Minimising Streetworks Disruption by Mapping the Underworld

The problems associated with inaccurate buried utility location are causing increased traffic congestion in cities worldwide, so are of concern to all stakeholders involved in utility service provision. Therefore, a small group of key UK stakeholder representatives have been attempting to raise awareness and, following significant industry lobbying and government acknowledgement of the research needs, academic funding was obtained through a novel UK system drawing together a highly multidisciplinary mix of participants. This identified a need for a multi-sensor location tool, improved mapping technologies, integration of existing and newly-derived data, and asset tagging, resulting in a research programme entitled Mapping the Underworld (MTU). This paper describes MTU and its belief that what is largely hidden as a result of its burial should not be forgotten when setting priorities for funding. It is also described as an important example of how a coherent research strategy can lead to an acceptable solution if it is not treated as a single, stand-alone project — as so many classically academic research projects are. It will conclude that an holistic approach is required to address the complex problem of utility location, which requires collaboration between disciplines, with other research projects and, most importantly, with the stakeholders intended to benefit from the research.