Visualisation of 3D Uncertainties for Subsurface Infrastructure Using Augmented Reality

The damage of subsurface infrastructure under the auspices of excavation is a long-standing global problem, which causes great financial losses as a consequence of project delays, disruptions of public supply, and the increased life-cycle costs of utility lines. The primary causes of excavation damage are attributed to the lack of reliable utility information and inadequate approaches to communicating the positional uncertainties to the end users. Accordingly, this study presents a deterministic uncertainty-aware approach for visualising subsurface infrastructure in 3D using augmented reality (AR). The prototype was presented and evaluated in a focus group interview with five respondents with experience from the utility sector. The participants agreed, that the insufficient availability of vertical coordinates for the cables at present constitutes the biggest challenge. However, they emphasised the future potential of the AR solution in the prospect of ongoing improvements in data quality prompted by the new Danish data model for exchanging utility information.