As British Columbia continues to invest heavily in infrastructure, industry leaders say the next major step forward will depend less on collecting new information and more on connecting the trusted data that already exists.
In the fifth edition of BC 1 Call’s six-part Beneath B.C. feature series, the focus shifts to the growing importance of data integration in underground infrastructure planning. The series argues that while more information than ever is available about what lies beneath the ground, that information often remains fragmented across multiple organizations, making it difficult for project teams to access a complete picture when planning construction.
Currently, no single organization maintains all of British Columbia’s underground infrastructure data. Property boundaries, utility records, municipal assets, survey information and planned capital projects are all managed by different entities, requiring engineers, contractors and planners to assemble information from multiple sources before work can begin.
Several organizations are helping address that challenge. The Land Title and Survey Authority’s ParcelMap BC provides a province-wide graphical representation of titled and surveyed land parcels, creating a common geographic foundation for land-related decisions. GeoBC supplies authoritative administrative boundary information, while the Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICI Society) supports secure data sharing between local governments, utilities, First Nations, improvement districts and provincial agencies.
Together with BC 1 Call’s province-wide damage prevention notification system, these organizations are gradually creating a more connected information ecosystem that improves access to reliable infrastructure data.
The importance of collaboration was reinforced during BC 1 Call’s Underground Infrastructure Roundtable, where representatives from municipalities, utilities, engineering firms, construction companies, excavation contractors and technology providers agreed that British Columbia’s greatest opportunity lies in strengthening the connections between existing trusted datasets rather than creating entirely new ones.
Historically, limited information sharing has often resulted in infrastructure owners planning projects independently. Roads have been rebuilt only to be reopened months later for utility work, while neighbouring organizations have unknowingly scheduled separate projects within the same corridor. These situations increase costs, create unnecessary interruptions and reduce the opportunities for coordinated construction.
The article argues that a more integrated approach would allow organizations to maintain ownership of their own data, but make critical information easier to discover, combine and apply during project planning. The aim is not to create a single, centralized database, but to build an authoritative, interconnected network of trusted information.
Advances in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have already transformed infrastructure management, but the next phase is set to be delivered by the adoption of digital twins – dynamic digital models that integrate mapping data with engineering records, operational information and asset management data across the lifecycle of an infrastructure asset.
Digital twins can include installation history, inspection reports, maintenance records, operating conditions, environmental factors, nearby infrastructure and future construction plans – data that traditional mapping systems cannot. This broader view allows project owners to identify potential conflicts sooner, coordinate work better and make better long-term investment decisions.
But, the series notes, even the most sophisticated technology is only as good as the information behind it. Digital instruments can help analyze and visualize data, but they cannot compensate for incomplete records, disconnected systems or information that stakeholders do not trust.
BC 1 Call believes the province already has the technical expertise and organizational knowledge to do a better job of planning underground infrastructure. The challenge going forward is to strengthen collaboration between organizations so that sharing of trusted information can be more efficient and used with more confidence.
The Beneath B.C. series concludes next week by highlighting the professionals whose expertise and daily work help protect British Columbia’s underground infrastructure and keep construction projects safe.
