Vegetation Management

The

Vegetation Management

Solution

THE

Problem

Electricity transmission and distribution network operators allocate a significant proportion of operating costs to vegetation management. Today the main methods of vegetation encroachment surveys rely on estimation and foot patrols, resulting in subjective and un-quantifiable survey data. Limited and inaccurate surveys result in either overestimated or underestimated vegetation encroachment. This directly affects the operational costs of the network and potentially leads to an extremely hazardous environment for line workers and the public.

THE CURRENT

STATE OF THE ART

FOOT PATROLS

  • Slow survey rates
  • Subjective results
  • Un-quantifiable data

TERRESTRIAL LiDAR

  • Slow survey rates
  • Access Problems
  • High Opex

MANNED AIRCRAFT LiDAR

  • Limited point cloud densities
  • High Capex

THE

Solution

‘The Future of Vegetation Management’

AuraTech has developed a vegetation management solution to efficiently plan and implement a targeted vegetation and tree clearing programme around overhead transmission and distribution lines. Drone operations are carried out using a survey grade LiDAR sensor to produce a high precision 3D map of the network, vegetation data is then extracted and analysed for encroachment and displayed through our cloud based mapping portal Atlas. This three stage process consists of data acquisition > post processing & analysis > visualisation.

Acquire

Capture high precision physical data using remote robotic platforms:

  • LiDAR
  • RGB Imaging

Analyse

Data is post processed and prepared for distribution and visualisation:

  • Asset / Object Classification
  • Vegetation Encroachment
  • Proximity Analysis

Visualise

Visualise survey data through Atlas cloud based mapping portal:

  • 2D orthomosaic maps
  • heat maps
  • 3D models

DATA

Acquisition

‘Drone Ops’

The primary objective is to capture a high precision 3D point cloud of the network and the surrounding environment. This is achieved using a real time kinetic (RTK) Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) payload which is connected to an industrial grade drone.  The captured data is stored onboard the device and recovered after drone operations are complete.

DATA

Analysis

‘BOTS AT WORK’

Using machine learning techniques, point cloud data is classified and attributes are allocated. A proximity analysis is then carried out between asset and vegetation to determine the physical encroachment of the overhead line.

DATA

Visualisation

‘ATLAS MAPPING PORTAL’

All client data can be accessed, visualised and analysed using the AuraTech ATLAS system; a web based application designed for both desktop and mobile devices. Check and verify data both in the office and in the field, quantify level of encroachment within asset and use to plan, budget and optimise tree clearing operations.

Contact Us

AuraTech Innovation

Business Central 2 Union Square Darlington DL1 1GL UK