1Spatial, a global leader in geospatial data solutions, has been appointed by Ordnance Survey as the prime contractor for a 5-year contract to deliver the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) Data Transformation and Ingestion Service.
The NUAR Programme is a Government Digital Service (GDS) initiative – operated by Ordnance Survey – to build a digital map of underground pipes and cables that will revolutionise the way the different sectors of the economy install, maintain, operate, and repair buried infrastructure in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The NUAR Programme involves the ingestion of data from over 600 public and private sector asset owners such as utility companies and local authorities which is delivered in varied formats, scale and quality, then processed through the 1Spatial Data Platform to transform the data into a unified dataset. The 1Spatial Data Platform is designed to scale, enabling hundreds of asset owners to seamlessly upload and transform their data with efficiency. Currently, any work related to buried infrastructure requires contact with multiple organisations and an average wait of over six days to get the required information. With NUAR, that information will be instant, any time of the day, any day of the year. This means planners and excavators get access to the data they need, when they need it, at the right quality, to carry out their work effectively and safely. Once operational, NUAR is envisaged to deliver over £400 million per year of economic growth through increased efficiency, reduced asset strikes (when underground pipes and cables are accidentally damaged) and reduced disruptions for the public and businesses. It will also contribute to building the infrastructure needed across the country, such as new roads, railways and houses.
NUAR therefore represents a significant step forward in the digital transformation of the country’s critical national infrastructure whilst also cited as an exemplar of how to implement security into a major programme of national significance as the programme takes a security first approach to every aspect of delivery.
Claire Milverton, CEO of 1Spatial, commented:“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Ordnance Survey Ltd on this nationally significant project, validating the strength of our product offering. The renewal and upgrade of our role highlight our position as a trusted partner in delivering innovative geospatial solutions that create long-term value for government, industry and the public.
NUAR will become one of the most comprehensive underground asset datasets globally and a high-profile example of data integration at scale, with our platform transforming fragmented records into a consistent, validated dataset. The complexity of harmonising thousands of datasets represents a strong barrier to entry to other vendors and with similar initiatives emerging internationally, we are strongly positioned to leverage the strength of our technology platform worldwide.
Looking ahead, initiatives like NUAR, alongside platforms such as our 1Streetworks solution which already leverages authoritative geospatial data, have the potential to transform industries.”
Nick Lindsay, NUAR Business Lead at Ordnance Survey, added: “NUAR is a vital step toward improving safety, efficiency and coordination across buried infrastructure. We’re pleased to continue our close collaboration with 1Spatial, whose technology plays a central role in facilitating automated data governance, while delivering increased efficiencies on this critical project.”
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