The proposed London Trial
Chris Overton
10th Annual Road2000 Event Tuesday 17 November 2009
National Underground Assets Group
The National Underground Assets
Group (NUAG)
Formed in 2005 to act as a point of focus and single voice for everyone involved with underground assets
A total length of over 4 million km…and growing daily!
Underground assets are the UK’s veins and arteries
CommunicationsGasOil/PetroleumSewerageRoad drainagePower
SteamWaterDistrict heatingStreet lightingTraffic controlCCTV
Assets can be found anywhere:
…and away from the street
both under the street …
… and “Plans or other suitable information about all buried services in the area should be obtained before excavation work starts… “ (HSG47)
Around 4 million works are carried out in the street each year PLUS up to another 1 million works away from the street …
That’s where the problems can start!
• Records of underground assets may be incomplete and inconsistent
• There is no standard approach to sharing records
• Current locating technologies are not 100% effective
All of which can lead to • Extended job times• Abortive and unnecessary work• Damage to third party assets, estimated at £150
million per year (2005)• Risk to safety of workers and to the public
Resulting in• Societal costs, including costs of delays to road users, disruption to business, environmental damage and safety costs, which total an estimated £5.5 billion per year (2005)• Consequential loss of supply or service• Damage to brand image and reputation
All information on underground assets, and associated above ground assets, will be shared between stakeholders in a consistent way, on demand
The NUAG Vision
NUAG has published three reports, each based on extensive stakeholder involvement, setting out what is needed to help achieve the Vision. These are available at www.nuag.co.uk
NUAG Reports
September 2006: A review of current practice and future requirements, including recommended minimum Performance Standards
July 2007: A national approach for capturing, recording and sharing information, including data definitions and standards
August 2008: User Requirements for a web-based information sharing service
Web-based information sharing serviceA multi-stage approach
• Stage 1: short-term
• Stage 2 : medium-term
• Stage 3 : long-term
Stage 1
WEB SERVICE
User submits enquiry
Service returns contact details
OwnerOwnerOwnerOwnerOwner
User contacts Owners
Each Owner returns information
Stage 2
OwnerOwnerOwnerOwnerOwner
Each Owner returns information
WEB SERVICE
User submits enquiry
Service contacts Owners
Stage 3
User submits enquiry
WEB SERVICE
Service harvests data
Service returns single packet of integrated information
Owner systems
Implementing the service
• Engagement with Government through BIS
• Regional trial before UK-wide implementation
• Stakeholder support and commitment
• Start date October 2010
Involvement and Support
• Participation in the Trial:– As Users– As Owners: provide geographic area and
contact details
• Participation in the Trial User Group
In summary, NUAG has…
– Brought together, for the first time, Industry and Government stakeholders
– Facilitated agreement of common goals– Created a strategic framework of proposals
to address an age-old problem– Developed an opportunity for effective UK
solutions to the problem
2005
2008
Potential Benefits
• More ‘right first time’:– More effective and efficient planning, co-
ordination and execution of works– Less dry holes and abortive/unnecessary
works
• Reduced disruption to road network• Less risk• Lower costs