Computerized Municipal Utility System Mapping

Accurate and complete information on underground municipal utility systems becomes increasingly important and difficult to maintain as cities grow and the urban infrastructure becomes more complicated. It is desirable to know the use, location, depth, size, material, age, active status, and ownership of every component of every underground utility system occupying public right-of-way. Such information is needed for operation and maintenance as well as for planning new construction. A scheme is presented for tabulating positional, functional, descriptive, historic, operational, and ownership information on utility system elements and sub-surface structures in a format amenable to computerized data management. Grid coordinates and elevations are used for location. Coding schemes are suggested to convey other information. The advantages and disadvantages of the proposed scheme and considerations of implementation are discussed.