Utility Vegetation Management in the 21st Century. 3D Virtualization Reduces Risks, Maintenance Costs

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1 3D Virtualization Reduces Risks, Maintenance Costs

2 The Vegetation-Powerline Threat Trees and branches falling onto power lines are among the leading causes of power outages in North America. Dealing with this recurring threat means that vegetation management programs can represent one of a utility s largest recurring maintenance expenses. Service outages, however, account for only part of the risk associated with utility vegetation management programs. Trees and branches falling on power lines have also ignited significant wildfires. Creating a more effective, more efficient utility vegetation management program goes to the heart of the power utility sector s public mandate to provide safe, reliable, affordable power. Risk is Ever-present In the past two decades, vegetation has caused at least three large-scale failures of the electric grid in North America, including a 2003 blackout affecting 50 million people. In that case, an overloaded transmission line contacted unpruned foliage, triggering events that left eight northeastern U.S. states and one Canadian province without power for up to a week. In 2015, a lack of proper vegetation management sparked the Butte Fire in California, which burned 70,000 acres, killed two people, destroyed 900 structures, and cost the local utility $90 million. In March 2017, 60 mile-per-hour winds across Michigan knocked over trees that took down 4,000 power lines, leaving one million people without power, some for days, and closing schools and hospitals. 1

3 Importance of Strategy Given the potential impacts of untreated vegetation, well-thought-out criteria for a vegetation management program are necessary. Utility decision makers consider the three pillars of safety, reliability, and cost in nearly every decision that addresses how to deliver energy to customers. All three of these pillars interact with other key criteria for creating or implementing a vegetation management program. These criteria can include customer satisfaction, risk management, regulations, and environmental impacts. Vegetation management program criteria are often complex. A vegetation management program spans a variety of areas and must be a deliberate strategy, not simply tree trimming on a set rotational time schedule. The Vegetation Management Lifecycle Under today s traditional approach, most utility vegetation management programs follow a similar cycle: planning, scoping, treatment, and auditing. Utilities typically begin the cycle by defining their program criteria, including clearance distance, length of the treatment season, budget, and how much treatment is likely to be accomplished per season. A utility then scopes a specific treatment plan. What vegetation can be treated? Who will perform the task? What method will be used to analyze and review program information? Once a plan is in place, the utility can start treatment the actual managing of vegetation. Treatment could include corridor cutting, prescribed trimming, or the application of herbicides. After treatment is complete, a utility typically audits its vegetation management program to analyze its performance. Did the utility s plan, scope and treatment effectively align? Did the utility achieve its goals for safety, reliability, and cost? Did it achieve customer satisfaction, reduce risk, mitigate environmental impacts, and meet regulatory requirements? This step helps identify issues to improve and incorporate into the following year s plan. This cycle is typically repeated on a consistent, time-based schedule that is applied uniformly. 2

4 The Inefficiencies of Time-based Vegetation Management For many utilities, depending on the size of their service territory, the number of power line miles, and financial resources, a traditional timebased, cyclical approach can take three to four years to complete only to begin again. This leaves a utility focused on a specific cycle rather than identifying the areas of greatest risk, leaving open the likelihood of vegetation-caused outages and, possibly fires, that may affect their reliability metrics and customer satisfaction ratings. Though methodical, the traditional approach does a poor job of balancing efficiency and risk. A shorter-than-needed cycle may reduce risk, but is labor-intensive and expensive. A longer-than-needed cycle does not adequately address threats that can pose significant or unacceptable risk. Technology Trends Advance Vegetation Management Utilities are now implementing more effective ways to assess risk and prioritize their treatment cycles instead of relying on a time-based approach. This new approach is risk-informed and condition-based. Safety, reliability, and cost risks become integral criteria for treatment decisions and treatment is planned based on these criteria and program goals. These new approaches are made possible by technological advancements in sensing tools, data analytics capabilities, and threedimensional (3D) visualization, which have led to a new generation of software-based vegetation management programs that transform traditional practices. Today, with these new technologies, utilities can prioritize their utility vegetation management work for accuracy and effectiveness while reducing risk, labor, and costs. A result is a condition-based approach that yields vastly improved results over traditional methods. By utilizing a condition-based approach, utilities can implement a more proactive approach that is risk-informed and flexible. New Tools for Planning, Scoping, Treatment How can a utility more effectively assess risk and prioritize its treatment cycle? How does a utility implement a risk-informed and condition-based approach to cutting and treatment? 3

5 In a condition-based approach to vegetation management, the planning and scoping phases are informed by full network awareness which requires accurate and precise data advanced data analytics, and visual context. Two major technology advancements provide the data-rich resources needed for condition-based vegetation management. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) is a remote sensing method that employs light to create pulsed laser beams, typically sent from an airplane (although, LiDAR can be ground-based and even hand-held) to the Earth s surface to measure and record features on the ground. When configured properly, LiDAR can identify items that are under tree canopies to generate precise 3D imagery of, and information on, surface characteristics that may not be detectable by human eyesight. Coupled with a scanner, GPS (global positioning system) and other data, LiDAR creates a point cloud in which each point has 3D coordinates latitude, longitude, and height that depict actual features on the surface of the Earth. In the service of utility vegetation management programs, LiDAR provides a new, accurate-to-the-millimeter view of a utility s physical assets, including power lines, poles, substations and pole-top transformers and their physical surroundings, which include encroaching vegetation. LiDAR has been used by utilities for years, but a second advancement has provided deeper information and enhanced relevance to points in a LiDARcreated point cloud. The ability to merge a LiDAR point cloud with other databases such as weather, climate, hydrology and a utility s geographic information system (GIS) expands the usefulness of LiDAR s geospatial data. Weather, climate, and surface hydrology, for instance, can influence tree growth or drive power line sag due to high temperatures or ice load all relevant factors in a modern, condition-based, utility vegetation management program. Treatment itself is not likely to change; vegetation will likely be cut or trimmed in the traditional manner. But the effectiveness of treatment is enhanced by determining a more risk-informed, targeted approach to when and where treatment occurs, based on the technology advancements that aid planning, scoping, and auditing. Data Analytics for Auditing and Interpretation Technological advances are also transforming the next step in the vegetation management lifecycle auditing. To transform mere data points to valuable, actionable intelligence for vegetation management 4

6 requires data analytics, which employs algorithms that tease out insights that users need to support sound decision-making. Auditing a vegetation management program means analyzing a utility s performance in any given cycle: did the plan, scope, and treatment approaches align? Were they cost-effective? Did they manage risk? Did they bring the desired flexibility to scheduling and budgeting? Auditing traditionally has been performed in a visual context when a utility manager personally inspected vegetation management field work to determine its effectiveness. But the sheer magnitude of data and the sophistication needed for its analysis in condition-based vegetation management calls for advanced, virtual world visualization tools, which allow utilities to take much of the auditing function out of the field and move it to the desktop. Although analytical strategies vary, data sets of the magnitude that would result from mash-ups of LiDAR and other databases require the level of processing best addressed in cloud-supported data centers. In the case of a fully modern vegetation management approach via the technology advances described here, few if any utilities have the processing speed and capacity or the analytical sophistication to accomplish the costeffective methods that solution providers are taking to market. Virtualization for Actionable Intelligence Virtualization is another relatively new technique that allows users to create 3D models that combine data from sensors and related databases to provide insights into current conditions on the power network. Virtualization can even provide an accurate projection of future conditions through scenario analysis. Network Risk Classification Red to Green: High to low encroachment severity 5

7 Virtualization also provides the critical element of presentation how end users can most easily grasp the actionable intelligence and obtain the value produced by such a system. It can provide indications of the urgency of corrective actions to address vegetation encroachment on power lines, pole lean, and other current or potential hazards. 3D virtualization allows users to prioritize threats to grid operations and more efficiently dispatch crews to reduce those risks. The ability to anticipate patterns and trends that predict and prioritize vegetation management work in the near- and mid-term future supports efficiencies and planning efforts that result in greater power network safety and reliability. Although these new technical capabilities have fueled a variety of solutions on the market, those solutions vary greatly in their accuracy, usability, and results. FACTS AT-A-GLANCE The Roames 3D virtual world provides: prioritized, actionable intelligence reductions in operating expenses greater risk assessment and management precise asset inventories integration with utility business rules and other databases enterprise-wide access to results greater customer satisfaction Leidos Roames Solution Leidos offers state-of-the-art vegetation management services through the use of Roames technology a solution that merges information technology and operational technology to create extraordinary value and significant cost savings in utility vegetation management plans. In identifying a top-level solution to address utility vegetation management challenges, Leidos concluded that the Roames 3D virtual world offered the current, state-of-the-art technology to address these challenges. We are the exclusive North American provider of the Roames technology. Roames 3D virtual world was originally developed by an Australian utility dealing with tropical and sub-tropical vegetation challenges in cities along Australia s coast. This proven solution is currently in use by utilities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Leidos Roames solution provides an unparalleled level of precise detail and immediately actionable intelligence, allowing a utility to triage the information to determine immediate needs for action, moderate levels of risk, and areas requiring no treatment. What sets Roames apart? The Roames solution is different from other solutions that simply employ LiDAR and GIS reporting alone. Why? 6

8 Roames unique value begins with an accurate mapping of the network and its surrounding environment. While any LiDAR point cloud data can be ingested into the Roames solution, not all LiDAR data is the same and some service providers capture a utility network the same way they would a road system or a cluster of buildings. Roames provides a data capture system that is developed specifically for a utility network system, using several beams at different angles to penetrate vegetation and provide superior accuracy in capturing each reflected point. Resolution is important, and data that is captured at a resolution of less than 8 points per meter2 should probably be avoided. However, resolution levels above 30 ppm2 likely provide limited additional value at this time and may cost more than the marginal value gained. Most importantly, regardless of the level of resolution, capturing from a singular point of view can cause data gaps if there is dense foliage or other obstructions. Using advanced machine learning algorithms, Roames then transforms point cloud data into recognizable objects, allowing both clearer visualization of the network and the ability to view a specific object that can then have attributes attached to it. As an example, rather than seeing a series of points appear to be where a pole would exist, those points are used to create a visual representation of an actual pole, including all of the attributes that the pole has, whether those are geospatial attributes captured via LiDAR (the location of the pole, the height, the lean angle), or information the utility already has on that pole (composition, manufacturer, age). The value extends to the richness of the data set that is created by fusing all available network asset attribute data to the exceptionally accurate geospatial asset and surrounding environment database. Starting with an accurate and informed digital mirror of the network and its surrounding environment, detailed analytics can be performed quickly, safely, and efficiently. However, the most significant differentiator of Leidos Roames solution is its impact at an enterprise level. Other solutions do not offer a comparable level of integration with a utility s business rules and other relevant databases. Roames is accessible across the enterprise and configurable to many uses, helping utility managers improve operations while helping executives make risk-informed decisions at the network and enterprise levels. The implications go beyond vegetation management spanning asset management, customer service, engineering, and more because the accurate, consistent data can inform a single version of the truth across the utility. Broad access of this single version of the truth breaks down silos, increases value, empowers people, and encourages innovation. 7

9 The Roames 3D virtual world delivers full natural and built environment context to all vegetation encroachments. Not only is vegetation precisely measured and visualized, but related features and infrastructure such as roads, buildings, and potential obstacles to accessing an urgent encroachment situation can be identified and planned for - before sending out field crews. Our powerful 3D visualization tools support remote investigation and risk analysis via a precise, accurate, up-to-date single version of the truth of a utility s network assets, in the context of surrounding man-made and natural features. It is accompanied by spreadsheet-style access to supporting data in various formats. Choose a Trusted Advisor Leidos long experience with utility business practices and power grid engineering enables it to offer clients comprehensive, end-to-end services, including on-the-ground business support. Leidos deep involvement in the power industry provides the context for its role as a trusted advisor in vegetation management and related endeavors. Vegetation management is one of the fundamental tasks that utilities undertake to meet their mission to provide the public with electricity that is safe, reliable and affordable the keys to customer satisfaction and regulatory compliance. About Leidos Leidos is a global science and technology solutions and services leader working to solve the world s toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company s 32,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $7.04 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, For more information 8