Common Ground Alliance estimated in 2019 the annual total social costs of underground infrastructure damage in the United States reached roughly $30 billion. What if we had a better way to determine location of underground infrastructure? New research aims to answer this question.
Purdue University engineers have developed a patent-pending method to decrease hazardous strikes to underground utility pipes during construction projects. This method leverages GPR (ground-penetrating radar) data to estimate the location, orientation, and radius of underground utility pipes. The technology analyzes the electromagnetic wave reflections, but the challenge with GPR alone is it often overlooks inherent uncertainties and issues related to data quality.
This is why Purdue’s new uncertainty-aware model compensates for this gap. A Bayesian framework quantifies uncertainty in estimating underground pipe depth, horizontal position, orientation, and radius. The team also developed diagnostic metrics for GPR data quality, including quantitative measures of completeness and consistency.
Here is how this can help:
- Reduce financial losses and service disruptions.
- Minimize injuries and fatalities.
- Better interpretation of data and effective underground utility mapping.
Looking to the future, the researchers disclosed the innovation to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, which has applied for a patent to protect the intellectual property. All in all, this type of innovation could ultimately lead to faster transportation construction project delivery. And that is a win-win for everyone.