Guidance

National Underground Asset Register (NUAR)

Information on the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR).

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

About NUAR

The Geospatial Commission, part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, is building a digital map of underground pipes and cables that will revolutionise the way we install, maintain, operate and repair our buried infrastructure - the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR).

Once operational, NUAR is envisaged to deliver £490 million per year of economic growth through increased efficiency, reduced asset strikes (when underground pipes and cables are accidentally damaged) and reduced disruptions for the public and businesses.

The emerging service is improving the efficiency and safety of underground works by providing secure access to privately and publicly owned location data about the pipes and cables beneath our feet. The digital map gives planners and excavators standardised access to the data they need, when they need it, to carry out their work effectively and safely. It also includes features to keep data secure and improve its quality over time.

An initial private BETA version of NUAR, also called the ‘minimum viable product’ (MVP), is live across England and Wales. The MVP includes all core functionality to meet the ‘safe dig’ use case, allowing users to both plan for future adoption and provide valuable feedback to enhance the service further. It includes data from all of the major energy and water providers, such as Welsh Water, Cadent Gas and UK Power Networks, several major telecommunications companies, including CityFibre and Virgin Media O2, as well as smaller providers of these services, transport organisations and local authorities. Find more about the NUARMVP

Find out more:

In the video below, we provide an introduction to NUAR and its objectives:

NUAR explainer

In the video below, we provide a demonstration of the NUAR platform and its features:

NUAR platform

Current work

  • The NUAR service will continue to be iteratively enhanced in line with user feedback, the MVP coverage will be expanded to Northern Ireland by spring 2024, and the platform will be fully operational by the end of 2025
  • Measures are being sought in Parliament to update existing legislation, taking advantage of opportunities provided by data and technology advancements, to simplify and expedite the process by which asset data is shared
  • A discovery project is underway to explore the potential for increased economic growth that could be realised through widening access to the vital national asset, including opportunities for the wider market. Read our latest blog to find out more.

Getting involved

NUAR Onboarding in 60 Webinars

If you’re an underground asset owner in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that isn’t fully signed up to NUAR yet, why not join one of our monthly onboarding webinars, to find out more and ask questions about the process? Sign-up for one of the March sessions here:

Quarterly NUAR Update Webinars

We’re also kicking-off a series of quarterly webinars this year, designed to keep underground asset owners and their relevant suppliers up-to-date on all things NUAR.

The next sessions are in May, with two options covering the same agenda.which you can sign-up for using the links below:

Contact us

If you work for a utility, telecommunications company or transport / local authority in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you can reach out to the team in the following ways: 

For media enquiries, please email us at geospatialcommission@dsit.gov.uk. For all other queries, please email our Service Desk at Nuar.Support@atkinsrealis.com

Published 22 March 2022
Last updated 1 March 2024 + show all updates
  1. New March webinar dates added.

  2. On boarding in 60 webinars and information on the discovery project updated.

  3. webinar dates for February and May added

  4. New webinar dates added

  5. new webinar dates added for December and January

  6. updated to reflect that NUAR MVP is now accessible across all parts of England and Wales

  7. NUAR update webinar added

  8. NUAR platform demonstration video added. New Webinars added for October & November

  9. August webinars removed. New webinars added for September and October

  10. Blog posts removed and NUAR minimum viable product (MVP) section added

  11. "A guide to NUAR" PDF removed

  12. Blog link added - NUAR available to users in first UK locations

  13. 'About NUAR' and 'Getting Involved' sections updated.

  14. Updated version of "NUAR in a nutshell" document added

  15. Project update added to "The story so far" section

  16. New NUAR in a Nutshell document added which includes participation progress update

  17. New intro video and new NUAR platform video replacing previous videos

  18. NUAR in a nutshell document changed from 'Coming Soon' to the 'Future of NUAR'

  19. NUAR consultation details added

  20. NUAR in a nutshell document added

  21. NUAR prototype platform video added

  22. First published.