Neil Brammall, PhD has worked in the utilities sector for over 20 years, creating and delivering geo-spatial software solutions focused on reducing the risk of damage to buried assets, and on improving the accuracy and quality of the data held about those assets. He is currently Technical Advisor to the Geospatial Commission and Product Owner for the Build Phase of the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), which is driving the delivery of a comprehensive and secure data sharing platform for buried assets. Neil provides technical leadership on the project and on the ongoing development of a harmonized data model for the domain. He is hopeful that this initiative will be a game-changer for the industry and will revolutionize the approach to using geospatial data to promote safe and efficient working in the infrastructure sector in the UK.

We talked to Neil about the context, goals, and strategy for the development of NUAR as a map of subsurface infrastructure based on voluntary participation and data sharing by buried asset owners. We looked into some of the key differences between the U.S. and the U.K. in how a shared utility map is created and used—from the advantage of a common basemap provided by the Ordnance Survey, to the negotiation of excavation liability and safety based on documentation rather than a One-Call type system. Neil also explained NUAR's approach to data quality as a long-term target for improvement, which he believes can be achieved by encouraging participation and generating data feedback loops through the creation of a common map.

Co-hosts: David Horesh (Director of Marketing) and Ophir Wainer (Director of North American Business Development)