THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING PRACTICES IN THAILAND

Abstract

This study investigates the development and practical implementation of subsurface utility engineering (SUE) in Thailand from 2003 to 2024. Using drawings from over 300 infrastructure projects and detailed field surveys across 21 locations, the research evaluates the accuracy of two primary detection technologies, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic pipe locators. Environmental conditions, especially soil moisture have significant impacts on detection performance. When applying a practical accuracy threshold of ±0.3 meters, the pipe locator achieved this standard at approximately 81% of the test sites, while GPR met the criterion at around 67%. The pipe locator also demonstrated a lower average error and greater consistency across varied soil conditions. These findings highlight the importance of selecting detection technologies based on site-specific characteristics and integrating both detection methods, supplemented with physical verification, to enhance utility mapping accuracy. While the results are based on a limited number of test locations, the study provides practical insights and supports the advancement of SUE implementation and quality control in Thailand.