Blog: Is your organization ready for IMKL/IMCC 3.0?

Interested?
13 September 2024

Athumi, the data utility company for Flanders, recently announced that IMKL/IMCC 3.0 will become the future standard for exchanging information on underground cables and pipelines across Belgium. Launch in Flanders is scheduled for August 2025, though this could still change. What does this mean for cable and pipeline managers? Bernard Vanmoerbeke, Product Owner of KLIP and KLIM-CICC at GIM, explains.

About IMCC, KLIP, and KLIM-CICC

IMKL (IMCC in english) is the standard in Flanders for exchanging information on underground cables and pipelines. It has been used in the KLIP portal since 2016, where cable and pipeline managers are required to make their plans digitally available in the IMCC format. This allows contractors and design firms to consult the plans for safe excavation.

In addition to KLIP in Flanders, the federal KLIM-CICC portal is also used for plan requests in Brussels and Wallonia. With the arrival of IMCC 3.0, Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels, and federal operators will all support this new standard, unifying the approach to underground infrastructure across regions.

If you manage underground cables and pipelines, you will need to make your plans available in IMCC 3.0, respecting a transitional period that may vary by region.

From Lambert 72 to Lambert 2008

A key reason for switching to IMCC 3.0 is the transition from the Lambert 72 map projection system to the current Lambert 2008 system. The 50-year-old Lambert 72 system is outdated, and digital platforms using geographic coordinates, such as KLIP and KLIM-CICC, must transition to Lambert 2008.

IMCC 3.0 brings new features, including the addition of "guided drilling" and the ability to include a "z-coordinate" that shows the depth of the start and end points of a pipeline segment.

Future-oriented unburdening

Since the launch of the KLIP portal in 2016, several providers have offered solutions to automate the entire process of plan request handling in IMCC format. GIM, in collaboration with its parent company Merkator, has provided a software platform since the beginning that fully relieves cable and pipeline managers.

Attention has always been paid to keeping the system up to date with the latest standards. Moreover, GIM was the first to offer a solution that supports both KLIP and KLIM-CICC.

In 2023, GIM and Merkator launched the renewed Marlin Save Below platform, which is equipped with the latest security technology and ensures a seamless transition to both Lambert 2008 and IMCC 3.0.

Marlin Save Below

Existing users of Marlin Save Below can be confident: they are fully prepared for IMCC 3.0. Does your organization not yet have a system that supports Lambert 2008 and IMCC 3.0? Then it’s time to take action.

Bernard Vanmoerbeke
Product Owner KLIP and KLIM-CICC at GIM
email: bernard dot vanmoerbeker@gim dot be

For more information