Underground Utility Mapping Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Component (Solutions (Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Electromagnetic Induction (EMI), Others ), Services (Professional Services, Managed Services)), By End-use Industry (Oil & Gas, Electricity, Public Safety, Construction, Telecommunication, Others) And Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Underground utility mapping is a study carried out in the planning phase of any construction work in order to study the underground structure, which helps in minimizing risks during excavation and surprises during construction work. This study is important in urban areas that are undergoing transition and witnessing construction activities across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors and pipeline works at a very faster rate. The survey involves the digital representation of the underlying structures using equipment such as ground-penetrating radar and electro-magnetic locators.

Based on components, the market is segmented into solutions and services. The solutions are further bifurcated into ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction, and others. Over the years, the GPR technology has been the most preferred owing to its preciseness in detail and ability to locate all metallic and non-metallic structures situated underground. The technique is used for locating & identifying utilities, concrete structures, buried structures & voids, chambers, trench routes, pavement thickness, buried manhole covers, and rebar placement in existing structures. The service segment is further bifurcated into professional and managed services of which professional services occupy a lion's share as these are a very basic requirement to ensure exact locations and ensure the feasibility of planned operations.

Based on the end-use industry, the market is segmented into oil & gas, public safety, construction, electricity, communication, and others. As these services are required for almost every end-use sector in today's world the demand for these surveys has grown immensely across every industry. Construction and telecommunication industries being fueled by the factors such as rising population, increased urbanization, better connectivity, the introduction of 5G networks are expected to lead the market in coming years.

The major market driver for the underground utility mapping market is the need to ensure the safety of the already present underlying structures during the construction or the establishment of new networks. Along, with this the initiatives by the government to ensure the safety of the public boost the demand for these surveys. New construction activities such as metros and underground electrification in developing nations pose healthy growth opportunities for the market. 

The factor that is expected to inhibit the growth of the market is the requirement of skilled labor as the equipment being used needs to be handled with the utmost care and the user must be having enough knowledge to ensure preciseness in operations. Also, the high maintenance costs of the equipment may hinder the market growth.

Key Players Covered:

• Some of the major companies that are present in the global underground utility mapping market are US Radar Inc., Parsan, Cardno, Plowman Craven, Vivax-Metrotech Corporation, Sensors & Software Inc., Sintégra, IDS GeoRadar, Geosystems s.r.o. , multiVIEW Locates Inc., SECON Private Limited. Apex Surveys.            

Regional Analysis:

The global underground utility mapping market has been studied across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America has dominated the market owing to higher demand for construction activities along with enhanced surveillance required for the same. Also, the countries in the region have made a huge investment in oil and gas exploration which has also played an important role in the domination of the region in the global market. Following, North America, Asia Pacific is expected to show even higher growth during the forecast period as the developing nations in the region put more emphasis on the construction of residential and commercial spaces along with public safety in mind. Countries such as China, Australia, and India are expected to gain the largest market opportunity owing to increasing urbanization, growing focus on oil & gas, and & mining activities. European nations also hold good growth opportunities with rising construction activities and advancements of countries with telecommunications systems that require uninterrupted strong networks.

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments

• In January 2021, Software company Etch based in Columbus was assigned a contract worth USD 94,000 to map vital infrastructure and create a comprehensive GIS platform for the Xenia city in United States. The project is expected to help the city officials in finding underground utilities and speed up response times to things such as water line breaks. The project is expected to be completed by the end of summer 2021.


• In August 2020, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited started its work for mapping the the 5.5km underground section of the Joka-Esplanade Metro in Kolkata. This 5.5km stretch is a vital are in the 14.35 km Mominpore-Esplanade metro link. RVNL will execute the process with the help of ground-penetrating radar.