Therefore, Dutch law (WIBON) mandates practitioners to reduce the uncertainty in the information about the subsurface situation through the process of utility surveying. One of the most promising non-disruptive methods is the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). GPR is a geophysical method that uses electromagnetic waves to investigate the subsurface. This study aims to explore, explain and support the decision making between trial trenches and GPR as a utility surveying method by developing, implementing and evaluating a Decision Support Tool.

Smart Utility Registration aims to develop a method for scanning trench data in more automated ways. It mobilizes off-the-shelf (preferably open sources) technologies to register deployed cables/pipelines. Currently, this process is laborious and involves many different workers, while new technology might enable direct registration by the jobsite crew.

This project ran from 2019-2021 and resulted in a prototype Decision Support System, which provides decision-makers with insight in the optical fiber deployment process as well as the results of operational changes they may wish to make

This project developed a roadmap that captures developments that influence subsurface vocational education, and a prototype e-learning training for field workers that intend to apply the ground penetrating radar for utility mapping (which is a tool that is not applied in the Netherlands at standard practice).

While digging test trenches is relatively conventional, is the reasoning concerning the locations mostly implicit, unclear en not documented. This project is about improving the decision process for the selection of the locations of test trenches.