The Geospatial Commission has launched the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) – the digital map to support the installation and maintenance of sub-surface pipes and cables in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
It has made the minimum viable product, developed by design, engineering and project management consultancy Atkins, available with data from the public and private sectors on the three pilot regions of North-East England, Wales and London.
The map includes information from all major and some smaller energy and water providers, telecommunications companies, transport organisations and local authorities. It will initially be accessible to asset owners in the three regions who have singed the NUAR Data Distribution Agreement and agreed a Data Ingestion Specification – along with streetworks contractors working on their behalf.
It has been designed to reduce the economic cost of accidental damage to underground pipes and cables – previously estimated at £2.4 billion per year – by providing accurate information on their location.
The Geospatial Commission said the NUAR could deliver at least £350 million per year in economic growth.
Major milestone
Dr Steve Unger, independent commissioner at the Geospatial Commission, said: "This first release of NUAR is a major milestone in a programme that will benefit everyone.
“By using the power of location data to plan and deliver streetworks more effectively, it will improve the efficiency with which we supply essential services and it will minimise the disruption experienced by other road users.
“Many different asset types are buried beneath our feet, owned by many different organisations, large and small. We are delighted by the number of asset owners that have recognised the value of working with us to make the data that they hold more accessible.
“And this release is just the start. Whilst it contains data from over 70 organisations, we have already received data from over 100 more, and we are working with many more than that to progress their involvement in the programme.”
Viscount Camrose, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, commented: “The Government’s National Underground Asset Register will transform how the UK manages its buried infrastructure.
“This first step towards UK-wide access, starting in North-East England, Wales and London, has been achieved through strong collaboration between government and industry and the ingenuity of the programme team in the Geospatial Commission.”
Accidental strikes
The commission said there is estimated to be around four million kilometres of buried pipes and cables in the UK, with a hole dug every seven seconds for their installation or maintenance, of which one in every 65 results in an accidental strike.
There are more than 650 asset owners across the UK, and although they are required by law to share data to support safe digging, there is currently no standardised method of doing this.
The NUAR will provide a comprehensive platform for sharing the data and will be subject to iterative improvements based on feedback from users.
There are also plans to develop a sustainable operating model that include developing a charging framework for its use, the possibility of legislative reform and exploring the possibilities of a wider market.
