Published: 29 September 2005
Underground Assets
A new national underground assets group (NUAG) has been established to 'champion better coordination between utility companies, highway authorities and other interested parties'.
Its aim is to produce best practice guidelines for the collection, exchange, reuse and recording of information on underground assets, all of which is vital to improve the way work on underground assets is carried out - particularly where it involves street works.
The pipes, cables and other equipment buried beneath our roads provide the services essential to modern society and information on where these services are located is important to ensure the safety of workers who need to dig up the road to reach the assets, as well as the safety of the general public.
This information exchange will also enable work to be planned to help minimise disruption and inconvenience to road users and the community.
The group will build on the findings of previous trials, pilots & reports to define & advocate industry-wide standards and protocols for recording and exchanging information.
Each member of the group represents a key section of the industry - from utility companies and highway authorities, civil engineers and surveyors to the geographic information community and regulators. It is hoped that this mix of expertise will facilitate open dialogue across a broad spectrum of disciplines while promoting a collaborative approach.
The group consists of prominent figures from the following organisations:
Department for Transport (DfT),
National Joint Utilities Group (NJUG),
Highways Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC (UK),
Institution of Civil Engineers/Surveyors (ICE/ICES),
UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR),
Pipeline Industry Guild (PIG),
Ordnance Survey,
Association for Geographic Information (AGI),
County Surveyors Society (CSS) and
the National Street Works Highways Group (NSWHG)
One of the first items under discussion will be the use of the Digital National Framework (DNF) - a set of principles that create a basis for sharing data.
The aim of the DNF is to enable different sources of information, related to any given location, to be easily and reliably integrated & employed. Using geography as a common factor, it is intended that all those with an interest in services located underground will be able to work more safely and effectively together.
Ordnance Survey Director and ICE/ICES Buried Services Board member James Brayshaw, said:
"The adoption of a common framework for referencing all aspects of the national infrastructure is key to providing the right platform for the sharing of information between utilities, local and central government.
Having the capability to share information is fundamental to all engineering organisations involved in designing, building, maintaining and operating the infrastructure.
Combined with legislation such as the Traffic Management Act and pressure from the public for more coordination of road works, there is a greater need than ever before to manage infrastructure services effectively."
In anticipation of requirements flowing from the Traffic Management Act, building on the work currently being undertaken within industry and government the group will be working actively over the next year to develop common standards and identify new ways to exchange information effectively.
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