Mapping a water pipe correctly starts long before you open any software and ends only when every attribute is verified on site. This guide walks through the complete field workflow a crew follows when mapping a water main using Geolantis, from the jobs you do the night before to the data check you run before driving away. The process is built around how utility mapping actually happens in the field, not how data gets cleaned up afterward in the office.
What Field Crews Need Before Arriving on Site
Poor preparation is the single most common cause of rework on a water pipe mapping job. When a crew leaves a site without recording a required attribute, that gap cannot be filled from the office. Someone has to go back.
Before the crew heads out, complete the following pre-site checklist:
- Obtain current as-built drawings or existing asset records from the asset owner and load them into Geolantis as a reference layer.
- Confirm the data schema with the asset owner, specifically, which attributes are mandatory, what value lists apply (such as pipe material codes) and what accuracy standard applies to the survey.
- Download the job to the field tablet for offline use. Geolantis supports full offline data capture and the sync happens automatically when connectivity restores, so the crew can work without a live connection.
- Confirm your Dial Before You Dig (or 811 Call Before You Dig) obligations are met and that all locate requests are in hand before any physical investigation work begins.
- Confirm traffic management requirements. If work occurs near a roadway, a traffic management plan must be in place before the crew sets foot on site.
- Check that all permits required to access pits, chambers or private property are approved.
The reference drawings matter beyond navigation. They give the crew a baseline to check against while capturing data. If what is on the ground does not match what is on the drawing, that discrepancy needs to be recorded on site, not guessed at from the office.
Equipment Setup and Device Configuration
A water pipe mapping job requires a specific set of equipment, and how that equipment connects to Geolantis determines the accuracy and completeness of the data captured.
| Equipment | Purpose | Geolantis Integration |
| Ruggedized field tablet | Runs Geolantis in the field | Native – primary device |
| Handheld GPS/GNSS receiver | Captures georeferenced positions | Bluetooth connection; accuracy metadata recorded per point |
| Electromagnetic pipe locator (Geolantis integrates with a wide range of GNSS receivers and EM locators) | Locates pipe position and depth | Direct integration via Radiodetection compatibility |
| Measuring tape and offset pole | Manual offset measurement where GPS is obstructed | Manual entry in Geolantis |
| Personal protective equipment and traffic management gear | Site safety | N/A |
Once on site, connect the GNSS receiver and pipe locator to the tablet via Bluetooth before opening the job in Geolantis. Verify the connections are live and that the tablet is receiving position data from the receiver, not defaulting to the tablet’s internal GPS.
Check the coordinate system settings in Geolantis before capturing any data. Capturing a full pipe run in the wrong coordinate reference system creates a data problem that requires the crew to return to site.
Checking GPS Accuracy Before You Start
Positional accuracy must be confirmed before the first point is captured. For water main mapping, a horizontal accuracy of 50mm to 100mm is typically required, though this varies by asset owner and the applicable survey standard (for example, the PAS 128 specification for underground utility detection, verification and location sets tiered accuracy requirements based on the quality level of the survey).
On site, check the accuracy reading displayed in Geolantis against your required threshold. If accuracy is insufficient, wait for a better satellite geometry fix, connect to a real-time correction service, or switch to an offset measurement from a known control point. Do not start capturing pipe geometry until the accuracy is within the required threshold.
Geolantis records accuracy metadata alongside every captured point. This means the office team can later filter or flag any positions captured below the required accuracy, without relying on the crew to remember where the signal was poor.
Capturing Pipe Geometry in the Field
Field capture begins at a known reference point like a valve, a meter box, an exposed pit or a connection to a previously surveyed main. Starting from a known point ties the new capture to the existing data model and gives the office team a verifiable anchor.
Follow these steps to capture a pipe run:
- Open the job in Geolantis and navigate to the starting reference point.
- Confirm your GNSS accuracy is within the required threshold.
- Capture the starting point as a node. Select the appropriate feature type for a pipe start or end, this is typically a connection or fitting point.
- Walk the pipe alignment. Use the locator to follow the pipe route and capture a node at each change in direction, change in depth, change in material or pipe diameter, and at every fitting along the run.
- At straight sections with no fittings, capture a node at a maximum interval specified in your data schema (commonly every 20 to 30 meters) to maintain spatial accuracy along the line.
- Capture the end point of the pipe run as a node. If the pipe connects to another main, link the endpoint to the existing network.
Geolantis represents pipe runs as line features and individual assets (valves, hydrants, meters) as point features. The platform guides the crew through the capture sequence using intelligent data collection forms, which means crew members who are not GIS-trained can capture spatially accurate, attribute-complete data without needing to understand the underlying data model.
Mapping Fittings, Valves and Service Points
Every fitting along a water main is a separate point feature, and each one needs to be captured and linked to the parent pipe. Missing a fitting on site means missing it from the asset register permanently.
The following table lists the most common water main fittings and their standard attribute fields:
| Feature | Standard Attributes |
| Isolation valve | Valve type, material, size, operating status, depth to top |
| Fire hydrant | Type (above/below ground), size, operating pressure, access cover type |
| Water meter | Meter size, meter type, service address, connection diameter |
| Air valve | Type (single/double acting), size, depth |
| Tee junction | Pipe materials and diameters for each branch, depth |
| Lateral connection | Connection diameter, connection material, service type |
To capture a fitting in Geolantis, navigate to the fitting location and select the appropriate feature type from the form. Geolantis automatically links the fitting to the nearest pipe segment in the data model when the job is synced. Where the relationship needs to be explicit on site, for example, where multiple pipes pass in close proximity, the crew can manually assign the fitting to the correct parent pipe within the form.
Attach a photo of each fitting as part of the data record. A photo of an exposed valve or a visible pit lid is a direct evidence record that the feature was physically located and observed.
Recording Pipe Attributes on Site
Attribute completeness is a non-negotiable requirement of water main mapping. An incomplete record is not a partial record but an unreliable record that the asset owner cannot use for planning, maintenance or regulatory reporting.
The following attributes are required for most water main capture programs:
| Attribute | Data Type | Why It Matters |
| Pipe material | Categorical (e.g. PVC, DI, AC) | Determines maintenance risk and replacement priority |
| Nominal diameter | Numeric (mm) | Required for hydraulic modelling and capacity planning |
| Depth to crown | Numeric (mm) | Required for safe excavation planning |
| Installation date | Date | Indicates age and condition risk |
| Pressure zone | Categorical | Required for network operations |
| Lining type | Categorical (e.g. unlined, cement mortar) | Affects water quality and corrosion risk |
| Condition grade | Categorical or numeric | Feeds into asset management programmes |
| Survey date | Date | Required for data currency assessment |
| Survey accuracy | Numeric (mm) | Documents confidence level of position data |
Geolantis field forms can be configured to mark specific attributes as required, which prevents the crew from progressing to the next feature without completing mandatory fields. This is not a workaround for thorough field practice but rather a check that catches omissions before the crew leaves the site.
Where attribute values cannot be determined on site ( for example, if pipe material is not visible and no records are available) record that explicitly. “Unknown” is a valid and honest entry, a blank field is not.
Capturing Depth and Cover Measurements
Depth is the attribute field crews most commonly record inconsistently. A single depth reading at a pit is not sufficient for a pipe run that spans 200 metres and changes grade. The crew needs to record depth at every significant change in cover and at regular intervals along the run.
Follow these steps to capture cover depth on site:
- At each exposed access point (pit, chamber or pothole), measure depth to the top of the pipe and record it as the depth attribute for the nearest node.
- Where the pipe locator provides a depth reading along the buried run, record that reading at each captured node.
- Note whether the depth was measured directly or taken from a locator reading, as the two carry different levels of accuracy and confidence.
- Where depth readings are inconsistent with the as-built drawings, flag the discrepancy in Geolantis using the field notes field and attach a photo of the measurement.
Geolantis stores depth as a discrete attribute against each node on the pipe line, so the office team can map cover variation across the full pipe run without having to interpret field notes.
Quality Checks Before Leaving the Site
The on-site data review is the most important step that crews skip under time pressure and the one they regret most. Once the crew leaves the site and the traffic management comes down, returning to check a missed attribute costs significantly more than spending five minutes reviewing the data before departure.
Before leaving any water pipe mapping site, work through the following checklist:
- Walk the full pipe run in Geolantis and confirm there are no spatial gaps between the start and end node.
- Open every captured fitting and confirm all required attribute fields are populated.
- Confirm depth readings are recorded at the start point, end point and at each major fitting or direction change along the run.
- Review the accuracy metadata on captured nodes and flag any points that fall outside the required accuracy threshold.
- Check that each fitting is linked to the correct parent pipe segment.
- Confirm that at least one photo is attached to each exposed asset or access point.
- Add field notes to any record that contains an estimate, a discrepancy from the as-built drawing or an attribute that requires office-side follow-up.
If any of the above checks reveal a problem that cannot be resolved from the office, fix it on site before leaving. The rule is straightforward: if the fix requires physical access to the pipe, the crew is the only ones who can do it.
Syncing and Exporting the Data
When the crew syncs the tablet at the end of a job, the captured data uploads from the device to the Geolantis cloud platform. From there, the data is available to the office team for review, QA processing and handover to the asset owner.
For organisations using Esri’s ArcGIS environment, the integration is direct. Geolantis synchronises captured data to the cloud in real time, which means the office team can review incoming records while the crew is still on site rather than waiting for an end-of-day file transfer. When a Geolantis project is configured against an ArcGIS geodatabase schema, the field names, geometry types, coded value domains and required field constraints in the form match the target feature classes in the geodatabase. The seamless CAD/GIS export then maps that structured data directly to the schema, so the import runs without remapping, reformatting or manual field alignment. The data schema is aligned to the target GIS schema at the job setup stage, which means the output is already structured correctly when it arrives.
If the crew worked without mobile connectivity (e.g, in a basement, a remote location or an area with poor signal) the data remains on the device and uploads automatically the next time the tablet connects to the internet. No data is lost. The sync process is not dependent on real-time connectivity, which means field capture is never interrupted by signal conditions.
Common Field Problems and How to Handle Them
GPS Signal Drops in Built-Up Areas
Satellite signal degrades near tall structures, under tree canopy and in narrow corridors between buildings. When the positional accuracy reading in Geolantis drops below the required threshold, stop capturing GPS positions and switch to offset measurement.
Identify a visible control point like a property corner, a survey mark or a known reference feature and measure the offset distance and bearing from the control point to the pipe position. Enter this as a manual offset in Geolantis. The platform records the measurement method alongside the position, so the office team knows which points were GPS-captured and which were measured by offset.
The Pipe Does Not Match the As-Built Drawing
A pipe that runs in a significantly different location or alignment than the as-built drawing is a common find and an important one. Do not adjust the captured position to match the drawing. Capture what is physically on the ground.
Record the discrepancy in the field notes field for the affected pipe segment. Note the drawing reference, the stated position on the drawing and the observed position on the ground. Attach a photo of any visible evidence like an exposed pipe, a pit lid, a locator reading. This discrepancy record is part of the deliverable, and the asset owner needs it to update their records correctly.
Tablet Loses Charge Mid-Job
All data captured in Geolantis up to the point of shutdown is retained on the device. No captured features, no attribute entries and no photos are lost when the tablet powers off. When the device is recharged and restarted, the job opens from the point where work stopped.
Carry a portable power bank on every job and establish a habit of checking battery level before starting a new pipe section. A tablet at 20% charge is a risk to productivity and a preventable problem.
See how Geolantis performs on a real water main mapping job. The platform is built for the way field crews actually work: offline-first, attribute-complete and ready to sync the moment connectivity is available.
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