How to Strengthen the Grid Using AI-Driven Visual Intelligence

For many utilities, asset inspection and vegetation management are among the largest OPEX budget line items.

Legacy asset inspection and vegetation management protocols are often outdated and make use of a time-based approach. In the current model, for instance, a utility power line section is inspected each year. A crew is then sent out to take pictures while an unmanned drone surveys the land. The result is thousands of photos and a large amount of data for a utility asset manager to manually review for problem areas. Figuring out how all the images line up is time-consuming and costly. Finally, inspection or trim crews are sent out to tend to these potential problem areas hoping that the data they’ve been given is accurate.

Might there be a better, more efficient way to survey assets and manage vegetation?

Cue GE Digital Grid’s solution powered by 21st-century technology. GE Digital Grid’s Visual Intelligence Platform (VIP) creates a 3D visualization of the utility’s territory data. Then, the human-guided AI-driven engine factors in legacy statistics and highlights any problem areas. Next, the risk analysis is translated into a 2D map with precise locations for trimming crews to prioritize what is most important. The platform can even factor in growth rates and weather to predict problem areas six months or more in advance.

Key benefits include a 30% reduction in tree-caused outages, a 27% reduction in O&M spend, and a data productivity gain of up to 90%.

Want to learn more about Visual Intelligence and how GE Digital Grid’s platform can help your utility? Watch the video below!