AiDash has announced new hazard tree identification capabilities in its Intelligent Vegetation Management System (IVMS). This innovation, developed and proven on-site by AiDash customers and employee arborists, uses satellite technology and artificial intelligence to quickly inspect every tree in the entire network—both inside and outside the right of way (ROW)—for individual unhealthy Trees are destined to cause power outages for customers.
Typically, harming trees results in more than 70% of system outages, but due to the workload of manual inspections and the “needle in a haystack” nature of the problem, only 30% of the vegetation management budget is spent on harming trees programs. Trees are dying at a faster rate due to the effects of climate change, drought and pests – further compounding the problem of damaging trees.
“Traditional inspections simply don’t work,” said Abhishek Singh, co-founder and CEO of AiDash. “They are slow and expensive, and when a tree shows it’s not healthy, it’s too late. Satellite technology is the only way to be so fast. Available solutions to accurately identify unhealthy trees. Lidar lacks spectral depth and can only receive a few wavelengths, but satellites can see a wide range of wavelengths and provide electromagnetic depth—producing unique information about vegetation health. With satellites, you can Quickly find unhealthy trees across the network and reduce vegetation disruption by 20-30%.”
Now, utility arborists can travel directly to specific areas to understand and mitigate damage to trees and their causes. Using the IVMS mobile app on your phone or tablet, inspectors can report trees with photos and details. The task can then be assigned as part of a planned removal or temporarily handled by staff. Utilities can also use the savings from their IVMS Circular Trim program to apply those funds to priority areas in their hazard tree programs, resulting in significant reliability improvements.
“Dangerous trees are a needle in a haystack, but they are far more dangerous,” said David James, manager of the wildfire recovery program at Avista. “Now AiDash will allow us to detect them quickly and efficiently, so we can mitigate this risk and improve our system reliability.”
AiDash officially launched its Smart Vegetation Management System with Dangerous Tree Identification last week at the Trees and Utilities National Conference (September 20-22) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AiDash is a sponsor of the event and their technology Evangelist Jordan Jozak led a panel discussion on satellite-based vegetation management.