Subsurface utility engineering by Advance Scanning Services

SUESUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING FOR LOCATION AND DAMAGE PREVENTION OF UNDERGROUND UTILITIES

SUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING• Understanding SUE • Why SUE is

important• Mechanics of SUE

UNDERSTANDING SUE

UNDERSTANDING SUE

Subsurface utility engineering is an engineering practice that encompasses the management of risks associated with many aspects of infrastructure project management such as ……

• Underground utility relocation

• Infrastructure planning and estimation

• 3d mapping of utilities for design

• Correct Identification and location of underground utilities

• Road and Highway upgrades

UNDERSTANDING SUE

Australian Standards of Practice

• AS 5488-2013

• Contents:

Definition of SUE

Quality Levels

WHY SUE IS IMPORTANT

WHY SUE IS IMPORTANT

Prevention of damage to existing subsurface utilities

• Power

• Water

• Gas

• Sewer

• Drainage

• Communications

• CCTV

• Data

• Fuel

WHY SUE IS IMPORTANT

We can not rely purely on One Call ( DBYD ) systems or GIS overlays to provide accurate location of underground utilities.

WHY SUE IS IMPORTANT

Risk management is the essence of SUE, by utilizing all aspects of SUE you are minimizing costly delays and potentially saving lives.

• The Risks

Project delays

Damage to critical utilities

Safety of the public

Environmental damage

Costly design errors

Insurance claims

Loss of reputation

Time / Budget penalties

MECHANICS OF SUE

MECHANICS OF SUE

Australia recently released AS5488-2013 which defines the quality levels of Subsurface Utility Engineering.

• Quality Level A

• Quality Level B

• Quality Level C

• Quality Level D

MECHANICS OF SUE

QUALITY LEVEL D (QL-D) IS THE LOWEST OF THE FOUR QUALITY LEVELS. THE ATTRIBUTE INFORMATION AND METADATA OF A SUBSURFACE UTILITY CAN BE COMPILED FROM ANY, OR A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING :• Existing records.

• Cursory site inspection.

• Anecdotal evidence.

• Utility owner.

• Indication of utility type.

• The date of installation.

• An indicative location of the surface and subsurface features.

• The date the data was captured

• The source of information

MECHANICS OF SUE

MECHANICS OF SUEQUALITY LEVEL C (QL-C) IS DESCRIBED AS A SURFACE FEATURE CORRELATION OR AN INTERPRETATION OF THE APPROXIMATE LOCATION AND ATTRIBUTES OF A SUBSURFACE UTILITY ASSET USING A COMBINATION OF EXISTING RECORDS AND A SITE SURVEY OF VISIBLE EVIDENCE.

• Full utilization of QL-D.

• An interpolation of the location and direction of the utility using surface features as points of reference.

• Feature codes of surface features, pits, access chambers, poles, valves and hydrants

• The location of surface features measured in terms of relative spatial positioning with a maximum horizontal tolerance of +-300mm

MECHANICS OF SUE

MECHANICS OF SUEQUALITY LEVEL B (QL-B) PROVIDES RELATIVE SUBSURFACE FEATURE LOCATION IN THREE DIMENSIONS. THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT FOR QUALITY LEVEL B IS RELATIVE SPATIAL POSITION.

• Full utilization of QL-D & QL-C

• The location of surface features measured in terms of relative spatial positioning with a maximum horizontal tolerance of +-300 mm and maximum vertical tolerance of +- 500mm.

• The locating method(s) used to obtain the attribute information

MECHANICS OF SUE

MECHANICS OF SUEQUALITY LEVEL A (QL-A) IS THE HIGHEST QUALITY LEVEL AND CONSISTS OF THE POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF THE ATTRIBUTE AND LOCATION OF A SUBSURFACE UTILITY AT A POINT TO AN ABSOLUTE SPATIAL POSITION IN THREE DIMENSIONS. IT IS THE ONLY QUALITY LEVEL THAT DEFINES A SUBSURFACE UTILITY IS “VALIDATED”

• Full utilization of QL-D, QL-C, QL-B.

• Utility type, status, material, size & configuration.

• The location of points surveyed on surface and subsurface features measured in terms of absolute spatial positioning with a maximum horizontal and vertical tolerance of +- 50mm.

• Survey control information used to determine the absolute spatial position of the utility.

• The survey and locating methods used to obtain the attribute information.

MECHANICS OF SUE

SUESUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING FOR LOCATION AND DAMAGE PREVENTION OF UNDERGROUND UTILITIES