UK government to share digital map technology with Canada

UK and the Government of Ontario, Canada sign a collaboration agreement to share the knowledge and technology behind the UK’s National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) (Photo: UK Government)

The agreement was signed by Viscount Camrose, Minister for Intellectual Property, and Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure with the Government of Ontario.

The MoU outlines a sharing agreement for the knowledge and technology used in the UK’s National Underground Asset Register (NUAR), which is a geospatial mapping project that stores the location of underground pipes and cables.

Viscount Camrose said, “I am delighted that the Ontario government has recognised the excellent work that that has been done in the UK by the Geospatial Commission in developing the National Underground Asset Register, and the significant value that the work could bring to Ontario’s infrastructure and economy. This agreement both strengthens the long-standing UK and Ontario relationship, and shows the strength of the geospatial sector in the UK.”

Surma, Ontario’s minister of infrastructure, added, “The Ontario and UK governments have always been great partners, including sharing our collective knowledge and experience in the infrastructure sector.

“With this agreement, we will continue to learn from and collaborate with the Geospatial Commission, so that we can speed-up the delivery of key infrastructure projects in Ontario. I look forward to strengthening this partnership, as our governments explore and implement innovative solutions that support the modern infrastructure needs of our growing communities.”

The agreement sets the stage for the UK’s Geospatial Commission to share the best practices and technology utilized by NUAR with Infrastructure Ontario.

The parties involved will work collaboratively to improve worker safety, decrease the number of asset strikes, and enhance the accuracy of geospatial infrastructure data.