SUMSF 2023: CUIR Presents the Minnesota Utilities Mapping Project
Steve Slusarenko, Director of CUIR (Canadian Underground Infrastructure Register) and Bob Basques, Technical Director of SharedGeo, presented the “Case for Canadian Underground Infrastructure Register” during their May 16, 2023, SUMSF 2023 livestream presentation called, “CUIR Presents the Minnesota Utilities Mapping Project.”
Slusarenko opened the presentation to introduce the initiative and discuss the development of a system that will allow utility owners to share information regarding the location of their facilities with those who need the information. He said although the state and provincial State One Calls have been instrumental in supporting today’s damage prevention capabilities, they know there is still more to be done. This need is the subject of the presentation.
The CUIR initiative was created in the autumn of 2021, as a Canadian initiative to bring awareness and reduce the risk and cost associated with working on and near buried infrastructure. The CUIR team is now made up of over 80 passionate individuals who aim to take the process of “One Call Damage Prevention” to another level.
In 2021, the Canadian Common Ground Alliance found underground infrastructure damage in Canada was about 1 billion Cdn. In October 2021, The Common Ground Alliance listed a GIS-based mapping system as an opportunity to slow the damage rate and said the following would happen if this system was put into place: improved locating efficiency, increased excavator safety, cost savings and reduced risks.
Basques then provided a demonstration of a working prototype, developed by Gopher State One Call. He introduced the “Minnesota Utilities Mapping Project,” and FuzionView (the product that will come out of this project). He also discussed a few case studies as well as the importance of the Minnesota Utilities Mapping Project. Basques discussed how FuzionView worked and its benefits.
A question and answer session followed the presentation. Watch the video above to find out more.
