Leading contractor companies are always looking for ways to streamline processes, reduce costs, and increase productivity.
But, isn’t mapping and documentation just a necessary cost of doing business when building underground cables? You have to do it, but as long as you tick the box, follow the requirements, it doesn’t influence the business? WRONG!
Implementing good mapping and documentation practices and using modern tools can help the business in several important ways: increase build quality, reduce quality costs, make project management more efficient, ease documentation work, complete projects and invoicing faster and make the workplace safer.
Let’s compare the old way of working for many prime contractors with a modern real-time mapping approach.
The old way of doing cable mapping is typically that cable trench is dug and immediately filled up and weeks later someone comes with a GPS device and cable scanner, locates the cable and takes a point every 5-10 m to indicate a cable between these points. Data that later becomes available is sparse points, typically lacking depths and no geotagged open trench photos.
The modern approach to cable mapping is that the building team also maps and documents the open trench in 3D and with geotagged photos while digging. The data from the field is available to project management and other stakeholders in realtime. Data: High-quality XYZ data for every meter, photos and trench data available in realtime.
For network owners the benefits of contractors using a modern mapping solution are obvious – well mapped and documented network 1) have less accidental cuts and a decreased need for urgent repairs of broken cables, 2) is easier and faster to fix when location of potential weak spots are known and documented with photos, 3) participating during construction is easier due to good transparency of the project, and 4) the value of a well documented network is higher.
The field workers benefit from a modern mapping solution as well. Less tedious paper maps and documentation at the site, no need for physical markings for mapping persons, geotagged photos providing proof that "they didn't break it, it was already", and less reporting as project management is following in real-time what is being built at the worksite.
So, after all this being said, it is no surprise that prime contractors are paying attention to what approach to mapping they are taking as it directly links to their business. Mapping done right can bring efficiency and new revenues. That's why Groundhawk, is found in leading contractors’ tool kits. If you would like to pilot the solution in your company, please don't hesitate to contact us!