As utility locating students begin their voyage into Planet Underground’s video training series Damage Prevention for the Planet, they will find the presentation of information follows a uniform style throughout all sections and learning tracks. The consistent style of video, graphics, glossary terms and narration is meant to immerse the viewer of the training program in a truly unique learning environment. Videos are shown from the point of view of seasoned operators who have truly seen just about everything in the field during their long careers. 

As we at Planet Underground began to put all the complex elements together for this new learning system, we knew it was important to create a bridge of knowledge between the experienced and more novice operator. This bridge became known as The Basics. The Basics is a collection of videos that serves as an introduction to locating concepts, allowing viewers to ease into the learning system, and providing a strong foundation for more advanced concepts presented later on. For someone new to locating, it’s a great way to understand some of the universal elements of the trade that are widely accepted and practiced in the industry. For the experienced operator who wants to build on their locating knowledge, it’s a great refresher lesson as well. The Basics videos form the foundation for all subsequent training videos in Damage Prevention for the Planet. 

In this first of a special educational series in American Locator magazine, we’ll cover a portion of The Basics videos, including direct quotes from the narration and screenshots of the graphics and instruments used during the filming of this project. In this issue’s training topics, words in bold indicate key terms that can also be found in the glossary, while italicized sentences in the main text indicate direct quotes from the training videos.