An underground asset mapping register developed by Northumbrian Water is set to roll out across the country after receiving ministerial backing.
The project was created at Northumbrian’s Innovation Festival in 2018 and developed into a register of pipes, cables and other underground assets from pan utilities brought together in a digital map.
Minister of State Lord True said the UK Geospatial Commissions’ National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) will form a central part of the government’s strategy.
Since 2018 the project has grown with input from Ordnance Survey, Mobileye and 1Spatial to map electricity and phone cables, water and gas pipes.
The map aims to reduce injuries to workers and minimise disruption caused by striking a buried wire or pipe.
The project was piloted over the past year across the north east to evaluate feasibility of nationwide roll out. Workers can see underground assets on smart phones, laptops and tablets for an area they are working before they begin digging.
The geospatial committee has so far completed two regional pilots for the NUAR and negotiated a £1 billion investment in public sector geospatial data. Its next steps include improving access to the data for more sectors and assessing how the data can be used to support environmental outcomes, as well as preparing for national roll out.
Clive Surman-Wells, Northumbrian’s innovation partnerships manager, said: “When workers strike pipes and cables, it risks lives and causes havoc for residents and road-users. The NUAR will help to improve safety for workers, the efficiency of planning jobs, reduce carbon emissions and most importantly, benefit our customers.
“We’ve continued to work on improving the data that we collect on our underground pipes which feeds into the NUAR, to help make the world a safer place.”