Utility Damage Avoidance System

Traditionally underground utilities have been surveyed during installation or after they have been put in the ground. Whilst this has been widely accepted as the means for quality assurance and record keeping, it has failed in its ability to give absolute identification and accuracy.

Unfortunately, records get lost, contractors take short cuts, changes occur during construction and/or survey data is corrupted during pick-up and transfer (resulting in no survey information at all). The result is an absence of accurate ‘as-constructed’ information, which can lead to costly and far-reaching damage to critical infrastructure.

The important of accurate as-constructed information

To date, the systems we have universally adopted are Dial Before You Dig and surveys, but with so much inaccurate information and abandoned utilities, you still cannot be certain that utilities will not be damaged.

Very few companies, consortiums, government bodies, surveyors, civil contractors or multi-national builders keep an ongoing and up-to-date database of utility locations within the confines of their buildings or ‘owned assets’. Even where they do, it is often difficult to know how to obtain this information when it is required.

In the 2009-10 financial year, 1300Locate performed approximately 2100 utility locations. Approximately 1 in 3 (around 700) were inside property boundaries (commercial included), and of these 700, 558 had no information, 141 had limited information and not a single one had complete and accurate information.

The result of inaccurate as-constructed information

One of Australia’s largest telecommunications owners came to grief in 2008 when its main Fibre Optic route south of Brisbane was severed by a large excavator. The communications owner knew there was a direct laid fibre in the ground, they had their own (inaccurate) plans and had also consulted ‘Dial Before You Dig’. However, they did not have critical information on the depth, size and exact location of the utilities.

Had they had this information, it could have saved the company millions of dollars in lost business (for them and their customers), downtime for their network and insurance.

Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident, with most major utility companies having come to grief at some stage over the last decade.

Some alarming statistics from 1300Locate indicate that out of 100 locations performed at any given time:

• Approximately 40% have inaccurate plans
• Approximately 20% have undetectable utilities
• Approximately 38% have some form of discrepancy

1300Locate difference: Multi-service technology integration

1300Locate is passionate about the protection of our underground utilities and developing new and innovative ways to help maintain their integrity.

1300Locate has combined Radio Detection, (electronic locator which sends and receives frequencies), RfiD technology (radio frequency identification), Mobile Mapping (a GPS receiver for GIS data collection) and GIS (geographic information systems).

This powerful combination results in the ability to locate, programme, store and map in one process.

Utility Location Intelligence

By using the above integrated technology, 1300Locate can offer your business:

• The ability to know, at any given time, the exact location of your utilities
• The ability to extract and store critical utility information on-site and in-house
• An intelligent database with remote access for as-constructed drawings
• The ability to use accurate information for planning and designing

‘Location Intelligence’ is becoming increasingly popular as businesses discover the benefits of combining geographic and location-related data with other business data. This provides businesses with critical information and insights to allow better decision-making and optimisation of business processes.

Location intelligence tools traditionally leverage a variety of data sources including aerial maps, geographic information systems (GIS), consumer demographics as well as a user’s own customer records. 1300Locate has tailored this strategy to ensure accurate utilities location intelligence, thereby providing your business with progressive methodologies which can assist in saving considerable time and money.

The end result:

• Future planning and design around utilities will be more accurate
• Up to date and accurate utility data
• Massive cost saving on survey
• Automated, accurate and informative as-built drawings
• Field crews can access utility information on site
• Ability to positively ID and locate utilities quickly and accurately
• Quality Assurance, reduced inspection of contractors work
• Cost saving for maintenance contractor’s time on site
• Remote usage capabilities
• Damage avoidance and significant cost saving on damaged utilities

1300Locate can help your business to manage your underground utilities by improving your current system, installing and initiating a damage avoidance system (utility tracking), mapping your underground utilities and giving you identification of utilities out in the field without the use of survey or ground engaging tools.

Call 1300Locate now to discuss how we can assist you.

Years of Excellence

With years of industry experience and the most up to date equipment, our professional cable locators have a solid proven history of success in locating a wide variety of utilities. Although there are limitations to the ability of the current technology to detect all hidden utilities, 1300Locate can provide a professional, reliable service which offers you the assurance of:

• Industry experience
• Accreditations
• Professional indemnity and public liability insurance
• Referees
• The most up to date equipment
• Safe work practices and use of method statements
• Guarantees on the work we do
• Value for money