The last thing I needed was another big project, especially one that would change the entire process for collecting and processing newly constructed infrastructure. So when the land survey manager said he'd sold me as the person to do exactly that, I cringed, said "OK," and began writing a proposal for a system we call Real-time Asset Mapping (RtAM). Seattle Public Utilities isn't unique in its struggle to accurately and comprehensively map subterranean assets. We have more than 100 years of record plans of various accuracy and completeness. While topographic surveys done for preliminary design of new assets can provide good horizontal location of assets, vertical location (depth) has been difficult to ascertain and typically requires expensive potholing. Most of the vertical information shown on old plans is referential (depth of cover), essentially a measurement from some historical surface.
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