Digital technician helps prevent excavation damage

The digital mechanic refers to the recording of the exact location of cables and pipes by the professionals themselves, during construction. To facilitate the work process for mechanics, since October 1, 2022, the preference from DSP is to measure home connections with a GPS measurement system instead of digital sketching.

Today's opportunities as an opportunity for the future

On-sight estimation, sketching by hand and non-digital working for home connections has fortunately become a thing of the past in recent years. The social and economic impact caused by excavation damage can be prevented by measuring cables and pipes with centimeter precision. The network operators and contractors affiliated with the DSP are aware of this fact and help prevent excavation damage in the future by measuring home connections with accurate RD coordinates.

How does a digital mechanic actually work in practice? We recently interviewed Nick Hage of Aannemersbedrijf van Vulpen. We walked with him while measuring house connections and asked him for his opinion and experiences.

"Surveying with Geodirect's Stonex GPS surveying equipment is child's play," Hage indicated. He demonstrates how surveying works. He holds the GPS stick in the right place and, with the push of a button, ensures that the exact position is recorded in the system. Adding a few more mandatory elements digitally so that all the data is entered and no mechanic has to be sent back later. In no time at all, the house connection has been measured and Hage can be sure that his entered data is reliable. Should digging be necessary in the future, the chance of damage is minimal!

"Measuring in is fast, precise, and the equipment and software make it easy. You can't even forget things because the system will let you know something is missing." Hage says he himself has no experience with how surveying used to work, but the way it's done now, with these tools, is very nice and reliable.

Becoming a digital technician

"We were trained internally, after extensive theoretical and practical training from Geodirect. I had mastered measuring house connections in about 15 minutes, it's that simple!" Hage is proud to call himself Digital Engineer. Not only a nice title, but an asset to contractor van Vulpen, which in turn contributes to capturing reliable data and faster deliveries of completed home connections.

Interested in also training your technicians 'digitally', working more cost-efficiently and complying with DSP guidelines? Training from Geodirect is always customized and therefore tailored to the user. Contact Geodirect to discuss your situation and possibilities!