Underground Utility Detection and Utility Mapping Solutions

The modern city is a maze of streets and alleys, buildings and barriers. As complicated as cities are at first glance, however, the problem below ground could be a lot more confusing: power, telephone and fibre optic cables compete for space with water and gas mains, wastewater drains and sewer pipes. Complicating Home Surveys Brierfield , new utilities are constantly being installed and existing services relocated, with layers of utilities both in and out of use dating back as far as the 19th century.

For excavating contractors, encountering buried utilities during excavation can result, at best, in costly delays and financial or other penalties where services are disrupted; at worst, this scenario carries the risk of the injury to workers as well as death.

Before contractors commence excavation on a site, hence, it is vital that they remember to detect and locate all buried utilities apt to be affected by planned excavation or construction activities. In the first instance, this is more likely to involve contacting a "before you dig" service. These services collate information from utility companies concerning the location of buried utilities and pass these data on - usually for a fee - to excavating contractors.

While utility tracking services provide an essential first filter for contractors, they are not infallible: maps could be incomplete or inaccurate; utilities may have been added, removed or relocated without that information being passed on. For this reason, it is advisable for excavating contractors to engage the services of suitably qualified, experienced and equipped utility surveyors and a utility mapping service.

Using modern methods and technology such as electromagnetic detectors, radiodetection and ground penetrating radar systems (GPRS), it is possible to locate accurately an array of buried utilities including both metallic and non-metallic pipes and cables. These utilities can then be mapped utilizing a combination of traditional survey techniques, GPS and geographical information systems (GIS) software.