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专家洞察力

The labyrinth of pipelines and utilities buried under modern cities pose a significant risk to projects. In 2018, workersreportedmore than 330,000 underground utilities strikes in the United States and more than 11,000 in Canada. That was an increase of about 13.5% since 2015, numbers show.

On average, there is a utility strike somewhere in North America every 10 seconds, but it’s a problem that doesn’t have to exist, and there is a clear solution. In eliminating the threat, organizations can save money — not to mention headaches or even the potential for loss of human life.来自The Civil Quarterly (TCQ),a new publication launched in July 2020 from Dodge Data & Analytics,揭示contractors in heavy construction are facing supply chain issues and other challenges in keeping their jobsites going amid COVID-19.

但是，更深入地进行挖掘，该全新数据还显示，与该研究联系的承包商中有63％正在使用或考虑使用实用程序检测工具。惊人的三分之二的承包商在整体上分享了安全投资的新优先级，包括公用事业检测。

According对于一项有些过时的普渡大学研究，该研究仍然是该行业中最常见的研究，公司可以为实用程序检测所花费的每一美元节省4.62美元。其他估计表明，每花费每一美元的成本节省可能更大，可能达到18美元。Regardless, the savings can total billions of dollars every year. Shutting down a project because of a utility strike can easily cost companies $2,000 or more per hour, a significant impact on the bottom line of any company or project.

Options to detect

许多实用程序strikes result from excavation mistakes. Others are made because crews didn’t report they were digging or because of errors in reporting underground utilities’ existence. There are two primary technologies to help crews detect underground utilities: electromagnetic locators and ground-penetrating radar.
These technologies work differently, so one is not necessarily superior. Electromagnetic locators effectively locate metal or metallicized utilities, while ground-penetrating radar can help find other buried items, such as plastic pipes. Remaining vigilant while excavating a jobsite remains of paramount importance as neither tool is guaranteed to find everything, particularly items found buried deeper than 15 feet. But, working in tandem, these tools capture the overwhelming majority of buried utilities.

A Growing Field

超级地下实用工程领域随着成熟的成熟而继续发展。随着项目越来越复杂，预算收紧，使错误变得更加昂贵，因此它有望实现重大的增长。
公用事业检测领域内有三个新兴部分：公用事业公司，专业检测公司和建筑公司，他们自己采取了自己的支持。现在，有新的（易于使用的工具）简化了整个行业的公用事业检测。
Today, 40% of contractors use utility detection tools, while another 23% use or consider the technology, according to TCQ.

Be wary of free

There are free options for detecting underground utilities. While these are tempting, it’s important to remember the old adage, “you get what you pay for.”

An estimated 65% of the buried utility lines in North America are deemed private, so many buried utilities aren’t fully verified. Considering utility owners aren’t necessarily required to participate in nonprofit programs — such as the Common Ground Alliance’s811程序— that help companies locate underground utilities before they dig, and there is a potential recipe for disaster.

从理论上讲，资产所有者知道其地下公用事业的埋葬地点，但免费服务通常不准确地标记了这些位置。对于房主来说，收到错误的标记是一回事，这对于一个重要的商业项目上的不良标记来说是另一回事，在一个重要的商业项目上，数百万美元（甚至数十个生命）受到威胁。

It's not just marking utilities; it's about saving time

Mapping utilities used to be a time-consuming affair, as crews would have to download data from a detecting device, upload it to another system and then cross-reference the data to make sure where they planned to dig is safe.

It’s no problem for teams with days to spare, but today, it’s about getting the information in real-time to keep crews active and working safely and efficiently.

Modern solutions have changed the approach, making it easier for companies of all sizes to understand what lies beneath their project and keep everyone on their team in the loop. They can also be deployed by small teams or single team members, making these solutions well-suited for the new social distancing requirements amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the easy-to-use and advanced implementation of these solutions, they can also be deployed without hiring additional team members or undergoing extensive training.

But, detecting utilities is just the first step in the process.Tools employ smart algorithms to create digital utility maps in minutes, displaying detected results while users are still in the field, allowing project managers to make real-time decisions. Users can export the data for use with post-processing software and machines, or they can overlay with additional data for a more robust picture of an environment.

不再有借口

Technology is a powerful enabler of a better way to approach problems facing organizations today. From advanced, multi-dimensional drawings of project sites to realistic 3D renderings of new projects months or even years before completion, technology has revolutionized the construction industry, and utility detection is no exception.

There is no reason to strike an underground utility because the crew did not take the time to try and locate it. Today’s available solutions streamline processes and make the jobsite safer and allow project managers and their teams to avoid inadvertent strikes of buried pipelines and utilities.简单地使用此技术可以节省数千美元的费用，维修和浪费的时间。为什么再等待了？