Plans Plans Plans

[Gas Man]

G’Day all,

Would be VERY interested is seeing the plans that you guy’s (and girls) have to work with.

As part of our business, my company teaches a “Plan Reading and Duty of Care Course” (as well as many others) and it would be interesting to compare what we have to work with and what you get.

Perhaps someone could email me some different plans ( jeff@provac.net.au ) or perhaps point me towards where I could obtain some.

I anyone is interested I could obviously reciprocate with samples of our plans.

Thanks in anticipation,

Cheers
Jeff
Underground service locating
www.provac.net.au

[Gas Man]

Morning all,

Well morning here anyway…….haven’t had a response to this message – does this mean that you locate without plans???? Now that would make it a little more difficult.

Just tried to upload a plan or two to show what we have to work with but the size limitations would not allow it. Will still forward plans to individuals if anyone is interested.

As well I am still keen to see what information/plans you have to work with.

Cheers
Jeff
Underground service locating
www.provac.net.au

[sprayandpray]

I can't speak for anyone else here but my customer's prints/plans are confidential and can only be shared on a "Need to know" basis. Sorry

[Gas Man]

Thanks Spray,

O'K - "I need to know".......

Had not thought of that situation and can understand it - but really do not think that I could cause many concerns from Australia.........

Perhaps I could attack the problem from another angle:

Can some one suggest a "friendly" contact from one of the utility companies that I may be able to make a direct approach to???

An email address would be helpful.

Cheers
Jeff
Underground service locating
www.provac.net.au

[underground quester]

For the most part, we use computer data here.

The info from plans is plotted by the utility owner into the computer and a designated color is assigned to each different kind of utility.

We locate seven way here, so we have seven screens we can look at that separately shows where each utility is SUPPOSED to run in the ground. We also have a "composite utility" screen that shows all of the utilities (that we locate) and their relative position compared to others (ie: where the primary power runs in relation to gas mains for example).

I have just started a voluntary layoff for 60 days so I do not have access to any of the prints we use.

Because I work in a newer area, about 60% of the stuff I locate is NOT in the computer so I rely on prints provided by the contractor, or by the utility, platts, or by hooking up to every freeking thing in the area and tracing it out.

Regarding making the print smaller, there is a way of doing that on the computer. I use windows XP. If you wish I can email you the instructions on how to do that so you can upload it to this site.

[OVUS1]

Jeff,

Our company owns a ticket management product that overlays customer facility mapping onto a regular basemap (that shows roads). Let me check with our IT department tomorrow as it is 2-10 almost 7pm here. I might be able to get you a username/password to our web-based generic sample that we show potential customers.

Most customer records are available real-time to our field techs via the web using either an aircard or secured wi-fi connection. Service cards are not generally available without a trip to the customer's office to actually pull them from a file, but some companies are scanning those records and making them available via the web also. Our software allows all available customer records to automatically populate and show their facilities on a map when the locate tech brings the locate ticket up for action.

Since we only locate one utility per technician, it works great for us. I think the process is similar for other US companies, but a little more convoluted based on the number of facilities their techs have to locate at the site. I'll update you tomorrow.

[Gas Man]

G’Day Quester and John,

And thank you for your responses.

Quester, if not too much trouble I could probably uses some instruction about “shrinking” PDF files – I also use Windows XP.

John, that’s a wonderful offer and I thank you for it. Here in Australia most locators would work with “paper plans”. We locate ALL services.

Plans are sent from the utility companies (after being requested via the Dial Before You Dig service) usually electronically. These are then, for most situations printed and handed to our locators prior to the job being done.

All of our locators carry lap tops so plans can be forwarded directly to the locator if needed.

Each utility company has its own plans – each would have different scales, legends, appearance and formats and cannot be read in conjunction with the plans of the other asset owners.

I find our plans REALLY primitive and lacking much vital information – the exception to that, in the area that we operate would be gas plans. These would have information such as boundary offsets and depth of cover, still only indicative and would need verification (pot holing) to satisfy your duty of care, but does assist greatly with locating them.

Occasionally, a couple of asset owners would “share” each other’s trench, or duct work (conduiting) and this would be included on each asset owners plans – but this would be about the only time that plans from different asset owners would be in accord.

John, as I mentioned in a previous message, I teach plan reading and Duty of Care requirements to potential locators, Government authorities and civil contractors and planners and think that it would be interesting to be able to show course participants the differences in other country plans.

Cheers
Jeff
Underground service locating
www.provac.net.au

[yahoo]

sorry didn't answer b4 but as Spray said .....we can not share our plans at all!!!! same goes for our outfit!!! will answer any other questions you have through PM.....