811spotter app helps manage field tickets

July 7, 2023
Manage utility location data in the field

811spotter app provides access to data and documentation capabilities via an intuitive map-based interface, enabling contractors to work safely and efficiently even in the most challenging environments, according to the company.

“With 811spotter’s mobile apps, our teams can get full ticket details and dig-site information, including the electronic white-line derived from the original ticket, to get all the site details they need,” said Mark Benesi, Northern California Safety Manager at Malcolm Drilling, in a statement. “That might sound simple, but it’s something our guys in the field have never had before. All this stuff used to be buried in emails or stacks of paper—now they can just look at a map on their phone, and see exactly where they’re supposed to be working.”

The 811spotter platform streamlines the process of managing 811 tickets to help contractors manage excavation projects safely and avoid costly and dangerous damage to underground pipelines, cables, and other pre-existing infrastructure.

The 811spotter mobile app brings the same ticketing information to field teams’ tablets and smartphones via an innovative map interface that enables teams to easily track multiple tickets and jobs in a single convenient view. Purpose-built for commercial contractors and optimized for use in the field, the 811spotter app provides field teams with access to up-to-date job site details—from utility locations, to ticket status, to messages from the notification center or head office—while out in the field.

“Our customers tell us that communication between field teams and office-based 811 ticket managers is a major bottleneck—and a point of failure—for high-stakes excavation projects,” said Marc Krichman, co-founder of 811spotter, in a statement. “With our new mobile app, we’re breaking down those barriers, and ensuring that all team members have the 360-degree visibility and reliable real-time data they need to get the job done.”

Field teams can also collect supplementary data about utilities and other infrastructure while in the field, adding geotagged photos, notes, and location information to enhance information provided by the regional 811 center and elevate safety and productivity for future field teams working in the same area. The result is a context-aware ticket management system that gets smarter over time: unclear or inaccurate information only needs to be corrected once, with changes instantly updated across contractors’ organizations and preserved to support future jobs.

“Our company specializes in underground wet utilities, and ticket information can be unclear—but the last thing you want is field teams improvising or guessing,” said Adam Bettencourt, area manager at Mozingo Construction, in a statement. “By crowdsourcing reliable real-world information about underground infrastructure, 811spotter’s app is a game-changer for companies like ours—our field teams can share information fast, with automatic geotagging to reduce on-site delays and help us get the job done right every single time.”

“When it comes to excavation, the stakes are high, and there’s simply no margin for error,” Krichman said. “At 811spotter, we’re committed to helping field teams to work smarter, and giving them the data, resources, and connectivity they need to consistently weave best practices into their daily workflows.”

811spotter is currently available in California and Nevada, with support for more states coming in the next few months.

Source: 811spotter

About the Author

Rod Sutton

Sutton has served as the editorial lead of Construction Equipment magazine and ConstructionEquipment.com since 2001. 

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