Danish Agency for Data Supply and Infrastructure
“The digitisation of The Danish Register on Underground Cable Owners has been a huge project. Fortunately, we have had very good cooperation with all stakeholders during the process which means that we now have a strong platform for exchanging digital data on underground cables and pipes in place. The fully digital workflow reduces administration and paves the way for a reduction in excavation damage, and disruptions for businesses and citizens.”
Rikke Hougaard Zeberg
Director General, Danish Agency for Data Supply and Infrastructure
Cable and pipe data is key for some of the most important upcoming societal and economic activities in Denmark. The roll-out of new district heating and fibre networks, in addition to the expansion of the electricity grid to support the green transition, will result in extensive and unprecedented underground digging.
The Register of Underground Cable Owners (Ledningsejerregistret.dk) provides a single point of access to data, which prevents contractors from digging into and damaging important utility cables. The data platform is secured and developed by the Agency for Data Supply and Infrastructure (SDFI).
For more than three years, the owners of underground cables and pipes in Denmark have been digitising cable and pipe data to meet the July 2023 deadline. With the launch of the platform, excavating contractors are now provided with data within minutes in most cases, compared to up to five working days previously.
Nationwide digital data on water, sewage and gas pipes, power and broadband cables, as well as other underground infrastructure, are easily and rapidly available. Access to the data requires logon with a digital signature and all transactions are logged to monitor the system and the use of data in regard to data security.
To use the service, contractors simply define an area of interest and the data platform executes a query to all cable owners in the defined area. Subsequently, cable owners automatically return the relevant data, and SDFI finally compiles all data into a single package which is forwarded to the contractor.
What is The Danish Register of Underground Cable Owners?
- The register is actually a data platform connecting data between the actors who have cables, pipes and wires in the ground, with the contractor who is planning to dig in a certain location.
- When contractors are planning to dig in the ground, they are required by law to make an inquiry in the underground cables and pipes data platform, and they will as a result receive standardised and compiled data about cables, pipes and wires located within the requested area of interest.
- There are approximately 750, 000 km pipes and cables, and more than 3,000 cable and pipe owners in Denmark. The data platform handled 3 million transactions in 2023.
Benefits
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Provides immediate access to data for the requested areas, catering for better planning and execution of works.
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Reduces the likelihood of excavation accidents, which are expensive for the contractor and society.
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Enables easy access to pipes and other underground infrastructure and is expected to result in noteworthy savings through improved efficiency.
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Greatly improves installation, maintenance, operation and repair of underground pipes
and cables is greatly improved, supporting economic growth and reducing disruption. -
Facilitates coordinated digging and the use of free capacity in existing pipes for establishment of broadband cables.