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Seeing theUndergroundNew Technology Provides 3D View of the Final FrontierBy Jim RushFor many years, the need to accurately map undergroundutilities was not a priority for cities andutilities. But as the underground space has becomeincreasingly congested and development hasencroached on what had been open land, knowing theprecise location of pipelines is becoming more and morecritical.In the past, there were technological barriers to achievingprecise mapping of buried utilities. That is changingin North America, however, as Geospatial Corp. is offeringits Smart Probe mapping and database solutions for avariety of industries that rely on underground pipelines.Geospatial Corp. is a Pittsburgh-based company foundedin 2007 by Mark Smith, a veteran of the municipalwater and sewer market who recognized the need formapping data and found the technology that could getthe job done.The Smart Probe technology used by Geospatialemerged from Europe where it was pioneered during thetelecom boom of the 1990s. Similar to the United States,Europe was experiencing rapid construction of buriedfiber-optic conduit and the need to accurately map thelocation of these new pipelines arose.“Mark Smith has extensive experience in the undergroundmarket and municipal pipe rehab market,” saidTodd Porter, Geospatial executive vice president. “Heunderstood the industry, and when he saw the technology,he immediately saw the opportunity.”22 Water Utility Infrastructure ManagementNovember/December 2010