The Geospatial Commission has launched a discovery project to determine what benefits could be delivered by increasing access to the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) data.
The NUAR, an emerging digital map of underground pipes and cables, is initially being made available to underground asset owners and their supply chains to support their digging operations.
Richard Duffield, NUAR discovery project lead at the Geospatial Commission, said in a blogpost that the effort is part funded by the Government Office for Technology Transfer.
It comes after the commission has been approached by individuals and organisations interested in accessing the data for purposes beyond the ‘safe dig’ use.
Maximise value
“Many respondents suggested specific additional use cases, which could help maximise the value and benefit of the data held within NUAR,” Duffield said. “We have also been contacted by several data service providers, asking how they can support asset owners in ensuring NUAR data is used in as many excavations as possible.”
He added that the discovery work will take place over the next year, with a series of in-person workshops planned for the spring.
Among the possibilities he cited are to grant access to land owners and developers, and to support uses such as rolling out electric vehicle charge points, flood risk planning, conveyancing and emergency response.
The announcement has come soon after the Government laid out planned changes in legislation to support the operation of the NUAR. London recently became the first part of the country in which all utilities owners and local authorities were providing data to the register.
