UnderMap: Smart Underground Utility Mapping System

Inspiration

Modern cities run on complex underground utility networks—water pipelines, fiber optics, gas lines, and sewer systems—yet most of this critical infrastructure remains undocumented, inaccessible, or siloed across departments.

In emergencies like earthquakes, floods, or accidental excavations, the inability to visualize or locate underground assets leads to delays, damage, and skyrocketing repair costs. Infrastructure projects, telecom rollouts, and even urban planning often stall due to guesswork about what lies beneath.

UnderMap was born from this problem—a vision to turn hidden infrastructure into a visible, intelligent, and collaborative digital layer that empowers engineers, municipalities, and utility providers to build and maintain with confidence.

What it does

UnderMap is a full-featured smart underground utility mapping system that provides real-time, map-based visibility and management capabilities for underground assets. Here’s what it enables:

📍Interactive Utility Mapping: Visualize underground utilities like fiber optic cables, water and gas pipelines, and sewer lines using customizable markers and polylines on a geospatial interface.

🧾 Utility Metadata Management: Store essential technical details—such as depth, material, pressure rating, diameter, and inspection notes—for each utility segment.

🛠️ Ticketing System for Field Operations: Admins can create, assign, and monitor maintenance/service tickets. Field engineers can update ticket status, check in via GPS, and submit task reports in real time.

🔔 Zone & Risk Management: Admins can draw custom zones such as “No Dig Areas,” “Maintenance Required Regions,” or “Hazardous Zones” with polygon tools. Workers receive alerts when operating near these zones.

📤 Multi-Format Export & Sharing: Export utility data and service history in CSV, PDF, or GeoJSON for use in audits, planning, or external systems.

📲 Role-Based Access: Distinct dashboards for Admins and Field Engineers. Admins have full control, while engineers access only assigned data. A viewer mode (optional) offers transparency to contractors or citizens.

💬 Real-Time Chat System: A built-in communication module for direct conversation between Admins and Field Engineers for faster decision-making.

How we built it

I combined the speed of no-code/low-code tools with the power of modern geospatial and backend technologies:

Frontend: Created using Bolt.new, which allowed us to rapidly prototype with a modular, component-based architecture and real-time state control.

Backend & Authentication: Managed entirely by Supabase, offering PostgreSQL database, secure authentication, file storage, and Row-Level Security (RLS) to enforce role-based access at the record level.

Geospatial Visualization: Google Maps JavaScript API powers the core mapping features—allowing users to draw, edit, and manage markers, polylines, and polygon zones dynamically.

Hosting & Deployment: The application is deployed using Netlify, ensuring high performance and global availability for users across devices.

Challenges we ran into

Role-Based Security with Supabase RLS: Implementing fine-grained access control so that each user only sees and modifies the data relevant to their role required meticulous testing.
Handling Geospatial Data: Integrating user-drawn paths and zones using GeoJSON, and syncing them with Supabase’s text/JSON columns while maintaining real-time updates was a complex challenge.
Cross-Component UI Communication in Bolt: Managing state and interactions between mapping tools, ticketing modules, and dashboards using Bolt’s conditional rendering logic tested our component design skills.
Scalability for Multiple User Types: Creating a unified experience for Admins, Engineers, and optional Public Viewers meant balancing usability with backend logic.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Developed a production-ready GIS utility mapping platform in under a week using modern tools.
Successfully integrated real-time utility visualization with editable metadata and secure access control.
Built an enterprise-ready ticketing and alert system that enhances accountability and compliance.
Enabled a scalable, modular architecture that can be extended to smart city APIs or disaster-response platforms.

What we learned

Mastered Supabase RLS and table schema planning to enforce scalable, secure data access.
Understood how to connect maps with dynamic form logic and role-based behavior without traditional backend coding.
Discovered the power of Bolt.new in creating smart, frontend-first applications that are both beautiful and functional.
Learned the importance of interoperability, making data export-ready for GIS systems, analytics platforms, and third-party apps.

What's next for UnderMap: Smart Underground Utility Mapping System

📱 Mobile-First Version: Offline-first support for engineers in remote or rural areas where network reliability is low. 📡 IoT Sensor Integration: Real-time alerts for anomalies like gas leaks or water pressure fluctuations using embedded sensors. 📊 Smart Dashboards: Add analytics to track maintenance performance, zone health, and team KPIs for administrators. 🔌 API Integration Layer: Connect UnderMap to government portals, construction CRMs, or city development dashboards. 🚀 Municipal Partnerships: Collaborate with city councils, utility boards, and smart infrastructure initiatives to pilot real-world usage.