Utility Survey

About our Utility Surveys

Utility Survey Services across Newcastle & the UK

Underground infrastructure surveys are increasingly used during the project design stage so that appropriate measures are taken to avoid service conflicts and quantify the scope of any service re–alignment works.

We employ the techniques of Radio Detection and Ground Penetrating Radar to locate utilities. The depth of investigation will depend on the conditions of the site. In general, Radio Detection and ground penetrating radar techniques will detect services up to 3 meters below the ground services.

Radio detection and ground penetrating radar techniques are also used to confirm and complement existing as–built drawings and other records prior to development and excavation operations.

Radio detection techniques are unable to detect non-metallic buried services including plastic water and gas pipes and clay drainage pipes. To overcome this potentially hazardous sitution, we often combine the use of Radiodetection with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). GPR is able to detect non metallic as well a metallic pipes. It will also give an indication of the location and depth of buried services but will not identify them.

British Standards Institution PAS 128, Specification for underground utility detection, verification and location is the new publicly available specification document which allows the utility survey industry to deliver its services to a recognised level of accuracy.

Typically Spatial Geomatics and the client will have a discussion/meeting to discuss the appropriate PAS 128 Survey Category Type (D to A) and the particular Survey Methodologies to be used. Each project is different and there are many combinations and factors that may need to be discussed. We will advise the client on the best and most appropriate methods based on the information given.

Post survey, a discussion and/or meeting takes place so that we can explain to the client the accuracies achieved and any limiting factors. At this point it may be appropriate to suggest other methods of survey to achieve greater levels of accuracy in areas of concern/strategic project importance.