How GIS Can Help Protect Your Vegetation Management Investment

Many electric utilities rely on vegetation management programs to help mitigate potential wildfire risks and prevent power outages. Though, like most programs, implementing one comes with a cost.

That’s why utilities are increasing the use of geospatial technology to help develop and maintain vegetation management programs to ensure they’re successful. By doing this, utilities can help protect their investments.

That’s where we can help.

POWER’s GIS-centric work and asset management solution, POWER360AMS®, is specifically designed for energy utilities. The solution provides utilities with robust work and asset management capabilities and offers a complete solution for implementing and managing vegetation management programs.

 

Organize Workflows Through Work Orders and Inspections

The flexible work order and inspection forms within POWER360AMS allow utilities to plan, perform, and audit tree trimming and brush clearing activities. Within the solution, tasks organize workflows to better manage and account for specific processes associated with a work activity.

For example, the first task for a low brush clearing operation could be to organize access with a private landholder. Once access has been confirmed, the activity can be performed. Other tasks may include conducting an initial site environmental assessment, chipping any large debris, or taking photographs to verify work completion.

Information, such as the person who completed the task and the date it was completed, is recorded. Not only does POWER360AMS track the labor performed, but the solution also tracks material and equipment resources used on each work order. Tasks can be added in sequence to a work order as needed, or they can be predefined as a set of tasks on a work order template.

 

Access Real-Time Data from Anywhere

The mobile application allows activities to be completed on hand-held devices in the field. End users are equipped with optimized office or mobile experiences for their specific tasks allowing for data collection within each workstream. Data can also be collected in an offline mode.

For example, an internal staff member conducting a field audit or an external contractor completing a tree removal can each collect data for their respective activities. The field applications encourage interaction with the solution from various locations such as a job site. Users can access authoritative real-time data from anywhere, which has helped organizations provide effective customer care.

 

Create Long-Term Plans for Your Utility

POWER360AMS can support the construction of long-term plans for vegetation management programs that are based upon risk, cost, or a combination of the two. They may be condition based or time based. Any plan will have to be based on assumptions (including predictions based upon past experience) and are only as good as the available inputs, such as species and the expected growth rate.

By using GIS to carefully maintain a vegetation management program, utilities can ensure its success well into the future, helping to protect their investments. The robust capabilities of POWER360AMS provide utilities with a complete, GIS-centric solution to effectively track and manage related program activities.   

 

Article originally published on the POWER Engineers website.