The locating and excavation industries like any industries are only as effective as the people which are in them. While technological advancements have improved performance and safety measures, there’s another vital factor that often goes unnoticed: the psychology of the workers. In this article, I’ll focus on behavioral science and its potential role in reducing accidents and protecting critical infrastructure …
USING BLOCKCHAIN FOR DAMAGE PREVENTION
Everyone’s heard of BitCoin and cryptocurrencies but the technology behind them is still somewhat under the radar. It’s called blockchain and it is really a means of sharing and protecting data in a very secure way. In the world of utility data management, the reluctance of companies to share their valuable data has long been a major hurdle. This hesitancy, …
TOP 10 THAT AREN’T UTILOCATE
I was reading an article with Tilson CTO Jason Burns about his technology stack and that inspired me to put together a list of apps and solutions which I think could help your damage prevention processes. NearMap AI Nearmap provide geospatial content as a service and their AI tool is a powerful option for providing addiotnal info on top of …
LIVE REPORT FROM THE UTILITY EXPO
I’m in Louisville, KY right now for this year’s Utility Expo. It’s great to be back amongst 19,000 of our peers and discuss damage prevention. I’ve been lucky to make some great friends within the industry and so this inaugural Shane’s Scooparticle is the product of some of the different discussions I’ve been having here at the show mixed in …
MORE REGULATIONS
Regulations for regulations sake aren’t a good thing, but I tried to come up with a lean list of regs that could amend or be added on without giving locators and excavators any more headaches. These regulations would aim to enhance communication, increase awareness, and promote responsible excavation practices. Here are some examples: Mandatory Positive Response: Implement a requirement …
ETHICS IN LOCATING
As we harness the power AI and emerging tech, it becomes crucial to navigate the ethical dilemmas surrounding privacy, responsible data management, and community engagement. Today I’m not going to talk about ESG but instead how ethics actually I’m going to delve into the decisions we make within this industry and shed light on the path forward in utility locating …
WHO KNOWS BEST?
The utility damage prevention field is currently at a crossroads, where human expertise and cutting-edge technological tools intersect. Striking the right balance between the two is pivotal for a proactive and efficient approach. In this article, we explore the symbiotic relationship between seasoned professionals’ intuition and the role of advanced ticket management systems, like Utilocate, in enhancing utility damage prevention …
GIS + TMS = SUCCESS
The utility sector is a dynamic arena where choices have far-reaching consequences. In this context, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have emerged as invaluable tools, enabling us to enhance decision-making processes through the visualization of project data within a geospatial context. The transformative potential of GIS technology is still being under utilized, particularly in proactively preventing damages and optimizing project management. …
LET’S GET MORE PROACTIVE
As someone deeply involved in damage prevention, I cannot emphasize enough the crucial role locators play in safeguarding construction and excavation projects by identifying and marking underground utilities. To continually enhance operations and reduce damages, I think you should consider implementing some or all of the following improvements: Technology integration: Adopt advanced technologies such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR), ticket …
OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR LOCATING
As someone deeply involved in damage prevention, I cannot emphasize enough the crucial role locators play in safeguarding construction and excavation projects by identifying and marking underground utilities. To continually enhance operations and reduce damages, I think you should consider implementing some or all of the following improvements: Technology integration: Adopt advanced technologies such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR), ticket …