Using Predictive Analysis for Vegetation Risk Management During Fire Season
With bushfire season in full swing in Australia and wildfire risks never too far behind in the US, the heat is on for utilities companies in both regions to evaluate the effectiveness of their vegetation management strategies. Whether you call them bushfires or wildfires, the impact is the same - devastating blazes that are often preventable. These fires, fueled by the dry, hot climates of Australia's bushland and the arid, wildfire-prone regions of the western United States, demand proactive measures to mitigate potential outbreaks and protect critical infrastructure and nearby communities.
Traditionally, vegetation management teams have found themselves scrambling to gather data from various sources and interpret it effectively to reduce fire vulnerabilities and protect infrastructure and communities before its too late.
Thankfully, with the geospatial predictive analysis tools available today, organizations can pinpoint any potential risks more effectively and thereby identify, prioritize, and address them in a thorough and timely manner.
Fire Season Exposes Vegetation Management Vulnerabilities
Vegetation management teams in the utilities sector typically grapple with the below environmental and management challenges that can potentially become vulnerabilities that amplify fire risks:
- Vegetation encroachment: Trees and undergrowth growing too close to critical infrastructure, increasing fire spread potential.
- Fuel load accumulation: Unmanaged vegetation creating high-risk zones that intensify fire outbreaks.
- Hard-to-reach areas: Remote or rugged terrain that complicates monitoring and intervention efforts.
- Unprioritized risk zones: Lack of clarity on which areas require immediate attention, leading to misallocated resources
Beat the Blaze: Data Insights for Better Vegetation Management
Data-driven insights are a powerful force in vegetation management, increasing the resilience of utility networks while enhancing their safe interaction with the surrounding environment. By leveraging precise geospatial analytics, organizations can take a proactive approach to bushfire risk reduction.
Pointerra3D empowers stakeholders with a digital twin—a virtual replica of the physical environment—enabling them to characterize, visualize, analyze, and share asset details in real time. Pointerra3D Core provides a detailed digital replica of the physical world and a single source of truth for the whole company. Going a step further, Pointerra3D Analytics converts your Core data into insights. Together they automate complex workflows to bring a new level of speed and accuracy to bushfire management programs. For utilities companies seeking to assess bushfire risk and danger zones, Pointerra3D Analytics helps business units remotely carry out the following assessments with ease:
Visualize vegetation risks
Leverage geospatial data to assess and manage vegetation encroachment and ensure compliance with safety standards around key assets.
- Identify proximity risks: Pinpoint vegetation that violates regulated safety clearances around assets such as transmission lines, distribution lines, and substations.
- Targeted trimming and clearing: Create and share detailed work orders for vegetation trimming and clearing to mitigate risks effectively. Seamlessly collaborate with business units and contractors.
- Monitor off-easement trees: Stay on top of off-easement trees with potential fall-in or blow-in risks, enabling preventative action before they become hazards.
Quantify and prioritize hotspots
Identify and address high-risk areas to reduce fire hazards and improve safety.
- Map fire hazards: Detect zones with dense fuel loads that increase fire spread potential.
- Prioritise preventative action: Rank these areas for interventions such as controlled burns or mechanical clearing.
In addition to the ever-important Vegetation Management efforts, Pointerra3D also offers robust capabilities in Engineering and Asset Condition Monitoring. From evaluating structural integrity and ensuring compliance to monitoring wear and tear, the digital twin platform provides comprehensive data insights for managing risks and enhancing the reliability of critical infrastructure.
Converting Insights into Action to Proactively Manage Bushfire Risk
For utilities companies seeking actionable insights, Pointerra3D Answers takes analytics to another level; providing customized dashboards tailored to their specific business needs. By leveraging geospatial and operational data, these dashboards empower companies to make informed decisions and proactively address risks.
Further streamlining vegetation management assists our customers in their ongoing efforts to maintain safety and meet regulatory standards. By providing accurate, up-to-date information, Pointerra3D simplifies workflows, enhances collaboration, and ensures compliance across teams.
The Pointerra3D Edge for Wildfire Management
Pointerra3D transforms bushfire management by converting complex data into actionable insights. From automated risk detection to streamlined compliance, it provides the digital edge organizations need to stay proactive and effective.
Common data environment
Pointerra3D enables cross-functional teams, including vegetation contractors and GIS analysts, to access and share real-time data. This fosters collaboration and ensures alignment on risk priorities and management strategies.
Automated risk identification
The platform automates the detection of vegetation risks, reducing the need for manual inspections and speeding up compliance reporting, saving time and resources.
Compliance and audit readiness
With continuously updated digital records of vegetation risks and mitigation plans in place, organizations can confidently meet regulatory standards and demonstrate effective bushfire prevention efforts.
Wildfire risks are a challenge, but with the right data-driven tools, they can be managed effectively. Pointerra equips infrastructure managers, vegetation risk teams, and utility operators with the insights needed to protect assets and communities all the while ensuring compliance.
Get in touch with us today to see how Pointerra can support your bushfire preparedness strategy.