National Underground Asset Register (NUAR)

About NUAR

The Geospatial Commission, part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology,Technology, is building a digital map of underground pipes and cables thatin willEngland, revolutioniseWales the way we install, maintain, operate and repairNorthern ourIreland buried infrastructure - the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR).

Once operational, NUAR is envisagedimproving tothe deliverefficiency £490and millionsafety perof yearthe ofway economicwe growthinstall, throughmaintain, increasedoperate efficiency,and reducedrepair assetour strikesburied (wheninfrastructure undergroundby pipesproviding andsecure cablesaccess areto accidentallydata damaged)from over 600 public and reducedprivate disruptionssector forasset theowners. publicThese include gas, water, electric and businesses.telecommunications companies and local authorities.

TheCurrently emergingworkers servicemust iscontact improvingmultiple theorganisations efficiency and safetywait ofon undergroundaverage worksover bysix providingdays securejust access to privatelyget andthe publiclyinformation ownedthey locationneed. dataWith aboutNUAR, thethey pipescan andget cablesthat beneathinformation ourinstantly, feet.any Thetime digitalof mapthe givesday, any day of the year. This means planners and excavators standardisedget access to the data they need, when they need it, to carry out their work effectively and safely. ItNUAR also includes features to keep data secure and improve its quality over time.

NUAR will lead to increased efficiency of data sharing and excavations, fewer accidental strikes on underground pipes and cables, and reduced disruptions for the public and businesses. It will also contribute to building the infrastructure needed across the country, such as new roads, rail and houses.

NUAR will help those who plan and carry out the digging work do their jobs more effectively and safely. This not only improves public services but also people’s lives.

Minimum viable product

An initial private BETA version of NUAR, also called the ‘minimumminimum viable product’product (MVP), is live across EnglandEngland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The MVP includes all core functionality to meet the ‘safe dig’ use case, allowing users to both plan for future adoption and provide valuable feedback to enhance the service further.

The ItMVP includes data from allover 200 asset owners, including data from most of the major energy and water providers, such as Welsh Water, Cadent Gas and UKNorthern PowerIreland Networks,Electricity, several major telecommunications companies, including CityFibre and Virgin Media O2, as well as smaller providers of these services, transport organisations and local authorities.

Find more about the NUAR ‘MVP’.

Find out more:

In the video below, we provide an introduction to NUAR and its objectives:

NUAR explainer

In the video below, we provide a demonstration of the NUAR platform and its features:

NUAR platform

Current work

• The NUAR service will continue to be iteratively enhanced in line with user feedback, the MVP coverage will be expanded to Northern Ireland by spring 2024, and the platform will be fully operational by the end of 20252025.

• Measures

  Proposed aremeasures beingto soughtupdate existing legislation were announced in Parliamentthe toKing’s updateSpeech existing2024, legislation,which takingwould take advantage of opportunities provided by data and technology advancements,advancements to simplify and expedite the process by which asset data is sharedshared.

• A 

  A discovery project is underway is, underway, exploringexploring the potential benefits of widening access to NUAR and the constraints surrounding new propositions. Following an extensive, open and fruitful period of stakeholder engagement, we are noware now in the process of analysing all the ideasevidence captured. AsPlease a result, while the Geospatial Commission will continue to work closely with stakeholders and will always welcome feedback on the NUAR programme as a whole, we will not be incorporating new ideas into the discovery project at this stage. Please look out for future updates on this webpage, for the latest news on this exciting work as it progresses.

Contact us

PleaseFind email Nuar.Support@atkinsrealis.com ifout you:more:

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  NUAR orexplainer

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• are anplatform activeand user,its orfeatures:

  NUAR workingplatform

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For media enquiries, please email geospatialcommission@dsit.gov.uk