More than 15,000 underground utility strikes are reported in Australia every year, costing the economy an estimated $4.6 billion through project delays, service outages and lost productivity. A new digital platform developed through the Transport Australia Fellowship is being piloted on some of the country’s biggest job sites to bring that number down.

The Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) Digital Utility Portal (BDUP) is a secure, GIS-enabled map that consolidates underground and overhead utility asset data in one place. It’s aimed at planners and designers working in the pre-construction phase, so crews aren’t discovering what’s underground when a bucket already has. Trailer Magazine confirmed the platform’s origins in the Fellowship program and its three active pilot regions: Brisbane’s Olympic infrastructure precinct, Western Sydney, and Perth.

BYDA CEO Mell Greenall has been direct about where the problem sits. “The problem in Australia is systemic rather than behavioural,” she said, according to Inside Water. That framing matters: the fix isn’t about telling workers to be more careful; it’s about giving them better data before the first machine moves.

A proof-of-concept trial completed in 2025 drew more than 1,000 industry stakeholders. Major asset owners backing the portal include Telstra, Ausgrid, Jemena and Endeavour Energy. Scaled nationally, BYDA projects the platform could save 5.2 million labour hours per year, roughly 2,750 full-time-equivalent positions, worth around $330 million annually in recovered productivity. The platform meets Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act requirements and holds ISO 27001 certification.

For civil construction workers, excavators and site engineers on current major builds, the pilots in Brisbane, Western Sydney and Perth mean real-world testing is already under way. Workers on Brisbane 2032 Olympic infrastructure are among those potentially operating from far more accurate underground data in the near term.

The BDUP is still in its pilot phase, so it won’t appear on every job site tomorrow. But with three of Australia’s most active infrastructure corridors running trials and tier-one energy and telco companies on board, the question isn’t whether centralised data access is coming, it’s how fast asset owners and state governments move to mandate it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the BYDA Digital Utility Portal?

It’s a secure, GIS-enabled map that consolidates underground and overhead utility asset data in one place, designed for planners and designers to use before excavation begins.

Where is the portal being trialled?

Pilots are running in three regions: Brisbane’s Olympic infrastructure precinct, Western Sydney, and Perth.

How much could the portal save if rolled out nationally?

BYDA projects it could save 5.2 million labour hours per year, equivalent to around 2,750 full-time positions and roughly $330 million in recovered productivity annually.

Which companies are backing the platform?

Major asset owners supporting the portal include Telstra, Ausgrid, Jemena and Endeavour Energy.

Sourced from Infrastructure Magazine, Trailer Magazine, Inside Water, Before You Dig Australia (BYDA). Original article.