This short interview with Steve Slusarenko, the Director of the SUMDEx initiative, is intended to give an update on the SUMDEx Team’s progress and to give readers an understanding of when the project will be ready to support the damage prevention community. Originally called the Canadian Underground Infrastructure Register (CUIR) project initiative in the last update of March 2023, we have now changed the name to better reflect the North American scope of our project since joining forces with the Gopher State One Call Underground Utility Mapping Team (aka MN811). MN811 has built their CGA ..read more

A panel entitled 'The Geoff Zeiss Utilities & Infrastructure Panel' is taking place in honor of Geoff Zeiss, who passed away in 2022, at the GoGeomatics Expo in Calgary this November 6-8, 2023. Attendees at the GoGeomatics Expo, are looking forward to hearing about some of Geoff's favorite topics in the geomatics sector.  Geoff Zeiss Utilities & Infrastructure Panel The panelists will examine the business case for Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) data, emphasizing its benefits, ASCE recommendations, regulatory implications in different states and legislative requirements. The ..read more

For the May 16, 2023, SUMSF 2023 livestream panel discussion, “Next Steps in the Evolution of Damage Prevention,” Steve Slusarenko, Director of CUIR, Gopher State One Call ‘s Chief of Operations Officer, Barb Cederberg, Peter Lamb, Professional Land Surveyor/Deputy Chief Surveyor at Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO), and Lawrence Arcand, President at 4Sight Utility Engineers, joined their knowledge and expertise together to inspire and inform participants. Slusarenko acted as moderator for this discussion. Cederberg responded to the first question by remembering how when she realized da ..read more

Steve Slusarenko, Director of CUIR (Canadian Underground Infrastructure Register) and Bob Basques, Technical Director of SharedGeo, presented the “Case for Canadian Underground Infrastructure Register” during their May 16, 2023,  SUMSF 2023 livestream presentation called, “CUIR Presents the Minnesota Utilities Mapping Project.” Slusarenko opened the presentation to introduce the initiative and discuss the development of a system that will allow utility owners to share information regarding the location of their facilities with those who need the information. He said although the state and ..read more

Bringing information from around the world, Dr. Vincent Fan, Lidarist Company Limited, Chief Technical Officer, Leo Kwan, Lidarist Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Wai Yeung Yan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Assistant Professor, joined together at SUMSF 2023 to present a livestream on May 16, 2023 called, “Deep learning based underground digital twins: Scan to BIM.” Dr. Yan began the presentation by introducing some recent work in Hong Kong, and discussing AI solutions regarding converting 3D into BIM models for underground scenarios. He spoke about the challenges of limited time and a ..read more

A livestream presentation of 3D Gyroscopic Pipeline Mapping Technology was given by Otto Ballintijn, CEO of Reduct NV, during SUMSF 2023, on May 16, 2023. The presentation served as an introduction to inertial navigation technology and the  benefits of high-frequency usage and points.  Reduct develops solutions for accurate utility mapping of pipelines and ducts, and is a leading developer of inertial navigation systems. The company knows what you can’t see is just as important as what you can see.    Ballintijn discussed gyro mapping devices and how they work. He then tal ..read more

Peter Pulsifer, a Professor of Geomatics in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences at Carleton University, and Stephen Fai, a Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at  Carleton University, teamed up to present “Establishing an Urban Infrastructure Mapping Research Program: Remembering Dr. Geoff Zeiss / Introduction to the National Digital Twin Initiative,” during a livestream at SUMSF 2023.  Pulsifer began by speaking about Geoff Zeiss, whom he called an “innovator and global leader” in the area of mapping and developing sustainable and effective urban infrastructure ..read more

Robert (Bob) Schultz, an Electric Utility Industry Specialist for Locusview, held a livestream presentation at SUMSF 2023. The topic of his talk was “The Rapid Growth of Electric Infrastructure Impacts on Utility Processes and Systems of Record.”  His presentation included discussions about today’s utility construction landscape, business impacts, supply chain and asset traceability for electric and gas (SCATE), and an overview of Locusview. Schultz said infrastructure construction is booming. There is a $1. 564 billion government investment in electric infrastructure through the Smart Re ..read more

On May 16, 2023, during SUMSF 2023, Joshua Lieberman, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Director of Innovation Programs, held a livestream presentation called, "OGC Presents Integrating and Sharing Underground Information with MUDDI: SUMSF 2023." The OGC is a member-led group of experts dedicated to improving access to, advancing, and sharing, geospatial and information while addressing everyday needs and solving global challenges.  Lieberman introduced MUDDI (Model for Underground Data Definition and Integration).He said there was a need to have an information model to safely work, mainta ..read more

Reveal’s CEO and founder, Sam Wiffen, held a livestream presentation on Tuesday, May 16, during SUMSF 2023. The topic of the presentation was, “Building Unified Utility Models for Major Civil Infrastructure Projects. Reveal is a “collective” of innovative underground experts who build technology solutions for the underground. Wiffen gave examples such as finding cables and pipes, hosting information, and helping clients manage underground risks.  Wiffen acknowledged Geoff Zeiss’s leadership and support, as well as his innovation, passion, and advocacy for utility engineering. Wiffen also ..read more