Mapping the underworld: Location phase II-latest developments

Accurate location of buried utilities is crucial if trenchless technologies are to fulfil their potential in urban areas, as inaccuracy adds risk to the design and hence cost. For techniques such as horizontal direction drilling, this increased risk could mean that new services have to be installed deeper than is really desired and this can lead to maintenance issues for this service in the future. The Mapping the Underworld: Location Phase 2 (MTU2) research project in the UK is a multi-university, multi-disciplinary project with support from 40+ partner companies and organisations. This second phase aims to produce a multi-sensor device for the improved location of buried utilities. This paper describes the latest research into the several sensor technologies that will be incorporated into the device, including ground penetrating radar, vibro-acoustics, low frequency electromagnetic and magnetic fields. It also reports on how the project is fusing the data from these sensors with current network records to produce enhanced information on the location of the buried utilities. The paper also describes the research investigating the issues of 'seeing' through the ground, and using ground condition information within a knowledge based system to aid tuning and use of the location device in the field.