Digital Underground Utility Detection – for Safer Excavation Work

Background

Damaged utility lines are a global issue that reduces society’s access to energy and communication, as well as heating, water, and sanitation. In Sweden, one utility line is accidentally damaged every hour, according to the industry initiative Grävallvar. Electrical and gas lines are particularly hazardous to on-site personnel when damaged. The problem is expected to grow due to increasing excavation activities — not only in Sweden but globally. The green transition will require extensive expansion of electricity and gas networks, which in turn leads to more digging and a higher risk of excavation-related damage. Additional contributing factors include urbanization, the growing infrastructure maintenance backlog in Western countries, and the rising demand for fiber networks driven by increasing data volumes.

Today, utility line location services typically take between five and ten days. This is time that operations and construction companies often cannot afford. As a result, maintenance and construction work is either delayed or initiated without proper utility location, increasing the risk of damaging underground lines. According to Grävallvar, half of all damages occur during excavation without prior location services. The other half occur despite having received location services, indicating that the current method does not provide sufficient protection even when used. Markings can also be compromised by bad weather or the excavation work itself.

Physical utility line location is considered state-of-the-art by the 13 consortium stakeholders who receive or perform such services daily. Their participation in the project clearly demonstrates that the current method does not meet their needs. None of them are aware of any comparable initiative. The Nordic market has been consolidated by a single actor who skillfully leverages economies of scale and its dominant position to protect its market share and maintain the status quo. The Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS) welcomes competition and innovative solutions for the market. They have also noted that structural conditions are similar across much of Europe.

Orientation

The project falls within the focus area of resilient digital infrastructure—both physical and software-based. By creating a resilient software infrastructure for the secure transmission of utility line location data (hereafter referred to as utility data), the project helps protect physical digital infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables and power supply to communication equipment from the growing risks of excavation damage and antagonistic threats.

Project Idea

The core idea of the project is to develop a digital infrastructure that enables seamless and secure transmission of accurate utility data to the right user at the right time—replacing the need for physical utility line location services. This concept, referred to as Digital Utility Location, offers a cheaper, faster, and more efficient way to prevent excavation damage. The solution complements the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority’s (PTS) service Ledningskollen.se, which welcomes innovation.

The concept involves delivering utility data directly to excavator control systems, vehicle management systems, surveying instruments, or BIM platforms (collectively referred to as receiving equipment). According to interviewed construction companies, direct access to utility location data will increase demand, as time constraints are the main barrier. It also enables utility location in more contexts, such as across large areas or during emergency work. Furthermore, it opens up the possibility of automatically disabling excavator buckets or drills if they come too close to underground lines—provided the utility data is integrated into the machine systems.

According to Vattenfall’s damage prevention department, a few full-time positions could potentially be replaced by digital utility location. The solution also enables easy feedback and correction of inaccurate data using the same equipment, thereby creating a quality-enhancing feedback loop.

The solution also brings significant improvements in IT security. Today, utility data is often shared as email attachments, which are openly accessible. In contrast, our solution encloses the data in a secure digital environment, accessible only through authorization and identification, and only at the time and location of the excavation. No downloaded files are left behind in contractors’ inboxes or on hard drives.

Project Potential

The project contributes to the digitalization of industry and business, and strengthens Sweden’s capacity to develop and utilize digital infrastructure and communication. It addresses the major and growing challenges to stability and security posed by excavation damage and antagonistic threats to digital communication infrastructure. A robust infrastructure is the foundation for industrial and societal digitalization, as well as for increased data sharing.

Digital Utility Location is a novel and scalable digital solution to a global and growing societal problem, which has been met with strong interest from all relevant stakeholders. Participating organizations with international operations see significant potential for deploying the solution across the Nordics, Europe, and North America.

Contribution to the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals

The solution contributes to reduced climate impact, lower energy consumption, and specifically supports Agenda 2030 goals 7.1, 8.4, 11.6, 11.A, 11.B, 12.1, and 12.2. It reduces emissions and energy use from over 200,000 utility marking trips annually in Sweden alone. It enhances resilience in the distribution of electricity and hydrogen for tomorrow’s fossil-free transport systems, and reduces energy and resource use by minimizing repairs and the consequences of service disruptions. Emissions from damaged gas and sewage lines are reduced. Emergency drainage during cloudbursts is simplified, lowering the risk of excavation damage. At the same time, ease of use and speed for end users are improved, which is expected to increase the number of utility location requests.

Market Impact and Industrial Relevance

Participants assess the solution to have strong potential impact in the energy, telecom, and construction sectors. The competitiveness of Swedish industry depends on secure access to energy and communication, while cyberattacks and excavation damage are expected to increase, as outlined above.

Dissemination

The long-term goal of the project is commercialization of the solution. The project results will also be utilized in academic contexts. Dissemination will take place through the Swedish Construction Industry Development Fund (SBUF), for example in the form of a rulebook for secure data sharing, a legal report, demonstrations, and a final report. Each participating organization will also disseminate the results through their own channels, which have strong reach within their respective sectors. VTI will apply the results in other projects, such as those related to electric roads and charging infrastructure, and will produce reports and conference papers. VTI and RISE will also contribute to dissemination through the Mistra InfraMaint maintenance program.

Dissemination beyond the telecom sector is integrated into the project through participation from the water and wastewater, district heating, construction, and energy sectors. Vattenfall plans to use the service to share data. PEAB is interested in testing a finalized solution. Additionally, Lantmäteriet intends to integrate the National Geodata Platform with the solution, thereby securely making utility data available to more than 230 municipalities. Vattenfall has also requested that the solution be capable of transmitting other types of classified information between and within industry and the public sector, further increasing its potential impact on Swedish industry. The project also contributes to industrial electrification by enhancing the resilience of electricity and hydrogen distribution.

Project Partners and Funding

The project is funded by VINNOVA and the Swedish Construction Industry Development Fund (SBUF), with SBUF contributing 500,000 SEK.

The project is carried out in collaboration between 18 partners, including 13 need owners, and is led by IT developer Eningo, together with the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) and RISE. Global Connect, Telia Infra, and additional municipal stakeholders have also expressed interest and may be included in the testing phase.

The solution provides value even without full data access from all utility owners, and no innovation can cover 100% of the market during the development phase. When major stakeholders participate, others typically follow—an outcome expected in this project as well.

The solution is being developed by a working group representing all stakeholders, with strong engagement and specialized expertise across multiple domains. BM System, Eningo, Sitech, and Trimble bring extensive experience in IT solutions within the field. Svevia contributes deep knowledge of construction operations. Laholmsbuktens VA adds the utility owner perspective and expertise in IT security for utility data. RISE and VTI offer solid project and research competence in environment, transport, and infrastructure. The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) participates with a team representing several of its departments, contributing expertise from multiple areas.

The project also includes a reference group consisting of the trade union SEKO (focusing on worker safety), E.ON as a utility owner, and Lantmäteriet.