CAD/GIS/GPS Utility Surveying | Underground Services, Inc.

What is Utility Mapping?

Utility mapping is a specialized process that identifies, positions, and documents underground utility infrastructure such as cables, pipes, gas lines and other conduits.

Detailed utility maps provide valuable data which can assist engineers and project managers in cost estimation, planning, design, and project execution ensuring the safe execution of work while minimizing conflicts and risks.

Importance of Utility mapping

Utility mapping is crucial in many construction and excavation projects to avoid damaging existing underground utilities, which may result in service disruptions, costly repairs, and potential safety hazards.

GIS and Survey Specialistics

SoftDig® is equipped with Total Station surveying equipment, handheld GPS, antennae, and desktop CAD/GIS software. Using this equipment, our GIS and Survey Specialists are capable of producing high quality utility maps. The antennae we connect to our GPS units allow us to produce shapefiles accurate to 5 cm post-processing.

Whether using traditional survey methods, or using GPS survey, the experts at SoftDig® are capable of providing the highest quality CAD/GIS deliverables. While we frequently use traditional survey methods to produce deliverables, our mapping grade GIS deliverables are growing in popularity. There is a small drop in accuracy between the two, but this allows us to provide utility mapping of large sites in much less time than necessary using traditional survey methods.

Precise GPS/GIS Services

The GPS/GIS services provided by SoftDig® are still produced with precision accuracy down to 5 cm, and it allows us to provide clients with an array of GIS products to our clients (e.g. maps, Google Earth compatible KMZ files, and geodatabases). The accuracy and variety are both important, because the work our clients do are often important to the improvement and development of social and economic climates on local to global scales. Setbacks on such projects can have major consequences, so the additional data allows our clients to proceed with their projects with confidence.

The eminently accurate CAD/GIS outputs produced by SoftDig®, attributed to the decisive work of our employees, is useful in many ways. These services SoftDig® produces have been used in property management, real estate, infrastructure improvement, and various other markets. We proudly provide these services in aid to clients’ decision making, conservation, and safety. SoftDig® is happy to be valued as experts in the utility locating field, and to be providing highly accurate deliverables to depict the adept work of our field analysts and technicians.

Benefits of Utility Mapping

Damage Prevention: By accurately locating, identifying and marking underground utilities before digging, utility mapping helps to prevent accidental strikes that can cause damage to utility lines, leading to expensive repair costs and potential fines.
Increased Safety: With the correct identification of utilities, workers can plan and execute their work more safely and significantly reduce the risk of accidents or injuries caused by any unexpected encounters with underground utilities.
Cost Saving: Knowing the exact location of utilities helps in estimating project costs more accurately by reducing unforeseen circumstances. Avoiding unnecessary repairs also reduces additional costs.
Efficient Planning: Utility maps provide crucial data for construction planning. It provides contractors and engineers with a comprehensive view of the underground infrastructure.
Time Saving: Utility mapping saves time and resources during construction or excavation. By knowing precisely where each utility line is located, companies can increase their efficiency and productivity.
Reduces Service Disruption: When utilities are disrupted due to accidental strikes, this often results in a loss of key services such as electricity, Internet, or water supply. Utility mapping can prevent such inconveniences.
Regulatory Compliance: Utility mapping may be a regulatory requirement in some regions before starting construction or excavation work.
Assists in Future Projects: Utility maps can serve as a valuable resource for future projects, providing a reference point and saving time during the pre-construction phase.

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FAQs

How is GIS used in utility mapping projects?

GIS utility mapping helps crews create detailed digital maps showing the type and location of underground utility lines. Sewers, electric cables, telephone cables, gas mains, and water mains are among the items that can be found during the operation.

What are the main advantages of using GIS for utility mapping?

With GIS, utility mapping is less expensive and more effective. It supports solid decision-making, project communication, better land-use management, and advanced geographic information archiving. By automating the data gathering process and creating a centralized system for efficient data storage and management, GIS improves utility field operations' efficiency while also improving the quality and accessibility of previously recorded data.

What types of applications benefit from GIS technology?

Geographic information systems help decrease damage and plan for the future. It is employed in managing forest fires, limiting the impact of natural disasters, optimizing natural resources, designing wastewater management, and remediating events such as oil spills.

Are CAD and GIS better than traditional surveying tools?

Unlike traditional surveying tools, these new tools provide a central location for data and analysis. While GIS has concentrated more on data management, geographical analysis, and visualization and less on the spatial accuracy of data, surveying has traditionally focused on precision. GIS uses common projections and global coordinate systems, where surveying frequently uses local or assumed coordinate systems.

What is the difference between CAD and GIS for mapping?

CAD is predominantly used in engineering and construction for designing and drafting. It focuses mostly on creating detailed designs of objects, structures or systems, such as buildings, products, or parts. CAD designs are especially known for their precision, detailing and use in design automation.

On the other hand, GIS is used for managing, analyzing, and visualizing geographical data to help in decision-making processes, predictive analysis and visual representation. GIS data is usually linked to specific geographical locations and can be layered to show different types of information.

What is the difference between GIS and GPS mapping?

GPS is a satellite navigation system that provides accurate location data anywhere on or near the earth. GIS is a tool for managing, analyzing, and displaying all types of geographical data.

In essence, while GPS provides the raw locational data, GIS takes that data and layers it with additional information to create a more complex and useful visual representation. For example, GPS might give you a certain location's coordinates, but GIS could show you how that location is a residential neighborhood, in a flood zone, and expected to have a certain population growth in the next ten years.

What can go wrong when utility maps are not used?

Overlooking utility maps in excavation can trigger major complications, such as accidental damage to buried utilities, resulting in disrupted services, safety risks, unexpected repair costs and project delays. Essentially, undertaking a project without a utility map is like navigating without a compass: true direction and planning are key to avoiding costly detours.

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