Learn how FuzionView began, the organizations who shaped it, and the industry challenges that guided its development.
Background
In 2017, representatives of Gopher State One Call (GSOC) reached out to the leadership of the Emergency Preparedness Committee of the Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council (EPC) to explore how geospatial technology could be better used in the underground utility community.
Over the next three years, discussions across Minnesota's geospatial and utility communities highlighted a significant challenge. Each utility maintains its own datasets and systems, which makes it difficult for excavators, locators, engineers, and other stakeholders to see a shared view of what may be underground.
To further address this issue, the Minnesota Underground Utilities Mapping Project Team (UUMPT) was formed under the EPC in early 2020. The group grew to include more than 25 individuals from across the Facility Operator (FO) community.
Beginning in 2020, the UUMPT championed the development of a software prototype called FuzionView. In October 2022, a FuzionView prototype successfully demonstrated the ability to pull together an on-the-fly, web-mapped view of all utility infrastructure within a designated dig area. This was a first-in-the-nation achievement and showed that a shared, ticket-level map view was technically feasible.
In 2023, GSOC hired Minnesota geospatial research and development nonprofit SharedGeo to develop a production version of FuzionView which could be integrated into Minnesota’s one call ticket process, and also released as open-source software. To achieve this outcome, project partners, along with others who joined the effort, worked collaboratively to leverage 50 years of advancements in geospatial technologies that have historically been under-utilized in the underground utility community. In early 2026, FuzionView will be released as open-source software and go live for the first time in Gopher State One Call's 811 service.
Project Principals
Ticket level map showing underground features from multiple operators. FuzionView brings live GIS data together to show what exists within the dig area.
Layer controls showing available facility types for a ticket. Users can quickly review which systems are present based on operator data returned for the ticket boundary.
Industry Challenges Driving the Need for FuzionView
The underground utility industry faces long-standing challenges: fragmented data, minimal technology modernization, rapid growth in buried infrastructure, and thousands of preventable utility strikes. FuzionView helps Minnesota lead the nation toward a safer, more geospatially-aware future.
Scattered & Inaccurate Underground Maps
Across Minnesota and the nation, there is no comprehensive or accurate understanding of what is buried underground. Facility data varies widely in quality and format, making safe design and excavation more difficult.
Locating Technology Has Seen Little Change
The core “Call Before You Dig” workflow has gone largely unchanged for nearly 50 years. Despite major increases in underground infrastructure, the industry still relies on outdated processes and tools.
Growing Buried Infrastructure & Locate Demand
Each year, more gas, electric, broadband, and municipal systems are placed underground, and the number of locate requests rises with it. In Minnesota, it is not uncommon to exceed 5,000 locate tickets per day during peak construction season.
Thousands of Preventable Strikes
In 2021, Minnesota recorded more than 2,200 unintentional hits on underground infrastructure, many involving gas lines. A significant portion of these incidents are preventable and tied to missing or inaccurate mapping.
Barriers to Next-Generation Tools
Across Minnesota and the nation, there is no comprehensive or accurate understanding of what is buried underground. Facility data varies widely in quality and format, making safe design and excavation more difficult.
Geospatial Modernization Is a National Priority
Both the U.S. Congress and the Common Ground Alliance identify the introduction of modern geospatial technologies as a top safety priority for the underground utility community. Minnesota’s UUMPT initiative and FuzionView are helping lead that effort.
About the Developers
FuzionView is developed by SharedGeo, a 501(c)(3) Minnesota based geospatial research and development nonprofit. SharedGeo's mission is to help government, nonprofit, education, and corporate entities use mapping technologies and share geographic data for the public good.