scope:

The purpose of this standard guideline is to specify essential elements for recording and exchanging data about the location, size, orientation, function, ownership and other attributes of underground and aboveground utility infrastructure, with a focus on newly installed, repaired, or otherwise exposed or accessible utility infrastructure.

This standard guideline establishes minimum, optional, and conditional elements of spatial and nonspatial attribute data associated with utility infrastructure. The standard guideline also provides recommendations for effective practices to facilitate data exchange among project stakeholders. The guideline is critical to capture, document, and exchange utility data for project scoping, planning, design, construction, operation, and long-term management of utility systems as well as the management of public right-of-way and properties throughout which utility infrastructure are installed. It is also essential to facilitate the interaction among stakeholders for managing utility and other civil infrastructure.

Benefits of applying a standard guideline for utility data exchange include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Effective utility data exchange among stakeholders;

• Consistency with and support for current and emerging digital project design standards and delivery practices such as three-dimensional (3D) modeling, civil integrated management (CIM), building information modeling (BIM), and virtual design and construction (VDC);

• Enhanced damage prevention, including use of real-time augmented reality visualization technologies and global navigation satellite system (GNSS) enhanced utility locating methods which reduce risk to existing utility infrastructure;

• Standardized recording and retrieval of utility infrastructure data;

• More focused, effective utility investigations and conflict assessments; and

• Implementation of practices that result in resilient, sustainable infrastructure and more effective utility asset management.

Typical situations for application of the standard guideline include the following:

• Proposed utility infrastructure (i.e., in permit application stage);

• New construction or repair of existing utility infrastructure;

• Adjustment or relocation of existing utility infrastructure;

• Any construction activity that exposes utility infrastructure;

• Trenchless utility installation or rehabilitation of existing utility infrastructure;

• Utility infrastructure exposed during maintenance activities;

• Utility infrastructure exposed during utility investigations;

• Utility infrastructure recorded during topographic and construction "as-built" surveys;

• Utility infrastructure exposed during other engineering investigations such as geotechnical, drainage, structural, and environmental investigations; and

• Utility incident response as well as damage assessment and reporting.

This standard complements CI/ASCE 38-02, Standard Guidelines for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data, and the revision, ASCE/UESI/CI 38-22, Standard Guideline for Investigating and Documenting Existing Utilities, resulting in a more reliable, consistent, comprehensive data representation of existing utility infrastructure.

User Note: There have been many documented incidents for which existing utility infrastructure information has been inconsistent, inaccurate, or unreliable. ASCE 38 addressed this situation by defining necessary investigative measures and professionally assessed quality levels (D, C, B, and A) as indicators of the reliability of the data resulting from formal utility investigations. However, until now there has never been a standard for an "As-Installed" (often referred to as "As-Built"; see Section 1.2 definition) utility data record for which location, positional accuracy, geometry, dimensions, type, function, ownership, materials, or operational status of a utility feature are among the data documented.

The lack of a standard for utility as-installed record data has resulted in utility records that are commonly schematic drawings, not spatially tied to a common datum or coordinate system, and of inconsistent data quality, content, and formats not conducive for data exchange.