TL;DR:
Before adding onto a building, pouring an equipment pad or installing drainage in Boone County, your team needs to know what utilities run through the work area. Pairing a private locate with RTK GPS data collection and utility mapping gives crews, project managers and property owners a record they can review before construction starts and keep for future jobs.
Before you add onto a building, pour a new equipment pad or put in drainage, you need to know what utilities are in the work area. A locate helps you find those lines. A utility map gives you a record your crew, project manager and property owner can use when planning the job.
Northern Lights provides private locating, high-accuracy RTK GPS data collection and utility asset mapping in Boone County. We bring these services together to help you understand where located utilities run and how they may affect your project.
Our goal is to give you useful information for planning the job and strengthening your damage prevention efforts.
"A locate helps you find those lines. A utility map gives you a record your crew, project manager, and property owner can use when planning the job."
– Northern Lights Locating
RTK GPS uses correction data to improve the accuracy of GPS measurements. We use it to collect the positions of located utility lines and features, and that information is used to build a map.
Your team then has a mapped location to refer to when looking at the work area. You can review it with the people planning the job and point out where the proposed work may cross an existing line.
If the job depends on depth, the team may need more field verification.
Say you're building an addition on a commercial property. The owner has an old drawing, but the site has changed since it was made. You need to know whether private utilities run through the planned foundation area.
Locating and mapping those lines gives the team information to review before the layout is set. By pairing the field locate with a mapped record, Northern Lights gives your team a clearer reference for reviewing the foundation area.
If a utility route crosses it, you can flag that location for further investigation while there is still time to discuss options. That helps you address utility concerns during planning and reduce unnecessary risk before excavation.
The same applies to other common Boone County projects, including:
Having utility information early helps you decide which areas need a closer look before crews start work.
The map can stay with the property's records after your project is finished. When another crew comes back for maintenance or an improvement, they have a starting point for understanding the site.
That is especially useful for owners who hire different contractors over time. Each team gets a record to review instead of depending on someone remembering where a line was marked during the last job.
A map is a starting point, not a substitute for a fresh locate. Current locating and any needed verification still need to happen before digging.
Tell us what you're working on and how you plan to use the map. A contractor checking one excavation area may need a different scope than an owner mapping a whole property.
We focus on the information your team needs for the work ahead, so the locate and map serve a practical purpose on your job. Not sure whether your site needs a private locate at all? Start with our guide on which properties need a private utility locate.
Planning a job in Boone County? Contact Northern Lights to discuss private locating and utility mapping for your site.
Private utility mapping records the positions of privately owned utility lines and features located in the field. Northern Lights pairs private locating with RTK GPS data collection to build a map your crew, project manager and property owner can review when planning a job.
No. RTK GPS records the position of the locate or feature collected, but it does not tell you how deep a buried line is. If depth matters to the job, the team may need additional field verification.
Mapping is useful before building additions, equipment pads, drainage, pavement work, new service routes and equipment installations, especially when existing drawings are outdated or the site has changed.
Yes. The map can stay with the property's records so future crews have a starting point for understanding the site. Current locating and any needed verification still need to happen before digging.
Yes. Contacting Indiana 811 is the essential first step before any excavation. Private locating and utility mapping are separate, complementary services that help account for privately owned lines on the property.
