Targeted as-built field check
Use a defined area to check specific existing records that drive a design decision. This may suit a crossing or tie-in where the concern is a record mismatch.
See the existing as-built-check offer →Utility mapping for civil engineers
Map utilities.
Inform the design.
Plan a corridor, site layout or utility tie-in with field findings in your drawings. Get CAD-ready utility linework and an annotated PDF for an agreed project area.
Discuss Your ProjectStart with a short introduction, then discuss your records and mapping scope on a call.
Define the question first
A crossing check or a project map?
A road realignment may need utility information along the corridor. A proposed connection may need a focused check at the tie-in. The area and design question determine the scope, rather than the name on a record drawing.
Full-project utility mapping
Use wider field coverage across the agreed corridor or site when the design needs utility linework beyond a single question. Full-project describes the agreed area, not a promise to find every buried utility.
Underground utility mapping and subsurface utility mapping describe this same work. Keep the mapped extent clear so your team can distinguish checked ground from areas outside the scope.
What goes into your drawings
Linework with findings attached
01 / CAD
CAD-ready utility linework
Field-located utilities prepared for your design drawings. Agree on the base drawing and file requirements before fieldwork. Use the linework alongside the findings, rather than interpreting a clean line as proof that every part of a utility is resolved.
02 / PDF
Annotated PDF
Record matches, discrepancies and unresolved items marked on the plan, with written findings. A field alignment that differs from an as-built, a finding absent from supplied records, or a record line that remains unconfirmed should remain visible to the design team.
Review unresolved items before relying on them for a conflict decision. A line on the supplied record and a line detected in the field carry different evidence. The deliverables make that distinction available for design review.
Before fieldwork
Agree on the area and inputs
Bring what you have to the scope discussion. Identify missing inputs early so the field task and record comparison answer the same engineering question.
01
Design area
Send a marked plan of the corridor, site or work limits, including proposed crossings and tie-ins. Identify the design decisions that depend on utility information.
02
Available records
Share utility as-builts, owner records and base drawings. Note their dates and known gaps. Limited records do not make the ground clear; they change what can be compared.
03
Drawing requirements
Identify the base file, coordinate reference and CAD format your team uses so the linework can be prepared for the agreed drawing context.
04
Access and constraints
Identify site access, accessible utility connection or tracer points, restricted areas and surfaces that may limit field coverage. Agree on the accessible area before fieldwork.
Field methods and detection limits
Two methods. Evidence to compare.
Ground penetrating radar / GPR
GPR responds to contrasts below the surface. It can provide findings where a utility cannot be traced electromagnetically, but it needs contrast with the surrounding ground. Ground conditions affect the response, and deep utilities may be missed. A radar response alone does not establish a utility's identity.
Electromagnetic locating / EM
EM traces a usable signal on a conductive utility or an accessible tracer. Access and signal conditions matter. A nonconductive line without a usable tracer may not be traceable by this method. Compare the trace with GPR findings and available records rather than treating either method as complete coverage.
Before you set the scope
What if our records are incomplete?
Share the records you have and identify the gaps. Field findings can inform the map, but incomplete records limit what can be matched or classified. Keep unknown and unresolved items explicit instead of assigning an identity from an assumption.
Can we start with one design concern?
Yes. If the question is whether a particular as-built agrees with the field at a crossing or tie-in, discuss a targeted existing as-built check. If utility information is needed across the corridor or site, agree on a wider mapping area.
Where does MSR work?
Midwest Site Recon is based in Plymouth, Indiana, serving Northern and Central Indiana. Extended coverage includes Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Kentucky. Share the project location and access requirements when discussing scope.
Bring the design question and the plan
Tell us where utility information affects your design. We will discuss the records, accessible area and deliverables needed for that decision.
Discuss Your ProjectA short introduction opens the existing project scheduling flow.