• Power Utilities
When It’s Breezy, Swing Easy
Satelytics’ UVM solution analyzes multiple data sets to reduce risk.
Précis
- Problem: Threats beyond the wire zone.
- Solution: Analyze weather, sag, sway.
- Benefit: A complete picture of threats to infrastructure.
“When it’s breezy, swing easy.”
Golfers know this phrase, and it’s worth repeating on a windy day out on the course. But did you know that understanding wind's impact is equally crucial for asset managers overseeing overhead transmission and distribution (T&D) lines? That’s where Satelytics comes in with our innovative utility vegetation management (UVM) algorithms, giving our customers a significant advantage in tackling wind’s effects on infrastructure and nearby trees.
We all know that falling trees and branches can disrupt power lines, causing service interruptions. Satelytics measures tree height, type, health, and proximity to T&D assets with precision. Our algorithms process imagery with a spatial resolution of 30 to 50 centimeters, allowing us to detect individual trees, limbs, and branches. With height measurements accurate to within 5%, we’re making significant strides in tree management. However, even with this precision, our imagery can’t “see” the power lines themselves.
Critical measurements and vegetation management alerts.
This is where our customers play a vital role. When Satelytics is provided with accurate infrastructure data via GIS shapefiles for poles and towers, cross bracket widths, and circuit voltages, we can create a virtual “wiring zone” that represents where power lines exist in space. To correct any GIS errors, we conduct a conflation analysis before starting any new project to ensure that pole/tower locations are accurate for our vegetation analysis.
Conflation analysis example.
We also conduct an environmental analysis using historical weather data to calculate how loaded power lines sway under various wind conditions, identifying what we call the blowout zone. This is where stressed trees near the conductors could potentially impinge on the swaying conductors, leading to damage. Our customers emphasize that trees outside the right-of-way are often the real culprits behind power line strikes.
Calculating strike threat by considering sag, sway, and blowout zones.
By leveraging geospatial analytics to understand wind's influence on stressed vegetation, we arm our customers with another tool to fight outages. Satelytics' UVM solution analyzes infrastructure and the environment, ensuring asset managers stay one step ahead of potential threats so you can breathe easily when it's breezy.
Contact us today to learn more about our vegetation management solution.
