Know What’s Below Before You Dig: How DigMark Brings Locate Management into GeoViewer
- Aug 10
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 26
The Challenge
Every excavation ticket represents more than a location on a map. For a water district, it means underground infrastructure that must be identified, field work that must be coordinated, and information that must be documented before digging can safely move forward.
But when tickets, maps, field photos, markings, and responses live across different systems, a routine locate request can quickly become a time-consuming process.
The Solution
Nobel Systems' DigMark Module in GeoViewer solves this by bringing excavation tickets, maps, utility markings, field documentation, mobile access, and positive-response workflows into one connected, map-based system.
The result: water districts move from receiving a ticket to completing the work with greater visibility and fewer manual steps. DigMark turns GIS from a static reference into an active platform that helps teams protect infrastructure, not just view it.
From Locate Ticket to Field Action
Receiving an excavation ticket is only the beginning.
The water district still needs to understand where the excavation will occur, determine what underground infrastructure may be affected, prioritize the request, send the right information to the field, document the locate, and complete the required response.
DigMark brings those steps closer together.
Open and real-time tickets can be viewed within GeoViewer, giving teams a geographic picture of excavation activity across their service area.
Instead of working from ticket numbers and addresses alone, staff can see where the work is happening.
That geographic context can make a major difference.
Managers gain better visibility into active tickets and their priorities. Field crews can access the information associated with a location. And the organization gains a clearer connection between excavation activity and the infrastructure it is responsible for protecting.
One ticket. One location. One connected workflow.
See What's Underground at a Glance
Speed matters in the field. Utility color codes give crews a shared visual language for identifying
what's underground, and DigMark brings that language directly into the GeoViewer workflow.
White: Proposed Excavation
Shows where excavation is planned.
Red: Power/Electric
Identifies electric facilities.
Yellow: Gas, Oil, and Steam
Identifies gas, oil, and steam facilities.
Orange: Communications
Identifies communication infrastructure.
Blue: Potable Water
Identifies potable water infrastructure.
Green: Sewer and Drain Lines
Identifies sewer and drainage facilities.
Purple: Reclaimed Water
Identifies reclaimed water infrastructure.
Pink: Temporary Survey
Identifies temporary survey markings.
These aren't just temporary markings. Within DigMark, they become documented data: crews capture site photos showing color-coded markings, creating a visual record tied to each ticket.
That record gives the district a clearer picture of site conditions before work proceeds, and a defensible one after.
Take the Ticket from the Office to the Field
Locate work happens in the field, so the information crews rely on has to travel with them. DigMark connects GeoViewer Online and GeoViewer Mobile, so original ticket information is available onsite, no printed copies required.
The workflow shortens considerably:
Before: Receive ticket → Print ticket → Send to field → Perform work → Return information to office
With DigMark: Receive ticket → View on map → Access on mobile → Document site → Complete work
For a district managing hundreds of tickets, removing even one manual step per request
compounds into real time savings, and fewer opportunities for information to get lost between
office and field.
Turn Field Activity Into Operational Intelligence
Most utilities don't struggle with a lack of data. They struggle with data scattered across too many systems: a ticket in one place, a printed copy with the crew, photos on a phone, markings
documented only on-site, a response filed somewhere else entirely.
DigMark keeps that information connected. Ticket details, locations, markings, photos, and field
notes are tied to the same workflow, so staff can find them later. That has value beyond any single ticket: when a crew returns to a location months or years later, they have full context on what happened there, what was marked, and what was documented. Field activity becomes institutional knowledge the organization can retain and reuse.
That matters most when it counts: during a damage investigation, an audit, or a dispute over what was marked and when. A district that can produce a documented, time-stamped record protects itself as much as it protects its infrastructure.
Complete the Work Without Another Manual Update
The locate process does not end when the field work is finished.
Once the appropriate work is completed, a positive response communicates the status of the locate request.
Without an integrated process, that can mean another administrative step: logging into the DigAlert website, locating the ticket, and manually submitting the response.
DigMark helps streamline this part of the workflow.
GeoViewer can automatically handle the positive-response submission when the work is completed, reducing the need for employees to manually enter the same update on the DigAlert website.
The workflow becomes much simpler:
Complete the work → Update through GeoViewer → Positive response submitted
For one ticket, this saves a few minutes. Across thousands of tickets a year, it removes a meaningful volume of repetitive data entry, and keeps the process connected from first notice to final response.
What DigMark Means for Water Districts
The value of DigMark is not one individual feature. It is the ability to bring multiple parts of the locate process together.
For water districts, that can mean:
Better visibility. See tickets geographically, not just as a list.
Clearer priorities. Know which tickets need attention first
Less paperwork. Give field crews digital access instead of printouts.
Better field documentation. Capture site photos and color-coded utility markings as part of the workflow.
Easier information retrieval. Keep ticket and field information organized for later use.
Fewer manual updates. Submit positive responses through GeoViewer, not a second system.
A stronger office-to-field connection. Give teams access to the information they need whether they are working from GeoViewer Online or in the field.
Together, these capabilities create a shorter, more visible workflow around excavation activity and the underground infrastructure a water district is responsible for protecting.
GIS Should Do More Than Show You a Map
GIS has traditionally helped utilities answer one fundamental question:
Where are our assets?
Today, water districts need their technology to answer more:
What is happening around those assets? What needs attention? What did our crews find? Has the work been completed? What happens next?
DigMark expands what GeoViewer can do. The map stays the geographic foundation, but it now
connects directly to the work happening around the infrastructure:
Ticket → Map → Field → Response → Record
That's not simply digitizing a paper process. It's using GIS to connect assets, people, information, and action.
Know What Happens Next
Underground infrastructure is out of sight, but the work around it can't be. Water districts need
clear information before excavation begins, accessible information while crews are in the field, and reliable records once the work is done. DigMark brings those stages together, giving GeoViewer users a clearer path from request to response.
And that represents the larger opportunity for utility GIS.
The future is not simply about creating better maps. It is about turning geographic information into better operational decisions and more connected workflows.
With Nobel Systems’ DigMark Module, GeoViewer helps water districts see the work, understand the site, respond efficiently, and keep critical information connected.
Know what’s below. Know what needs attention. Know what happens next.
Discover how GeoViewer’s DigMark Module can help your water district simplify locate management and connect field and office operations.
About Nobel Systems
Nobel Systems, Inc. is a leader in Cloud GIS and Smart Utility Solutions, delivering innovative mapping technology, data services, and strategic consulting to support sustainable public service operations. Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Redlands, California, Nobel Systems, Inc. serves clients across the United States and internationally.
Learn more at www.nobel-systems.com
