The InfraTracker Standard

Capital projects are reported in a hundred formats across funders, governments and contractors. InfraTracker standardizes them into one open vocabulary so that the cost, schedule, funding and status of any project on earth can be compared like for like. This page is the published reference for that vocabulary — version 1, 2026-08-16.

The provenance rule

Every value on this platform is a fact: a data point that carries the source document it came from, when it was retrieved, and when it was standardized. A fact without a source cannot exist — the constraint is enforced by the database, not by policy. Facts are never edited in place: a newer fact supersedes an older one, and the full history stays auditable. Values marked derived (cost overrun, schedule delay) are computed from the fact history at display time and are never stored, because no source could be cited for them. Unknown values are shown as unknown, never estimated.

Identity

identity.official_name

Official nametextcore

The project name as used by its owner or primary funder.

identity.aka

Also known astext

Common alternative names, acronyms, or local names.

identity.description

Descriptiontextcore

One-paragraph plain-language summary of scope and purpose.

identity.country_code

Countrytextcore

ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code of the primary host country.

identity.admin_region

Region / statetext

First-level administrative area (state, province, region).

identity.sector

Sectorenumcore

Top-level sector classification.

transport · energy · water · digital · industrial · social · urban

identity.subsector

Subsectorenum

Sector-specific type (e.g. bridge, data_center, hydro). See taxonomy.

Physical

physical.length_km

Lengthnumberkm

End-to-end length for linear assets (roads, rail, lines, pipelines).

physical.capacity_mw

Capacity (power)numberMW

Nameplate capacity for energy assets; IT load for data centers.

physical.capacity_daily

Capacity (throughput)number

Daily throughput with unit on the fact (passengers/day, m³/day, TEU/year).

physical.area_hectares

Site areanumberha

Total site or built area in hectares.

physical.floor_area_sqm

Floor areanumberm²

Gross floor area for buildings.

Cost

cost.estimate_original

Original cost estimatemoney

The first publicly stated total cost, in the currency of announcement.

cost.estimate_current

Current cost estimatemoneycore

The most recent total cost estimate. The headline number on every dossier.

cost.committed

Committed fundingmoney

Total funding formally committed to date.

cost.spent_to_date

Spent to datemoney

Cumulative expenditure as of the fact date.

cost.unit_cost

Unit costmoney

Cost per primary physical unit (per km, per MW) when published by the source — never computed by us.

cost.overrun_pct

Cost overrunnumber%derived — never stored

Derived: (current estimate − original estimate) / original estimate. Computed from facts, never stored.

Schedule

schedule.announced

Announceddate

Date the project was first publicly announced.

schedule.approved

Approveddate

Date of formal approval / financial close / final investment decision.

schedule.construction_start

Construction startdatecore

Date principal construction began (groundbreaking).

schedule.expected_completion

Expected completiondatecore

Currently expected completion or commissioning date.

schedule.actual_completion

Actual completiondate

Date the asset entered service.

schedule.delay_months

Schedule delaynumbermonthsderived — never stored

Derived from expected-completion history. Computed from facts, never stored.

Status

status.phase

Phaseenumcore

Lifecycle phase: proposed → planned → procurement → construction → commissioning → operational (or stalled / cancelled).

proposed · planned · procurement · construction · commissioning · operational · stalled · cancelled

status.completion_pct

Completionnumber%

Physical completion percentage as stated by the source.

Funding (repeating group)

funding.sources[].name

Funding sourcetextcore

Name of the funder (institution, government, company).

funding.sources[].type

Funder typeenum

Category of funder.

national_government · subnational_government · multilateral · bilateral · private · ppp

funding.sources[].instrument

Instrumentenum

Funding instrument (loan, grant, equity, bond, guarantee, budget allocation).

loan · grant · equity · bond · guarantee · budget_allocation

funding.sources[].amount

Amountmoney

Amount from this source, in its original currency.

Parties

parties.owner

Ownertextcore

The entity that owns the asset (ministry, agency, authority, company).

parties.sponsor

Sponsor / developertext

The entity driving delivery when distinct from the owner.

parties.contractor_main

Main contractortext

Lead construction contractor or consortium.

parties.engineer

Engineer / designertext

Lead design or supervising engineering firm.

parties.operator

Operatortext

The entity operating the completed asset.

parties.participants[].name

Participanttext

An organization involved in delivering the project (consortium member, engineer, architect, operator...).

parties.participants[].role

Participant roletext

That organization’s role, as stated by the source (e.g. "design engineer", "P3 consortium member").

Taxonomies

Lifecycle phases

proposed → planned → procurement → construction → commissioning → operational → stalled → cancelled

Funding

types: national_government · subnational_government · multilateral · bilateral · private · ppp

instruments: loan · grant · equity · bond · guarantee · budget_allocation

Sectors

transport — road · highway · bridge · tunnel · rail · transit · port · airport

energy — solar · wind · hydro · nuclear · thermal · geothermal · transmission · storage

water — supply · treatment · dam · irrigation · desalination

digital — data_center · fiber · telecom · cable_landing

industrial — factory · gigafactory · refinery · chemical · steel · mining

social — hospital · school · university · housing · civic

urban — mixed_use · stadium · park · redevelopment

Conventions

Monetary facts keep their original currency; a USD normalization is stored alongside, dated to the fact's as-of date. The source's number is never erased.
Units are fixed per field key — sources reporting miles are converted to km at standardization, never stored raw under a _km key.
Repeating groups use index notation: funding.sources[0].amount, funding.sources[1].amount, …
Dossier data-completeness is the share of the 10 core fields carrying at least one current sourced fact.