What is Utility Mapping?
Underground Utility mapping is used to decide the area of utilities like pipework or wires covered underground. It\’s a crucial piece of the civil engineering process, reducing time and money on costly reparative work and delays caused by striking utilities. With an exact utility map, project organizers can precisely be planning the costs for work to be complete.
Nonetheless, the utility mapping service doesn\’t come without its difficulties. The precision of records and planning has truly posed issues for surveyors as mapping the area of covered-up objects is a task essential bound with an issue.
What technology has been used for utility mapping services?
In the course of recent years, the Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) sector has created methods of handling the difficulties related to finding and planning underground utility infrastructure. Geophysical technology is used alongside non-technical methods, for example, historical records to accumulate as much subsurface infrastructure data as possible.
The technologies involved are different, but the most common are:
Electromagnetic Induction (EMI)
An option in contrast to the more mainstream Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technique, EMI used an electrical flow provided by a transmitter to prompt a primary magnetic field. A receiver is set to the right frequency, and deflection of the magnetic field is recognized, locating subsurface utilities. EMI can be helpful in conditions where GPR would be obstructed by high-damp soil, however, it very well may be influenced by overlying metal objects.
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
GPR is a technique that use for utility mapping. It emits directional electromagnetic waves in the MHz and GHz frequency range and uses the signed return to recognize where subsurface utility infrastructure is found.
What are the advantages of utilizing GPR for utility planning?
GPR surveying technology is profoundly accurate, and it can locate both metallic and non-metallic utilities. Surveyor usually like to using GPR to do underground utility mapping surveys as it give benefit such as:
- Accurate Imaging
GPR gives exact pictures and, the capacity to analyze slices at different depths provides the depth and orientation of installed objects. Dual-technology systems, for example, the Conquest 100, that consolidate GPR and Power Cable Detection frameworks, go a step further and demonstrate which courses hold unsafe current carrying power lines. - Work process Integration
Service providers should fit flawlessly into the work process and project management of their clients, particularly on enormous projects. Indeed, they can gain a competitive advantage by offering approaches to reduce time and money from the processes of bigger projects. For instance, real-time assessment by off-site analysts of examined results can minimize the time between scanning and cutting, usually avoiding the requirement for a second site visit. - Non-Invasive
Evaluation and testing without costly and dangerous destructive testing are usually preferable. Indeed, even where costly destructive testing or coring is required, aiming it to where it is best can set aside time and cash. - Difficult Sites
GPR sensors are small and can be utilized in small spaces and any direction on floors, walls, and ceilings. GPR is applied from the uncovered surface and can discover features in slab-on-grade. It can even distinguish voids in the surrounding materials. Huge regions can be mapped efficiently by sending the GPR sensor on a cart or vehicle-towed platform. - Adaptability
GPR can be considered as flexible apparatuses in one and offers proprietors the chance of breaking into new businesses and activities. From checking in front of cutting or coring to exploring structural parts, providing due-diligence records, to assessing the crumbling of rebar, a decent GPR can do it all.
Although, GPR can at times be influenced by soil dampness, as well as oblique measurement. Utilizing GPR in the mix with additional technology, like radio detection, can give a more exact overall utility mapping survey result.
As a leading land surveyor in Malaysia GDS utilizes radio recognition and GPR to find and map underground utilities. Our utility mapping surveys service ensures total accuracy, and results are provided in CAD design. Talk to us today!
