadence. For example Operational Swing Check.

R

Routine A group of inspections and/or jobs bundled together into a logical sequence, like a weekly round. For example, a "Monday morning play inspection" routine might include inspections of three playgrounds in order. Routines can be scheduled to recur, just like individual tasks.

S

Scheduling Setting tasks (inspections, jobs, or routines) to happen on a recurring basis: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or at custom intervals. You can also schedule tasks for specific days or seasonally (between two dates each year).

Simple Checklist Four broad questions (condition, cleanliness, functionality, safety) available on almost every asset type. The lightest checklist level, and the same on every asset, so results compare across the estate.

Status (asset) Whether an asset is Active (in use and being maintained), Inactive (no longer in use), or Draft (being set up, not yet confirmed).

Status (task) Whether an inspection, job, or defect is open, in progress, or completed.

Sub-category The second level of asset grouping, sitting below the main category. Examples include Play Equipment, Buildings, Street Furniture, Paths, and Sports Facilities. There are 46 sub-categories in total.

Sweep The thorough, itemised level of checklist: one question per part or item, in walk-round order, answered OK, N/A or a named fault. Some sweeps cover a single asset (Van Sweep, Tree Sweep); others cover a whole place in one task, such as the Park Sweep, Building Sweep or Room Sweep on a drawn area. Compare Check.

Volunteer A community volunteer who helps maintain local spaces. Volunteers can be given access to Civic.ly to log their work and report issues, keeping everything in one system alongside council staff.

W

Web app The Civic.ly application accessed through a web browser on a computer or tablet. It provides the full dashboard, asset register, map, and all management features. Best for office-based work like reviewing assets, running reports, and managing schedules.

What3Words address A location reference that divides the world into 3m × 3m squares, each with a unique three-word address. Civic.ly records the What3Words address for every asset, making it easy to find exact locations in the field.