Built for Grid Modernization
The electric grid is among the most critical components of modern infrastructure, powering businesses, healthcare facilities, communities, transportation networks, and emerging energy technologies nationwide. As demand accelerates and grid modernization advances, utilities must expand capacity while maintaining reliability, safety, and operational continuity in the existing networks.
DGT partners with leading energy providers to deliver surveying and Subsurface Utility Engineering and Mapping (SUE/SUM) services that strengthen planning, reduce risk, and support confident execution of new networks. Our verified geospatial data helps utilities optimize substation layouts, transmission routing, and infrastructure expansion with greater accuracy and cost control.Whether safeguarding existing networks or planning new transmission and distribution routes, precise underground mapping is critical for decision makers.
SUE/SUM
Complex energy projects demand verified insight below the surface. Our utility engineering and mapping services are aligned with CI/ASCE 38-22 standards, helping to reduce uncertainty for underground construction and prevent costly utility conflicts.
- Subsurface Utility Engineering & Mapping to CI/ASCE 38-22 Standard
- Compilation & Analysis of Subsurface Utility Records
- Remote Sensing Technologies for Subsurface Investigation
- Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Surveys
- Electro-Magnetic Line Detection & Tracing
- Utility Mapping in BIM/Revit & 2D/3D CAD
- GIS Integration
Understanding CI/ASCE 38-22 Quality Levels
DGT’s utility mapping services span all four CI/ASCE 38-22 Quality Levels to match project type and budget.
CI/ASCE 38-22 Quality Level D
Research and compilation of proprietary and public utility records to understand site history and existing documentation. Ideal for early-stage planning with lower financial investment.
CI/ASCE 38-22 Quality Level C
Surface-visible utility features are surveyed and correlated with existing records to improve mapping accuracy.
CI/ASCE 38-22 Quality Level B
Buried utilities are detected and mapped using appropriate geophysical technologies. Data is collected by mapping professionals and delivered in CAD or GIS platforms for design integration.
CI/ASCE 38-22 Quality Level A
The highest level of certainty. Using data from vacuum excavation, DGT captures and documents the results to confirm horizontal and vertical utility location, along with pipe size, depth, material, and condition. This level significantly reduces construction risk and utility strikes.
Advanced Technology That Minimizes Risk and Disruption
DGT is one of the only nationwide geospatial firms that owns and operates advanced remote sensing technologies, enabling our team to capture large project areas daily.
Remote Sensing Technology and Mobile Mapping
Minimizes disruption to pedestrian and vehicular traffic and eliminates the need for police detailing on campuses while extracting high-definition images of the underground. Our technology includes pushcart GPR systems, mobile mapping GPR, EMI (traditional pipe locators), and more.
Radar Tomography
Wide array, multifrequency, high-speed data acquisition technology that provides an extra level of care and detail.
3D Imaging and LiDAR Systems
3D scanners capture a 360-degree picture of the above-ground environment to provide context for underground mapping and allow modeling of existing facilities.
Aerial Imagery
DGT combines imagery with our utility mapping to add perspective and ‘ease of use’ for our clients.
Project Spotlight
Supporting Substation Connectivity for a Major Energy Provider
DGT partnered with one of New England’s leading energy providers, Eversource, to support growing regional energy demand.
The project required identifying the most feasible route to connect new and existing substations to active power plants without disrupting or striking critical underground infrastructure.
Our team executed comprehensive Subsurface Utility Engineering and Mapping (SUE/SUM) using advanced EMI and wide-array 3D Ground-Penetrating Radar technologies. We delivered ASCE 38-22 Quality Levels A, B, and C data across the project corridor, collecting more than 10,000 underground data files in the process.
All findings were consolidated into a single, composite CAD utility plan for Eversource’s engineering teams. With verified subsurface intelligence in hand, the client eliminated high-risk routing options, focused on the most feasible corridors, reduced potential utility conflicts, and improved overall design confidence and cost control.
Surveying
A. John Lloyd, PLS
As a licensed Professional Land Surveyor in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Kentucky, and Tennessee, John has with more than 20 years of industry experience. At DGT, he oversees operations for projects across central and western Massachusetts, with a particular focus on leading 3D scanning initiatives.
John represents the surveying profession nationally as a member of the Board of Directors for the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS). He is also the current Chairman of the Scholarship and Program Committee for the Maine Society of Land Surveyors (MSLS), where he previously served as President from 2005 to 2007.
SUE/SUM
Michael A. Twohig
Lead by Michael A. Twohig, Director of Subsurface Utility Mapping and globally recognized SUM expert, DGT Associates understands the complex impact of underground environments on campus master planning and improvement projects.
Michael brings more than 40 years of global experience in professional utility locating and mapping, underground damage prevention, industry safety awareness program, and passion for educating colleagues in the industry to every project he leads.