Since first writing about accelerating world wide initiatives to map underground utilities in 2014 there has been increasing acceleration in the U.S. in technology innovation and development.  Motivated by the escalating interest in underground infrastructure detection and mapping, the Common Ground Alliance has inaugurated an annual technology report focussed on subsurface engineering. Entitled Technology Advancements & Gaps in Underground Safety, the report includes an overview of existing underground technology representing a snapshot of damage prevention technology for 2017, new advances in technology and gaps that have been identified in the technology which represent opportunities for research and development. It incorporates the results of an ongoing survey of underground technology based on voluntary submissions by various stakeholders in the underground detection and mapping sector. Submissions can be new hardware or software or an innovative practice using technology. The report includes case studies, articles by groups and organizations working with a new technology.  The first report was released that this year’s CGA 811 Excavation Safety Conference in Phoenix.

The snapshot of current damage prevention technology provides comprehensive coverage of technologies for one call (call before you dig), locating technologies, GIS/GPS technologies, utility mapping, excavation technologies, imaging, mobile devices, pipeline data acquisition, technologies for increasing public awareness, data management and visualization, and project management. 

The new technology improvements would benefit many in the underground utility detection and mapping sector, but especially those in gas distribution and transmission, locators and excavators.

The gaps identified by the report offer a broad range of opportunities for technology development for locating, excavation, GPS/digital mapping/GIS, predictive analytics/risk assessment, mobile device/mobile data collection, ticket management and processing, education/training, and some intriguing ideas for technology innovation including applying Internet of Things (IoT) technology to enable intelligent shutoff, remote monitoring and damage detection, SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping), cross-bore prevention and identification, higher powered ground penetrating radar requiring FCC approval, multiple sensor technologies for facility inspection, protection, and monitoring and the use of drones for collecting data during construction work.