Tools
GE Smallworld
The utility system I used for Atmos service-line records.
GE Smallworld is a GIS built for utilities. Gas and electric companies use it to store the network. Mains, services, valves, meters, and the links between them.
It is not a general map you would use for a school project. The data model is about connected equipment. A service line is not just a stroke on a screen. It is tied to a main and to a meter. That link is the point of the system.
On the Atmos Energy work I did, Smallworld was the map of record for those features. When a service changed in the field, the question was whether the Smallworld feature could be updated to match the packet. If it could not, it waited.
People sometimes compare it to ArcGIS. Both can show a map and a table. Smallworld is more common inside big network companies. ArcGIS is more common across cities, smaller utilities, and general GIS teams. Some companies use both. One system holds the network. The other is used to review, print, or share a copy.
You will not find Smallworld on as many job posts as ArcGIS. When the employer is a gas or electric utility, it is worth asking if they use it. The screen looks different. The work is familiar if you already know how to read a feature and its attributes.
Learning Smallworld from a blog is not realistic. It is usually taught on the job because each company sets up its own model. What you can learn first is the habit. Find the feature. Read the status and the material. Compare that to the field paperwork. Then decide if an edit is allowed.