Major investments need to be made in society’s utility supply lines; Water mains, sewage systems, telephone lines, power lines, gas mains, etc. Often the geographic location is recorded on inferior quality maps and in some cases it is not documented at all. Certainty of supply, environmental protection and efficiency of operations, however, require good basic data. Excavation damage can be largely avoided when reliable information regarding location and description of underground utility lines are available. Repair and replacement of utility lines can be carried out in the optimal manner when based on an efficient GIS/utility mapping system. Some of the other advantages to a GIS/Utility mapping system are as follows:

• Locations and characteristics are stored systematically.
• Easy access to the information - also for users without any specialist expertise.
• Simple comparison of data about different types of utility lines and base maps.
• Flexible extraction and analysis options.
• Efficient updating.
• Links to register data and consumer information.
• Project planning
• ROW management
• Staking automation
• Easy map distribution via digital or hard copy
• GPS vehicle tracking
• Integration with billing for easy updates

One of the advantages to a utility company, when employing a Consultant like GIS Landmark to carry out utility mapping, is that the bulk of the work in connection with data capture can be carried out within a short period of time without staff increases or extra investments in equipment, thus easing the introduction of digital techniques.