Augmented Reality Ticketing Management System Supports Damage and Liability Mitigation

A Colorado facility owner implements ARTMS for management of 811 locate requests in order to minimize damage and liability exposure.

Nestled in an idyllic valley between the Colorado mountain towns of Glenwood Springs and Aspen, El Jebel offers much-needed affordable housing for workers employed by nearby resort towns. Crawford Properties, LLC, owns 255 acres of El Jebel, which includes almost 300 mobile homes, numerous businesses, and even a baseball field. Highway 82 intersects this land, and as a Colorado Tier One facility owner, Crawford has a duty to provide positive response for all 811 locate requests. 

The Challenges of a Colorado Facility Owner

Prior to recent changes to SUE regulations in Colorado, Crawford Properties was required to respond to 811 tickets via the 811 portal. As a smaller Tier One member, it didn’t make sense to invest in a high-price tag ticketing solution, especially with Crawford’s moderately-sized locating team. The alternative option to a ticketing investment was to use the email notification provided by CO811. This was challenging because the coded response on CO811’s website was not enough information for excavators, and Crawford Properties had no way to add more information, including photos, to the locate request. 

Crawford also faced the difficulty of accurately documenting the work done by the team manually. This process was labor-intensive, and there was always a concern that Crawford’s documentation might not be complete enough to verify the full record of information provided when positive response was required. 

Mitigating Damages with AR 

After finding effective results using the Argis Lens, an augmented reality GIS integration mobile app, to expand its GIS record, Crawford saw another opportunity to prevent exposure and damages with Argis Solutions’ augmented reality ticketing management system, ARTMS. Crawford Properties is passionate about successfully supporting the El Jebel community, and the potential disruptions an excavation strike could cause to residents and businesses are substantial.

Additionally, with changes in 2018 to Colorado’s SUE legislation, facility owners now face paying for excavator downtime if a strike occurs, as well as fines for the cost to replace damaged lines. Crawford was focused on providing positive response with ample documentation, minimizing its loss exposure and ensuring the El Jebel community operates as seamlessly as possible.

ARTMS Offers Robust Documentation for Facility Owner Success

With ARTMS, Crawford’s crew is able to photographically document the excavation site in its natural state, superimposed with the GIS data they provide to excavators. This information is time-stamped for data integrity. Longitudinal and latitudinal data is also included in ARTMS’ audit-ready reports. As a facility owner, high-level documentation is crucial to maintaining a clear and exceptionally accurate history of each 811 ticket.

Crawford Properties’ owner and property manager Prentice Hubbell said, “It’s more detailed than going on CO811’s website saying, ‘Locate complete’ or ‘Clear, no conflict.’” With ARTMS, it is easier and more affordable for Crawford to provide a comprehensive history and efficiently achieve positive response success, creating a safer job site.