Digital 3D Underground Map Visualizes Sewage and Gas Pipes

May 20, 2026 | News On Japan

MIE, May 20, 2026 (News On Japan) - As aging underground infrastructure becomes an increasing concern across Japan, the city of Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture has developed a digital underground map designed to improve the management of sewer, water, gas, and electrical systems.

The initiative follows a road collapse accident that occurred in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, in January 2025, after which the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism requested inspections of sewer pipes that had been in place for more than 30 years. In the Tokai region, infrastructure judged to require replacement or repairs within one year totaled 15 kilometers in Aichi Prefecture, 0.9 kilometers in Gifu Prefecture, and 4 kilometers in Mie Prefecture.

The newly developed "digital 3D map" visually displays underground infrastructure using color coding to distinguish sewer pipes, gas pipes, electrical lines, and other buried utilities.

Developed jointly by Yokkaichi City and major architectural and engineering firm Nikken Sekkei, the system digitally recreated a roughly 1.6-kilometer section of Chuo-dori Avenue in three dimensions, allowing users to identify the precise locations of underground facilities.

Previously, contractors and utility operators had to individually investigate the location of buried infrastructure before carrying out construction work, as numerous systems such as gas, electricity, and water lines are concentrated beneath urban streets.

The city is now sharing the platform among infrastructure operators to improve coordination.

Nakamura Izuru, head of the CM and Surveying Department in Nikken Sekkei's Civil Group, said the system enables integrated access to information that had previously been collected separately from each utility operator.

"The advantage is that information integrated from multiple buried infrastructure operators can now be obtained all at once, making it immediately usable for excavation planning and construction work," Nakamura said.

Because the system allows authorities to comprehensively monitor underground facilities, officials believe it could also play a major role in disaster recovery operations. There is growing expectation that similar systems could eventually be adopted by municipalities nationwide.

Source: CBC

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