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specialized equipment such as electromagnetic locator To validate the hypothesis of augmented reality’s
devices. The locator then paints the horizontal location of applicability in the locate services industry and measure
the asset on the ground, produces a sketch and compiles the effectiveness of AR for locates, the leading developer
a report. The sketch and report are then provided to the of visualization solutions, vGIS (www.vGIS.io), has
excavator. Often, the locate is independently validated by joined forces with a leading Canadian locate services
another person through a quality assurance process. The provider, Promark-Telecon (www.Promark-Telecon.ca).
locate work process is complicated, relies on records that The joint research focuses on an empirical analysis of
can—at times—be inaccurate or incomplete, involves the impact of AR aids on the locate process.
personnel with varying degrees of experience and is
an important component of the damage prevention Scope and Methodology
and workplace safety programs for the construction Study scope
industry. The application of AR to locate work provides The study focused on measuring the effectiveness of
an opportunity to improve the process and outcomes applying augmented reality technology to locates using
(productivity, accuracy and safety) evaluated in this multifaceted criteria including productivity, safety and
study. locate accuracy.

New tools have potential Methodology
Emerging technologies such as AR have great potential The study was conducted from January 2018 through
to positively influence the work of locating. Using AR May 2018 using the leading AR solution developed by
tools, locators can see an unobstructed physical world vGIS (http://www.vgis.io/ar-mr-vr-gis-visualization-for-
in front of them, as well as holograms of lines and pipes utilities-municipalities-locate-and-municipal-service-
underground. By simply following the holographic companies/). During that period, the Promark study
projection on the ground, a locator should be able to participants recorded the time that it took to perform
perform the job faster, more easily, more safely and locate tasks with and without vGIS. The time was
more accurately. rounded to the closest descriptive value (e.g., 10, 15,
20, 30 or 45 minutes).
The benefits of applying advanced visualization
technology to locates is self-evident to augmented In addition to the time measurements, for each locate job,
reality practitioners. Yet, due to the novelty of AR the Promark study participants recorded the technology’s
technology, reliable studies measuring the benefits have impact on several other factors, including safety and
not previously existed. locator accuracy.

Despite the assumed benefits of the technology, The study was conducted in the city of Toronto, a
there are a multitude of factors that may impact major metropolitan setting containing a diverse mix of
its real-life performance, rendering the technology personal housing, industrial and commercial buildings
beneficial in theory but not in practice. For instance, reflective of the conditions commonly found in many
the incompleteness or low accuracy of GIS data, other locales. In addition to its zoning diversity, Toronto
faced by most utility asset owners, may impair locate possesses an assortment of new and aging infrastructure,
jobs; environmental conditions may affect hardware well-documented and sporadically documented assets
performance; or individual use cases specific to a and a variety of working environments.
location or the nature of the job may make any AR
system impractical.

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