CSA presentation - developing the standard for underground utiltiy mapping

1. CSA S250 STANDARD
MAPPING OF
UNDERGROUND UTILITY
INFRASTRUCTURE

2. Discussion Points
•CSA W5
•CSA S250 Standard
•Next Steps

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standard

8. 8
Chair
Vice Chair
Associate
Members
CSA Project
Manager
Public Review
/ Consultation
 Utilities / Carriers
 Consultants
 Regulators
 End Users
S250 Voting
Members
Represent:
What is Consensus?
• All committee members have an equal voice
• Structured framework for decision making and
resolution of problems
• Formalized process for standards development

9. CSA’s Involvement in Infrastructure
More than 400 publications relate to civil infrastructure…
Homes & Buildings
Transportation structures
Energy networks (electrical, petroleum, gas & alternative energy)
Water, waste, & storm water management
Industrial structures
Communications structures
Community, healthcare and recreational facilities

10. CSA S250 - Mapping of Underground
Utility Infrastructure

11. Why a Mapping Standard?
• The next logical step to generally accepted
mapping best practices
• Accurate records reduce utility plant damages
• Creates a consistent & repeatable approach to
mapping and recording information
• To specify the mapping records requirements to
identify and locate underground utility plant
• To promote the use, and drive the advancement
of mapping records during the planning, design,
construction, and operation of underground utility
plant

12. Expected Outcomes
• Will decrease utility
hits/strikes
• Will promote communication
amongst infrastructure
stakeholders (i.e. municipalities,
utilities…) and lead to lower costs
in the utility design life cycle
• Will improve safety of company & contractor
employees
• Will improve reliability and accuracy in the
location of underground utility infrastructure
mapping records & supporting data
Construction
Design
Plan
Operate
&
Maintain

13. S250 History and Background
• No existing mapping standards address accuracy,
process & identification of underground plant
• Historically, high variability in reliability, consistency
& accuracy of mapping underground plant
• (Ontario & BC) Common Ground Alliance have
introduced mapping “best practices” for damage
prevention
• Recent technological advances allows for:
– Improved records capture (GPS, laser, imagery)
– Better records storage (GIS & CAD systems)
– Enhanced access and sharing mechanisms
• Growing appetite to share utility mapping records

14. Build up to the Formation of CSA’s S250
Technical Committee
• 2005 to 2006 – ORCGA Mapping Best Practices
finalized
• 2006 – RPWCO gathered support to develop a
mapping standard
• 2006 – RPWCO approached CSA to conduct a
study on the viability of developing a new
mapping standard
• 2006 – CSA Feasibility Task Force
recommendation to proceed
• 2007 – New CSA S250 Technical Committee
established

15. CSA’s New S250 Technical Committee
Members are subject matter experts,
representing regional and end user interests
nationwide.
Mandate:
“To develop and maintain standards for the recording
& depiction of underground utility infrastructure &
related appurtenances at or below grade”

16. Content Development
• Started from a position of strength by building on
accepted best practices, and policies, practices,
processes & procedures from various stakeholders
• Referenced existing documents
– ASCE 38-02 Standard Guideline for the Collection &
Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data concepts
– ISO 15489 Information and Documentation – Records
Management
• Requirements needed to be realistic, practical &
achievable without significant investments or
changes to stakeholder group technology
S250 won’t eliminate utility owners’ & operators’ internal standards

17. CSA S250 Intent
• To provide technology-neutral language
• “ … as per CSA S250”
• To codify applicable best practices, processes and
procedures
• To increase the overall confidence in an
organization’s records management program by
reducing inaccurate mapping
Not intended to replace, reduce, or eliminate the “call before
you dig” requirements for acquiring exact field locates of
underground utilities

18. Examples of S250 Challenges Overcome
• Terminology – characteristics of a record
• Authenticity – what it purports to be
• Reliability – trusted as full and accurate representation
of the fact
• Integrity – complete and unaltered
• Usability – can be located, retrieved, presented, and
interpreted
• Developing a methodology to qualify the level of
reliability of mapping records information
collected and used to depict the location and
attributes of utility plant
• Depth of cover vs elevation (z coordinate)

19. Examples of S250 Challenges Overcome
• How accurate is accurate?
• Relative (spatial) vs absolute (geospatial)
• The use of quality levels as per ASCE 38-02
• Common colour and symbology to graphically
represent utility plant and their associated
attributes
• Municipality / Utility Owner coordination
• How will data get shared?
• What data will be shared?
• How do changes get communicated?

20. An Example of “Wastewater” Attributes

21. Mapping Record Accuracy
Accuracy level Description Reference
1
Accurate to within +/- 25mm in the x, y, and z coordinates, and referenced to an
accepted geodetic datum with a 95% confidence level. Absolute
2
Accurate to within +/- 100mm in the x, y, and z coordinates, and referenced to an
accepted geodetic datum with a 95% confidence level. Absolute
3
Accurate to within +/- 300mm in the x, y, and z coordinates, and referenced to an
acceptable geodetic datum or topographical and cadastral features with a 95%
confidence level. Absolute or relative
4
Accurate to within +/- 1000mm in the x, y, and z coordinates, and referenced to an
acceptable geodetic datum or topographical and cadastral features with a 95%
confidence level. Absolute or relative
0
No information available related to spatial accuracy.

22. How Will CSA S250 Impact Me?
Once published,
• Utilities may:
– Voluntarily modify internal practices, processes and
systems
– Use the standard as a framework going forward for
records management & to communicate with
municipalities, developers and other utilities
• Regulators could:
– formally adopt some or all of the CSA standard via
legislation

23. Next Steps
• Timeline for Publication
– Public consultation is underway; Draft can be
accessed @ https://review.csa.ca/opr/opr_list.asp
& comments submitted to CSA ‘till November 6th
– Committee review & assessment of comments –
December 2010
– Committee’s approval of S250 – Winter 2010 /
2011
– Ready for publication – Spring 2011

24. Next Steps
• Training
– Issue survey to determine
training needs
– Develop training product(s)
– Form partnerships to deliver
training
• Seminars (public courses)
• Customized in-house training
• eLearning courses
• Forums
• Blended learning – combination
of seminars & eLearning

25. Summary
• S250 Public Consultation underway –
need your feedback
• When adopted by regulatory authorities
it may drive changes in your mapping
practices, processes & systems