GIS Based Vegetation Management Inventory System
GIS BASED VEGETATION MANAGEMENT INVENTORY SYSTEM
VT TRANSCO, VELCO, VETCO • VT
TRANSCO LLC: Owns the Assets Transmission Lines: 650 Miles of 115 kV to 450 kV D.C. Stations: 44 Acres of Rights-of-Way: Approx. 12,000
• Vermont Electric Power Co., Inc. (VELCO): Employs the Workforce
Employees: 150 (Permanent and Contracted) • Vermont Electric Transmission Co. (VETCO): The Line Crew
Reasons/Requirements for Migration to a GIS Based Vegetation Management Inventory System • Improved
Inventory Accuracy as Compared to the Old Excel Sheets
• Ability to View Environmentally Sensitive Information in the Field • Ability to View Orthophotos in the Field • Eliminate Conversion of Hand Written Inventory Sheets to Excel • Ability to GPS ROW Features: Private Wells, Access Roads, Fence Lines, etc… • Improve Data for Work Planning and Budgeting • Improve the Information Supplied to: Vegetation Contractors and State Agencies • Decrease Exposure for Non-Compliance of Regulations
Technology Evaluation Magellan Professional MobileMapper CE
Itronix Duo Touch Tablet P.C.
Pros
Pros
• Weight
• Windows XP Operating System
• Battery Consumption
• Network Connectivity
• GPS Accuracy
• Data Storage
Cons
• No Image Display Problems
• Windows Mobile Operating System
• Internal GPS Antenna Performance Under Tree Canopy
• Network Connectivity • Data Storage • Image Display Problems • Internal GPS Antenna Performance Under Tree Canopy
Cons • Weight • Battery Consumption • GPS Accuracy
Technology Evaluation Trimble ProXT Blue Tooth GPS
Itronix Duo Touch Tablet P.C. Pros
• Battery Consumption • Connectivity: Serial / Bluetooth • Antenna Options • GPS Accuracy
Cons • Connectivity: Bluetooth • Poor Performance of Internal and External Patch Antennas Under Tree Canopy Photo from Trimble Website
• Antenna Cable Snags on Vegetation
Not a good solution for VELCO.
Hurdles With System Deployment • How to Handle Numerous Orthophotos within ArcPad • Create Custom Tools for Specific Work Tasks • Blue Tooth Connectivity Between ProXT GPS and Tablet P.C. • Unique IDs for Collected Features • How to Handle Compiling Data from 3 Tablet P.C.s in the Office • Incorrect
Area Calculations
Custom Toolbars Created for System
VELCO Transmission System
Transmission Lines Inventoried in 2007
Transmission Lines Inventoried to Date
Vegetation Management Inventory System System Deployment • System Live – August 28, 2007 • Cost to Develop – $4,500.00 • Hardware Costs – $22,250.00 • Software Costs – $3,000.00 • Conception to Deployment – 2 Months Results of Deployment 1 ½ Months to Inventory 100 miles of the VELCO System. Similar to previous years. c 1700 Acres of Right of Way c 951 Danger Trees c 408 Special Trees
What is the Data/System Being Used for? • Field Reference: Cost per Acre, Property Owner Interaction, budget forecasting • Development of Annual Work Plan as Required by NERC (FAC-003-1) • Herbicide Application Permits • Environmental Compliance • Vegetation Contractors Reference: Creating Bids and Performing Work • Contractor Work Verification • Pole Treatment Contractors Reference • Outage Dispatching
Benefits of System Identified After Deployment • Mapbooks Created from Data is Used by Other Departments • Helicopter Line Patrol • System Has Been Adopted by Telecommunications Department and Line Crew • System May be Adopted by other Distribution Utilities • In-House Technical Support
Future of the System • The System will be Copyrighted Under the Name, VELCO VIPTM • Select Type of Work to be Performed When Application Launches (ROW Patrol) • Integration with a Multi-User Geodatabase • Integration of Laser Range Finders???
Transmission Owner Operator Forum (TOOF) Review • The Forum is chartered by the NERC Board of Trustees, and complements NERC’s mission and reliability standards. • The Forum’s mission is to promote the highest levels of reliability—to promote excellence—in the operation of the electric transmission system. • During the week of October 6th through the 10th, 2008, VELCO was the subject of the first TOOF Review.
• VELCO’s Integrated Vegetation Management GIS Based Work Plan Received a “Superior Practice” Designation.
Picture from TOOF Website
Typical Map Sheet
Typical Rights-of-Way Treatment Data Sheet
Thank you and please feel free to contact me anytime: Jarrod C. Harper Senior Engineering Technician & CAD/GIS Team Lead Vermont Electric Power Co., Inc. 366 Pinnacle Ridge Road Rutland, VT 05701
Email: [email protected] Desk Phone: (802) 770-6223 Cell Phone: (802) 770-2892
VT TRANSCO, VELCO, VETCO • VT
TRANSCO LLC: Owns the Assets Transmission Lines: 650 Miles of 115 kV to 450 kV D.C. Stations: 44 Acres of Rights-of-Way: Approx. 12,000
• Vermont Electric Power Co., Inc. (VELCO): Employs the Workforce
Employees: 150 (Permanent and Contracted) • Vermont Electric Transmission Co. (VETCO): The Line Crew
Reasons/Requirements for Migration to a GIS Based Vegetation Management Inventory System • Improved
Inventory Accuracy as Compared to the Old Excel Sheets
• Ability to View Environmentally Sensitive Information in the Field • Ability to View Orthophotos in the Field • Eliminate Conversion of Hand Written Inventory Sheets to Excel • Ability to GPS ROW Features: Private Wells, Access Roads, Fence Lines, etc… • Improve Data for Work Planning and Budgeting • Improve the Information Supplied to: Vegetation Contractors and State Agencies • Decrease Exposure for Non-Compliance of Regulations
Technology Evaluation Magellan Professional MobileMapper CE
Itronix Duo Touch Tablet P.C.
Pros
Pros
• Weight
• Windows XP Operating System
• Battery Consumption
• Network Connectivity
• GPS Accuracy
• Data Storage
Cons
• No Image Display Problems
• Windows Mobile Operating System
• Internal GPS Antenna Performance Under Tree Canopy
• Network Connectivity • Data Storage • Image Display Problems • Internal GPS Antenna Performance Under Tree Canopy
Cons • Weight • Battery Consumption • GPS Accuracy
Technology Evaluation Trimble ProXT Blue Tooth GPS
Itronix Duo Touch Tablet P.C. Pros
• Battery Consumption • Connectivity: Serial / Bluetooth • Antenna Options • GPS Accuracy
Cons • Connectivity: Bluetooth • Poor Performance of Internal and External Patch Antennas Under Tree Canopy Photo from Trimble Website
• Antenna Cable Snags on Vegetation
Not a good solution for VELCO.
Hurdles With System Deployment • How to Handle Numerous Orthophotos within ArcPad • Create Custom Tools for Specific Work Tasks • Blue Tooth Connectivity Between ProXT GPS and Tablet P.C. • Unique IDs for Collected Features • How to Handle Compiling Data from 3 Tablet P.C.s in the Office • Incorrect
Area Calculations
Custom Toolbars Created for System
VELCO Transmission System
Transmission Lines Inventoried in 2007
Transmission Lines Inventoried to Date
Vegetation Management Inventory System System Deployment • System Live – August 28, 2007 • Cost to Develop – $4,500.00 • Hardware Costs – $22,250.00 • Software Costs – $3,000.00 • Conception to Deployment – 2 Months Results of Deployment 1 ½ Months to Inventory 100 miles of the VELCO System. Similar to previous years. c 1700 Acres of Right of Way c 951 Danger Trees c 408 Special Trees
What is the Data/System Being Used for? • Field Reference: Cost per Acre, Property Owner Interaction, budget forecasting • Development of Annual Work Plan as Required by NERC (FAC-003-1) • Herbicide Application Permits • Environmental Compliance • Vegetation Contractors Reference: Creating Bids and Performing Work • Contractor Work Verification • Pole Treatment Contractors Reference • Outage Dispatching
Benefits of System Identified After Deployment • Mapbooks Created from Data is Used by Other Departments • Helicopter Line Patrol • System Has Been Adopted by Telecommunications Department and Line Crew • System May be Adopted by other Distribution Utilities • In-House Technical Support
Future of the System • The System will be Copyrighted Under the Name, VELCO VIPTM • Select Type of Work to be Performed When Application Launches (ROW Patrol) • Integration with a Multi-User Geodatabase • Integration of Laser Range Finders???
Transmission Owner Operator Forum (TOOF) Review • The Forum is chartered by the NERC Board of Trustees, and complements NERC’s mission and reliability standards. • The Forum’s mission is to promote the highest levels of reliability—to promote excellence—in the operation of the electric transmission system. • During the week of October 6th through the 10th, 2008, VELCO was the subject of the first TOOF Review.
• VELCO’s Integrated Vegetation Management GIS Based Work Plan Received a “Superior Practice” Designation.
Picture from TOOF Website
Typical Map Sheet
Typical Rights-of-Way Treatment Data Sheet
Thank you and please feel free to contact me anytime: Jarrod C. Harper Senior Engineering Technician & CAD/GIS Team Lead Vermont Electric Power Co., Inc. 366 Pinnacle Ridge Road Rutland, VT 05701
Email: [email protected] Desk Phone: (802) 770-6223 Cell Phone: (802) 770-2892
