Why GPS/GNSS should be required for utility locating and asset management.
Finding a buried utility is only half the job. The other half is recording where it is so the next team can find it safely.
A painted line or flag may be enough for today’s excavation crew, but it will fade, move or disappear. When the same utility must be inspected, repaired or avoided months later, the asset owner needs a reliable digital record. That is why GPS/GNSS should be part of the locating requirement from the start.
What GPS/GNSS adds to the locating process
GPS is one satellite navigation system. GNSS is the broader term for equipment that can use GPS and other satellite constellations. In practical terms, the technology adds coordinates to a locate. Those coordinates allow the result to be mapped, shared and found again instead of remaining only as a mark on the ground.
The required accuracy depends on what happens next. An integrated receiver may be suitable for a general field record. A survey-grade or RTK-corrected GNSS solution is more appropriate when coordinates will guide excavation, design, construction or formal asset handover. Simply asking for “GPS” is therefore not enough; the project must state the accuracy it expects.
If a recorded location will influence excavation, design, handover, GIS records or future maintenance, the tender should state the required accuracy, correction method and data format.
Why positioning changes the value of a locate
A record that can be checked
Each captured point can be linked to the date, operator, equipment and project location.
An easier return visit
Future crews can return to crossings, faults and inspection points without repeating the entire survey.
Better asset maps
Positioned results can strengthen GIS records, as-built drawings and maintenance systems.
Visible survey coverage
Supervisors can review the route, captured points and gaps instead of relying only on handwritten notes.
Less duplicate work
Operators can locate and record in one workflow, reducing repeat visits and manual data entry.
A useful handover
Consistent coordinates and agreed outputs give owners, consultants and contractors information they can reuse.
Six questions to answer before buying or tendering
| Requirement | Define before purchase or tender |
|---|---|
| Positioning accuracy | General mapping, sub-metre, survey-grade or project-specific tolerance |
| Correction service | Whether RTK or another correction method is required and available at the site |
| Field workflow | How coordinates, depth, asset type, notes and photographs are captured |
| Data outputs | Required formats and compatibility with the owner’s GIS, CAD or asset platform |
| Quality record | Operator, time, equipment, calibration or verification information to retain |
| Connectivity | Offline operation, mobile-device compatibility, transfer and secure storage requirements |
The locator and the record should work together
Radiodetection’s current mapping portfolio includes the RD8200SG survey-grade cable and pipe locator, the MRX SG marker locator, PointMan mapping bundles and RD Map+ workflows. For GPR surveys, systems such as the LMX200SG can add high-accuracy positioning to subsurface data.
The real benefit is not a coordinate displayed on a screen. It is a simpler field process in which the team locates the asset, records its position and passes useful information to the people responsible for design, construction and maintenance.
GPS/GNSS does not replace good locating practice. The operator must still choose the right detection method, understand uncertainty, verify the target and follow the approved excavation or inspection procedure. Positioning makes a good locate more useful; it does not make a poor locate reliable.
Official references
Product capabilities should be checked against the current manufacturer specification and the project’s accuracy requirement.
Radiodetection — RD8200SG Survey Grade Locator ↗Radiodetection — Mapping and digital solutions ↗Sensors & Software — GPR and high-accuracy GNSS solutions ↗