Classical asset management treats assets as points . A pump, a generator, a forklift — each is in a specific location, carries a specific serial number, and is maintained as a whole.
Linear structures are different. A pipeline, a railway, a power transmission line, or a highway stretches along its length , and its characteristics vary from section to section. One section of the same line is steel, another is polyethylene. One section is underground, another is on a bridge. One section was laid in 1998, another in 2019. Corrosion occurs at kilometer 52, not at kilometer 53.
In a linear entity, the question is not "how is this entity?" but "how are different parts of this entity?"
This difference isn't just a technical detail. It's precisely what determines where your maintenance budget goes, which parts need replacing and when, and where the team goes in the event of a breakdown.