Exodigo, a technology innovator combining the power of proprietary advances in 3D imaging, sensors and artificial intelligence (AI), today announced the successful completion of an underground utility mapping project. The results were shared by Charge following a proof of concept they facilitated at a mobile home utility upgrade project site in Santa Rosa, California, with rave reviews of the Exodigo solution aimed at helping construction and utility companies. Read the full report from an independent review, including images/maps, here.
“Exodigo exceeded all of our expectations. We were not expecting the level of precision we saw when comparing Exodigo’s findings to our traditional scans,” said Erich Metzger, Sr. Director of Strategic Development for Charge. “To be able to quickly scan an area and get an accurate, comprehensive map of underground lines and utilities makes our jobs a lot easier, safer and more efficient. Exodigo eliminates a lot of the risks our industry has come to consider jobsite norms.”
The project was completed by a subsidiary of Charge, Veteran Pipeline Construction (VPC). VPC used and evaluated the Exodigo platform to identify unobstructed pathways to install new utility lines at an existing mobile home community that was converting master-meter-connected services to metered service connections. As with most mobile home communities, documentation of gas, electric, water, sewer, and communications lines was virtually non-existent, so Charge needed to research, locate and excavate around any utilities including abandon lines.
In addition to performing its typical utility investigation by contracting a SUE locating provider to map the site with traditional electro-magnetic, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and sewer camera equipment, establishing surface pain marks and flags and then surveying the site using global positioning systems (GPS), Charge compared those results to AI-driven maps in certain areas using potholing and surveys to verify the presence or absence of indicated underground facilities – including their documented depths, sizes, and material types.
Using advanced sensors, which can be deployed by cart or drone, in combination with 3D imaging and AI technologies to map buried assets, Exodigo provides a safer, more sustainable and more precise way to locate buried underground assets – reducing risks associated with conventional digging and exploratory excavation. For Charge, Exodigo was able to:
- Remove onsite interpretation and deliver independent scanning results
- Provide accurate maps to avoid potential excavation conflicts and properly position new pipelines and conduits, as well as better planning for potholes and the vertical alignment of new facilities
- Find 50 percent more lines than the private locator service – including power, gas, water, drainage and other utility lines
- Reduce potholing costs by 30 percent
- Locate crossing utility lines typically missed by premium locators
- Differentiate between signals better than GPR to properly call out drainage lines
- Give onsite construction personnel more confidence, especially in terms of avoiding dig-in damage and electrical outages
“Construction and utility companies need a safe, fast way to get a precise view of what lies beneath the surface. Our AI platform eliminates the human bias that can often lead to inaccurate interpretations and major misses – giving the teams onsite more confidence and control to ensure safe and efficient execution of the project,” added Jeremy Suard, co-founder and CEO of Exodigo.
Learn more about Exodigo at www.exodigo.com.