What are Automated Inspections

Did you know most inspections of an electric utility’s physical infrastructure are performed manually? People go pole to pole and visually inspecting poles, wires, substations, Right Of Way, apparatus, and other equipment. Utilities still often use pen & paper for this record keeping. 

The industry is changing to accommodate improved methods of traditional processes, especially now that artificial intelligence (AI) and complex machine learning algorithms are proving to be effective in the field. The image below shows crossarm damage, captured while in motion from the roadway.

“Field photographs have been gaining traction in Operations and Engineering departments for years, but other departments such as billing and customer service now also utilize those images,” says Snappy’s president Curtis Kayton.   

Snappy Workflow is piloting a technology this summer (2022) aimed to validate how automated photography can document and provide inspection insights across entire systems in a fraction of the time!  

Curtis said, "Our team automating the image capture process, will be one of the most significant advancements for the utility industry." 

Just imagine being able to use a vehicle mounted camera to patrol any distance of powerline at the posted speed limit. Then, your entire team can utilize a documented digital & timestamped dataset that is ready to make decisions with. 

This image shows tracking on the pole, which was identified while in motion. Being able to record this without stopping is a huge benefit for utilities trying to scale patrol and optimize routes. 

Broken crossarms, arcing hot clamps, tracking insulators, frayed wires, and leaning poles, are all issues that can be repaired in an organized way before failure occurs. Encroaching vegetation, post-construction work-order inspections, measuring clearances over roadways, and pre-disaster FEMA map layers are all possible with Snappy Workflow’s automated process. 

Follow updates HERE to be an industry early adopter and learn why utilities are making this disruptive technology an industry standard for automated patrol.