Turning Complex Utility Data into a Smarter Campus Tool
At the University of Rochester, decades of utility plans and as-built drawings existed across thousands of documents, making it difficult for facilities staff to quickly access accurate information when it mattered most. For a campus with ongoing construction and maintenance activity, improving how this data was organized and used became essential.
Our team partnered with the University to transform this fragmented information into a unified, 3D GIS-based system. The effort began by georeferencing hundreds of existing plans and converting them into a structured geodatabase, creating seamless utility layers for each system. Instead of searching through individual drawings and manually piecing information together, staff now have access to a clear, integrated view of campus infrastructure.
From Data Management to Better Decision-Making
The result is a practical, day-to-day tool that supports safer and more efficient operations. Facilities teams can quickly locate utilities, improving the “call-before-you-dig” process and reducing the risk of conflicts during construction and maintenance activities. The system also allows the University to fully leverage its existing investment in surveys and utility records, turning static information into a living resource.
Building on this foundation, our team developed an Integrated Design and Management platform that expands the value of the system beyond utilities. The 3D virtual campus environment supports planning, visualization, and communication, giving the University a more complete picture of how projects fit within the broader campus.
By bringing data, design, and planning into a single platform, the solution helps the University make more informed decisions, better communicate future initiatives, and support long-term campus development.