first published week of: 06/13/2016
Electricity distributors could slash tens of millions of dollars from the industry’s 800 million dollar annual vegetation management bill by simply embracing state-of-the-art smart mapping technology, according to a leading industry expert, Travis Wyper.
As Pinnacle ArborPro Managing Director and a vegetation management strategist Travis Wyper said GIS creates a single-point-of-truth empowering energy companies to easily visualize and manage their expansive networks.
For instance, the technology can be used to model and visualize annual vegetation growth across multiple and extensive regions so companies can remotely determine whether clearance is required. … Travis Wyper
Mr Wyper’s presentation on ‘Powering vegetation management with GIS’ – at Energy Networks 2016 – showcased his partnership with Queensland’s Ergon Energy and how they were able to reduce costs and improve vegetation management strategies by using GIS .
The technology can be used to model and visualize annual vegetation growth across multiple and extensive regions so companies can remotely determine whether clearance is required.
“For instance, the technology can be used to model and visualize annual vegetation growth across multiple and extensive regions so companies can remotely determine whether clearance is required.
“Similarly, if there are hot spells or high winds impacting areas earmarked for clearance, the technology can incorporate this information in real-time and highlight which high-risk zones to deploy crews to.
“Efficiency gains from this approach can lead to significant reductions in vegetation management costs – in some cases up to 10 percent.”
Chris Hogan, utilities industry specialist with Esri Australia, said the technology can also be used to find savings in contracts with external tree clearers. continued…