This first phase of NUAR contains data from the public and private sector organisations that own pipes and cables in North East England, Wales and London. This includes all of the major energy and water providers, such as Northumbrian Water, Wales and West Utilities, Southern Electric Power Distribution and National Grid, as well as smaller providers of these services, telecommunications companies, transport organisations and local authorities.
There are estimated to be around 4 million kilometres of buried pipes and cables in the UK, and a hole is dug every seven seconds to install, fix, maintain or repair these assets that are critical in keeping the water running, gas and electricity flowing and our telecommunications lines connected. Approximately one in every 65 holes dug results in an accidental asset strike (c. 60,000 a year), causing around £2.4 billion worth of economic cost, putting workers' lives at risk and disrupting people's day-to-day lives.
There are 650+ asset owners across the public and private sectors (including energy, water and telcos) who hold data about their own assets, which they are required by law to share for the purposes of ‘safe digging'. However, currently, there is no standardised method to do this with multiple organisations having to be contacted for each dig, providing information in varied formats, scales, quality and on different timelines resulting in a complex process for installing, maintaining, operating and repairing buried assets.
NUAR is a government-led programme creating a single, comprehensive data-sharing platform on the location and condition of underground assets. The fundamental purpose of NUAR is to streamline the data-sharing process, reduce the risk of potentially lethal utility asset strikes and promote more efficient management and maintenance of underground assets.
The government's National Underground Asset Register will transform how the UK manages its buried infrastructure
Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: "The government's National Underground Asset Register will transform how the UK manages its buried infrastructure. This first step towards UK-wide access, starting in North East England, Wales and London, has been achieved through strong collaboration between government and industry and the ingenuity of the programme team in the Geospatial Commission."
This first phase, also known as the ‘minimum viable product' (MVP), is available to eligible organisations in the three areas. It is intended to complement current business practices initially and will allow users to both plan for future adoption and provide valuable feedback to enhance the service further.
Dr Steve Unger, Independent Commissioner, Geospatial Commission, said: "This first release of NUAR is a major milestone in a programme that will benefit everyone. By using the power of location data to plan and deliver street works more effectively, it will improve the efficiency with which we supply essential services and it will minimise the disruption experienced by other road users. Many different asset types are buried beneath our feet, owned by many different organisations, large and small. We are delighted by the number of asset owners that have recognized the value of working with us, to make the data that they hold more accessible. And this release is just the start!
"Whilst it contains data from over 70 organisations, we have already received data from over 100 more, and we are working with many more than that to progress their involvement in the programme. I urge any asset owner that is not yet engaging with us to do so as soon as possible, to start benefiting from the service and ensure it best meets their needs."
Once fully operational across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, NUAR will help improve efficiencies in construction and development, reduce disruption to the public and businesses (from extended road closures and congestion), improve workers' safety and is envisaged to deliver at least £350 million economic growth per year.
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