Technology Hub Prevents Damage to Underground Utility Lines
The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a national trade association dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and people who dig near them, has recently launched a new Technology Hub. This exciting new platform is designed to give construction professionals in the utility, road work, and road paving industries access to all damage prevention technology case studies.
The creation of the Technology Hub is the result of a collaboration between CGA and its member companies. Together, they recognized the need for a centralized platform that could provide construction professionals with access to the latest information on damage prevention technologies. The Technology Hub is the answer to that need.
The Technology Hub is a searchable database that allows users to filter case studies by stakeholder group and technology type. This powerful tool provides a wealth of information for construction professionals who are looking for the latest and most effective ways to prevent damage to underground utility lines.
The Technology Hub is a valuable resource for construction professionals in the utility, road work, and road paving industries. It provides access to case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of different damage prevention technologies in real-world scenarios. By using the search filters, users can quickly and easily find case studies that are relevant to their specific needs.
Technology Hub provides construction professionals with access to all damage prevention technology case studies. This powerful new platform classifies this information into seven categories to help users find what they need quickly and easily.
The Encroachment category focuses on detecting when and where excavation activity is getting close to buried lines. This category includes a range of technologies such as geofencing, thermal imaging, and vacuum excavation. These technologies help prevent damage to buried lines during excavation activities.
The Facility Installation category focuses on reducing the chance of damage to other buried utilities during installation or making new facilities locatable. Examples of technologies in this category include slot trenching, RFID tags, marker balls, and coated/embedded tracer wire in plastic pipes.
The Locating category includes technologies, equipment, and techniques for accurately locating buried utilities. This category includes electromagnetic, RFID, GPR, and Sondes. These technologies help prevent damage to buried utilities during excavation activities.
The Mapping category focuses on increasing accuracy, and accessibility, and reducing the cost and time to complete mapping activities. Examples of technologies in this category include LIDAR, RTK, GNSS, and SLAM. These technologies help prevent damage to buried utilities by providing accurate mapping data.
The Pipeline Integrity category focuses on maintaining pipeline integrity, including the detection and mitigation of cross-bores. Cross bores occur when one utility line intersects with another. This category includes a range of technologies to prevent and detect cross-bores, including CCTV inspections and robotic inspection systems.
The Positioning category incorporates GPS/GNSS satellites to identify the position of buried lines and other items such as excavation equipment, locating devices, persons, vehicles, etc. This category includes a range of technologies such as GPS/GNSS devices, laser range finders, and electronic distance measurement (EDM) devices.
The Software category focuses on incorporating software to enable the digital collection, storage, and sharing of data. This category includes a range of technologies such as artificial intelligence, risk assessments, electronic white-lining, data collection, and enhanced positive response. These technologies help prevent damage to buried utilities by providing better data management and analysis.
For instance, a road paving company might be interested in case studies that focus on technologies that prevent damage to gas lines during road construction. By using the search filters, they can quickly find case studies that provide information on the most effective technologies for preventing damage to gas lines. Some examples of these technologies include geo-fencing, thermal imaging, and vacuum excavation.
Similarly, a utility company might be interested in case studies that focus on technologies that prevent damage to underground electrical lines during excavation. By using the search filters, they can quickly find case studies that provide information on the most effective technologies for preventing damage to electrical lines. Some examples of these technologies include electromagnetic locators, radio-frequency identification (RFID), and ground-penetrating radar (GPR).
Make no mistake, the Technology Hub is a powerful tool for construction professionals in the utility, road work, and road paving industries. It provides access to a wealth of information on damage prevention technologies and allows users to filter case studies by stakeholder group and technology type. By using this valuable resource, construction professionals can stay up-to-date on the latest and most effective ways to prevent damage to underground utility lines. With the Technology Hub, CGA is helping to promote safe digging practices and protect underground infrastructure.
POSTED: February 21, 2023