Nationwide Retail Firm Partners With GPRS To Complete Hundreds Of Existing Condition Assessments Of Their Underground Sewer Systems

Nationwide Retail Firm Partners With GPRS To Complete Hundreds Of Existing Condition Assessments Of Their Underground Sewer Systems

Who do you call when you need to accurately assess the storm and sewer systems of your company’s facilities, but don’t want to have to pay for local plumbers throughout the U.S. to come out to the property multiple times to address the same issues?

For this nationwide retailer, the clear answer to that question was the SIM and NASSCO certified Video Pipe Inspection Project Managers at GPRS.

This national retailer was in need of a nationwide CCTV sewer inspection contractor to partner with them to asses & map the existing conditions of their underground sewer and storm systems for over 700 different properties located across the United States.

For most properties, with one property in particular, six key items were needed for the sewer inspections to be successful.

These included:

1. Existing conditions of the pipes

2. Mapping of interior and exterior sewer systems

3. Invert information

4. Pipe size and length

5. Depths of the lines

6. Details within the NASSCO Report of any defects found within the lines being inspected.

What were the problems the customer needed to overcome on this specific project?

Our client was experiencing multiple issues on a specific property. Water infiltration had taken place in the building’s basement level which started to damage electrical components within the store’s main level.  With an immediate need for the water infiltration issue to be addressed, the customer started to look for solutions. Their first step to target the matter involved the search for a non-intrusive way to get information on the entire sewer/storm system so that their engineers could assess the next steps needed for remediation. This is why they called GPRS.

Our team of nationwide NASSCO-certified Project Managers where ready and able to meet the call to action, equipped with industry-leading training, equipment, and methodology, to get the job done right, and inch closer to the solution of the problem at hand, the first time around.

Technology used on site

After being called on site to help the client assess their situation, our team, equipped with the industry’s best sewer inspection and utility locating and mapping equipment, accurately located, inspected, and mapped all underground sewer lines with a variety of tools.

These included:

- Video Pipe Inspection Robotic Crawler with Lateral Launch Capabilities

Project Manager lowering Lateral Launch Camera into Sewer

Robotic Crawler w/ CCTV Camera: GPRS crawlers are robust and durable, enabling them to operate in extreme scenarios. Project Managers can provide accurate and reliable views of sewer pipeline conditions and locations. The CCTV cameras can inspect pipes ranging from 6" to 96" in diameter. The lateral launch video tool allows GPRS Project Managers to inspect laterals from the mainline. This tool is capable of cross-bore investigations and mapping the interior condition of hard-to-reach pipes.

- Push Camera

Project Manager Performing Sewer Inspection

GPRS Project Managers are equipped with push cameras for smaller pipe inspections. These cameras were manually fed into a pipe and provided real-time video feeds. Push cameras also have a locatable sonde for mapping purposes. This tool is ideal for scenarios where the pipe is too small for CCTV sewer inspections.

- Electromagnetic Utility Locator

Project Manager using EM utility locator

Electromagnetic pipe and cable locators use a rodder or sonde to emit a specific frequency, which the receiver then detects to precisely locate the underground utility above ground (in the case of a sewer inspection, the frequency of the sonde is located on the head of the crawler or push camera). GPRS Project Managers utilize this piece of equipment in all sewer line inspections in accordance with SIM. For this project in particular, this tool allowed for our Project Managers to accurately locate and track the sewer line crawler, which provided the accurate depth of the sanitary and storm and storm sewer lines being inspected on site.

- Matterport Camera

Project Manager using Matterport scanner

GPRS utilizes Matterport technology as part of our reality capture services, and our WalkThru 3D, FLRPLN, and ProCap products. These additions provided  tremendous value by capturing our 99.8% accurate field markings on the ground to allow our Mapping & Modeling Team to create integrated digital twins that incorporate above and below-ground infrastructure to give the client a, 3D, 360- degree-view of their facility. This data capture was also used in the creation of a 2D CAD drawing for the engineers to help with the design/renovation plans to fix the water infiltration.

- RTK GPS Geode

Project Managers Using GPS Geode to Map utilities

The proprietary GeNIuSS IQ Lite Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a multiband system that collects both L1 and L3 frequencies, is capable of survey-grade accuracy (less than 1 inch) when using real-time kinematic RTK) correction, and is resistant to weather and water. The GenIuSS IQ was used by GPRS Project Managers to collect data from the locate and inspection to upload that information within our infrastructure visualization platform, SiteMap®.  

Each one of these pieces of professional infrastructure visualization equipment were essential to accurately map the sewer lines located on the property and to provide an easy-to-use GIS map for the engineers to use once the inspection, locate & mapping, and scan were complete via SiteMap®. Reports easily accessible via SiteMap® included a 2D CAD map of the property, a Job Summary Report, Submittal Letter, and the NASSCO report of each sewer and storm line inspected by our team with our CCTV lateral launch camera and crawler. This ensured our client received uniform and easily comprehendible maps and models for all their projects to help streamline their review process.

GIS for Sewer Utilities Map
SiteMap® provides accurate, up to date maps of your above and below ground infrastructure in one easy-to-use place for you to view 24/7 from any tablet or mobile device.

CAD Map of Sewers on Property
2D CAD map created based off site findings.

The CCTV sewer inspection completed by our Project Managers, also supplied our customers with the non-intrusive data information solution they needed to get to the bottom of their wastewater system issues. We were able to help them save time and money, and eliminate the and the potential for plumbers to return to the store multiple times for the same issue.

How You Can Partner With GPRS

Jobsite Plus Logo

This project is one of over 700 that our team has executed with this nationwide retailer. We take pride in our ability to partner with organizations of all sizes to assist in their infrastructure visualization needs. Whether it be a nationwide firm who needs consistency with a sole vendor across the country, or an individual project owner needing the same high quality consistency between all subcontractors on site, our Partnership Plus and Jobsite Plus® programs provide you with the opportunity to receive that, and much more.

Our goal at GPRS is to help you Intelligently Visualize the Built World® with on time, on budget, and safe projects that help maintain your reputation in your industry. Our partnerships are available to all GPRS customers and provide an opportunity for you and your team to ensure quality, accuracy, accountability, and control of your projects. By partnering with GPRS as a sole vendor for all your CCTV sewer inspection, Utility Locating, Concrete Scanning, 3D Laser Scanning, Mapping and Modeling, and Leak Detection needs, you benefit from national vendor consistency, industry-leading investigation standards, Rapid Response priority scheduling, dedicated Project Coordinators for your account, fixed pricing, and 48-hour turnaround time when applicable.

Partner with GPRS on your job sites today, so you can communicate, collaborate, dig, drill, manage, engineer, inspect, and ultimately build better.

Partnership Plus Logo

To learn more about our GPRS Partnership Plus and Jobsite Plus® offerings schedule a complimentary meeting with one of our dedicated team members in your area today by clicking the link below!

Partnership Plus  Jobsite Plus®

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GPRS Partnership Plus Program?

GPRS Partnership Plus™ is an exclusive agreement. It is reserved for partners who want to commit to GPRS’ industry-leading safety protocols regionally or nationwide while we help you solve whatever ground disturbance or infrastructure visualization problems you are facing. This is a partnership that provides you exclusive benefits such as additional safety events and biannual presentations to your crews, as well as high-priority quarterly business reviews with your local Business Development Manager. That’s double the consult time we normally provide. If you are serious about reducing damages, reworks, and budget overruns on your job sites and are looking for a dedicated team to work beside you as a trusted advisor and partner, then Partnership Plus is for you.

What is the GPRS Jobsite Plus® Program?

GPRS’ Jobsite Plus® Program is a tool that equips you with the accurate data you need, exactly when and how you need it, ensuring the same high-quality level is kept for all stakeholders - from subcontractors to owners and everyone in between on an individual job site or project. When you become a GPRS Jobsite Plus® partner, GPRS becomes the only company on site locating utilities, scanning concrete, inspecting pipes, conducting 3D laser scans, and crafting state-of-the-art CAD drawings, maps, and models to fit your project’s needs. This ensures no more chasing down multiple sources of information from subcontractors to ensure the safety of an excavation before breaking ground. Markings, maps, models, and reports collected by GPRS will be uploaded for you into SiteMap®, our revolutionary infrastructure visualization platform to provide you a single source of truth for your above and below ground site data.

What’s the difference between GPRS’ Jobsite Plus® and Partnership Plus?

GPRS Partnership Plus is to help ensure that an entire organization stays safe by assuring the same quality and consistency on projects nationwide by having GPRS as the sole vendor for Subsurface Damage Prevention, Facility and Project Management, as well as Existing Condition Documentation. Jobsite Plus® is all of that, but instead of an entire company and its projects nationwide, it focuses on an individual job site, for an individual general contractor or owner, for the entirety of the project lifecycle.