The Common Ground Alliance (CGA) provides an invaluable service annually by compiling comprehensive data through its DIRT Report and the Damage Prevention Institute. It would be beneficial to dive deeper into this data, alongside additional information from the broader damage prevention landscape. While safely working around buried utilities is a universal challenge, some industries have been more effective than others …
This week it’s the eclipse, next week it’s the CGA Conference in Colorado Springs… maybe we’ll see you there? Anyways. here’s the top 10 stories from the last week: Survey reveals 56 percent of homeowners plan to dig without contacting 811 first READ Insurance & Risk Scoring in Damage Prevention READ Shining a light into AI’s blackboxes for utility protection …
Aii summer intern Jake embarked on a journey throughout Washington D.C. to learn more about college students’ perspectives on #infrastructure. This isn’t just about underground utility infrastructure but the built environment plays a major role in where utilities are located, needed and how they work – so it’s good to zoom out and consider the bigger picture. It’s interesting to hear …
As artificial intelligence systems are increasingly deployed in the utility and damage prevention sectors, a major challenge looms: the opacity and lack of transparency in many AI models used for these tasks. The “black box” nature of complex machine learning algorithms like deep neural networks makes it extremely difficult to understand the reasoning and decision-making process behind their outputs. This …
Over the last few weeks, there have been some major stories coming out of the insurance industry, particularly in regions prone to natural disasters like California. State Farm’s recent decision to discontinue coverage for a substantial number of properties in the state serves as a potent example of these shifts. The rationale behind this move included escalating costs, heightened risk …
Happy National Dig Safety Month! Here’s the top 10 stories from the utility and damage prevention industries: National Safe Digging Month Urges Contacting 811 Before Digging READ 🔗 WSB Announces Partnership With 4M Analytics READ 🔗 Core & Main Signs Agreement to Acquire EGW Utilities Inc. READ 🔗 Ineffable Cryptography & Damage Prevention READ 🔗 Building a Business from the …
With the amount of data associated with critical infrastructure and damage prevention cybersecurity is becoming a more and more important, the threat landscape is constantly evolving, and the protection of critical infrastructure has never been more crucial. As we witness an alarming surge in cyber attacks targeting vital systems such as energy grids, water supplies, and transportation networks, it becomes …
Last week we were at the Global Excavation Safety show and had a great time connecting with other stakeholders! This week, we’ll be doing the same at the TN811 Damage Prevention Summit. Here’s the top 10 stories from the last week Radiodetection, Trimble collaborate to improve underground utility mapping accuracy. READ 🔗 Should locating be regulated? READ 🔗 Building up …
Being a proficient locator in the construction industry requires more than just technical know-how. When we send kids to a liberal arts university the intention is to get a wider knowledge of the world than just their specific major, I think we need to take that same tactic with locating. It demands a comprehensive understanding of construction standards, varied utility …
I was skimming through r/utilitylocator the other night and came across a post which asked “Should Utility Locating & SUE be regulated?” and I thought it would be interesting to open up the discussion here. For context, the original poster of the question strongly believes that private utility locating should be regulated to some extent, similar to how other professions …