Optimizing Utility Locator Applications

A GPR system is ideal for locating targets that are difficult to locate with pipe and cable locators and confirming that utilities are still in place.

A service outage will likely occur without the utility locating services. Utility locating services prevent property damage, pipe damage, injuries, and fines for service outages. It is the responsibility of the SUE professional to keep damage prevention a central goal of any project. A multi-method approach incorporating ground penetrating radar (GPR) is essential to prevent service outages. There is a much higher level of trust and quality in locations. GPR is also ideal for locating targets that are difficult for pipe and cable locators to locate and verify the existence of existing utilities.

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These items may cause delays and cost overruns, including abandoned utilities and subsurface anomalies such as sinkholes, voids, boulders, and rock ledges.

GPR: Using GPR in locating tools has obvious safety benefits, but many businesses are also discovering its favorable economics. In recent years, GPR systems have become increasingly affordable. They often pay for themselves within a few jobs regarding reduced damage costs and additional revenue from scanning services. Increasingly, many project stakeholders require GPR scanning as a pre-requisite on many projects, aware of the cost savings associated with quality utility location data.

There is a high risk of a service outage if contractors do not employ utility locators in subsurface utilities. Having utility locating services prevents property damage, pipe damage, injuries, and fines for service outages. Without utilities, there is a high risk of causing a service outage. A frequency goes through the underground utility's conductive material in active locating. There are various ways for the transmitter to connect to different utilities. Water pipes connect to the transmitter via risers, hydrants, or valves. Signals usually apply to cable systems such as electricity or telephone by connecting the cable to the grounding structure of the utility. A meter box, transformer, or ground wire can locate power lines. Ground cables in pedestals, utility holes, or interface boxes can scan to identify telephone and cable television systems.

In contrast to GPR, the composition of the ground has little effect on locating since the frequency goes through the conductive material. When used in less-than-ideal conditions, such as inside buildings or congested environments, EM locating is an excellent method for locating utilities. As active locating is usually more reliable than passive locating, utility locators often need help separating the different passive signals produced by various utilities.

The future of utility locating: Technological advances have been incredible in the last twenty years and are now convergent. With batteries and compactness technology advancing, drones are becoming a viable alternative for uncrewed aircraft. Thermographic and magnetic imagery from hundreds of feet above can detect subsurface voids, leaks, and utilities. Drones can also provide excellent images and documentation of building façades that were previously impossible to produce. It is also important to consider legislation when speculating about the future of utility locating and marking. A utility locator might become a legal mandate due to the massive damage and the severe safety risks of striking utilities. Specific excavation or construction processes may require SUE services to mitigate the damage. Electric and communication lines are commonly strung from towers and poles above, while water and sewer lines are underground. These lines may be undergrounded in the future to prevent damage.

The cloud is becoming an increasingly important part of our daily lives, which means databases will eventually become the primary source of utility data and location information. Data is currently siloed and hard to access between companies and areas. Utility location information could eventually be stored and collected by a centralized service. In most cases, private utility locators will acquire and manage this information using a shared database or individual methods. Facility owners and managers could benefit from these databases in perpetuity as they serve as valuable information stores. It is impossible to predict the future of utilities and underground utility locating, but technology will continue to advance, and methods will evolve.