Geological & Utility Desktop Surveys

Desktop surveys bring together existing records and datasets to provide an informed view of subsurface constraints at the earliest stages of a project. They support safer planning, proportionate risk management and clearer decision-making before design is fixed or intrusive works begin.

SOCOTEC delivers desktop surveys through our specialist teams. Particularly focused on utility records and the other on geology and ground conditions, together, these services provide a structured starting point for understanding subsurface constraints, without unnecessary complexity.

Geological & Utility Desktop Surveys

Why Desktop Surveys Matter

Early project decisions are often made with limited information. Desktop surveys help reduce that uncertainty by identifying known constraints before they affect programme, cost or safety.

Desktop surveys matter because they help you to:

identify subsurface risks at feasibility and pre-design stages
avoid preventable clashes, redesign and delays
plan proportionate follow-on surveys and investigations
demonstrate a considered, auditable approach to risk management
improve confidence in early design and site planning

They provide clarity when it is most valuable, before work on site begins.

Early project decisions are often made with limited information. Desktop surveys help reduce that uncertainty by identifying known constraints before they affect programme, cost or safety.

Desktop surveys matter because they help you to:

identify subsurface risks at feasibility and pre-design stages
avoid preventable clashes, redesign and delays
plan proportionate follow-on surveys and investigations
demonstrate a considered, auditable approach to risk management
improve confidence in early design and site planning

They provide clarity when it is most valuable, before work on site begins.

Our approach to desktop surveys

Our teams source, review and quality-check relevant records and datasets, applying professional judgement to ensure outputs are clear, relevant and ready to use. We focus on presenting information in a way that supports action, not just compliance, with separate deliverables for utilities and geology, depending on what you need.

Desktop surveys can be commissioned individually or together, depending on project requirements.

Desktop Surveys Explained

Desktop Utility Surveys focus on identifying known buried services using statutory undertaker records for a defined site area.

Delivered in accordance with PAS 128, this desk-based service collates utility records from all relevant providers and presents them in a composite CAD plan, supported by a full report pack.

Desktop utility surveys:

identify recorded utility assets only
do not confirm depth, condition or exact location
provide essential background for intrusive PAS 128 surveys

Desktop Geological Studies are a cost-effective risk reduction tool, providing an early yet comprehensive understanding of the likely ground and operating environment before survey mobilisation or site works begin.

These studies compile and interpret existing geological, environmental and historical datasets to support feasibility assessment, route selection and design development. They are commonly used to focus survey effort, identify likely challenges early and ensure that equipment, methodologies and resources are proportionate to site conditions.

By highlighting potential constraints before mobilisation, desktop geological studies help reduce avoidable cost, improve efficiency and minimise the risk of unforeseen issues emerging later in a project.

Desktop geological studies:

assess anticipated ground conditions and constraints
access available geotechnical & borehole records
identify potential geohazards and legacy issues
inform ground investigation scope and design development
are not PAS 128 surveys and do not identify utilities

Geological & Utility Desktop Surveys

What desktop surveys help you understand

Depending on the project, a desktop geological study may draw on a wide range of existing information, including:

Bathymetric charts and seabed mapping
Published geological records and seabed geomorphology
Historical land use and legacy constraints
Environmentally sensitive areas (including SSSIs)
Known shipwrecks and existing offshore or nearshore infrastructure
Potential natural and anthropogenic hazards
Available metocean observations
Client-owned data, such as previous reports or environmental studies

This information is reviewed and interpreted to identify preliminary operational areas, assess feasibility and inform survey planning prior to on-site deployment.

Depending on the project, a desktop geological study may draw on a wide range of existing information, including:

Bathymetric charts and seabed mapping
Published geological records and seabed geomorphology
Historical land use and legacy constraints
Environmentally sensitive areas (including SSSIs)
Known shipwrecks and existing offshore or nearshore infrastructure
Potential natural and anthropogenic hazards
Available metocean observations
Client-owned data, such as previous reports or environmental studies

This information is reviewed and interpreted to identify preliminary operational areas, assess feasibility and inform survey planning prior to on-site deployment.