How High-Res Aerial Imagery Revolutionizes Asset Management in the Utility Sector

In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, utility companies face an increasing need to efficiently manage, maintain, and monitor their vast network of assets across both urban and rural areas. Leveraging consistently reliable, high-resolution aerial imagery has rapidly risen the ranks to become a vital game changer in utility asset management. What are some of the biggest benefits utility managers can expect, especially when accessing the comprehensive library of current and historical imagery from Vexcel, to save time and resources and improve operational efficiency?

See What You Need to See with High-Res Imagery for Better Asset Monitoring

Let’s start with the most basic need: seeing your assets clearly and accurately. Vexcel’s imagery provides utility companies with high-resolution images that allow for meticulous inspection of assets like power poles, transformers, and substations. Vexcel’s market-leading UltraCam camera sensors are able to collect critical details that can help you pinpoint changes or issues in their infrastructure.

Key Benefits:
  • Detailed Inspections: High-resolution imagery enables clear visibility of minor damages or wear and tear from high above–at a resolution up to 16x greater than satellite imagery–that may not be noticeable from ground inspections.
  • Timely Maintenance: Early detection of issues allows for prompt repairs, preventing minor defects from escalating into major problems.
  • Cost Efficiency: Reducing the frequency of manual inspections lowers labor costs and minimizes the need for extensive field resources.
Multispectral Imagery for Vegetation Monitoring

Vegetation encroachment is a significant concern for utility companies, as overgrown trees and plants can threaten utility lines, leading to outages and potential safety hazards. Multispectral imagery offers a robust solution for monitoring vegetation growth and identifying areas of concern, such as plant health that could be combustible and a wildfire challenge.

Key Benefits:
  • Proactive Management: Multispectral imagery helps identify vegetation health and growth patterns, enabling proactive trimming and maintenance.
  • Enhanced Safety: Utility managers can monitor vegetation to reduce the risk of line interference and potential fires, enhancing the network’s safety.
  • Efficient Resource Allocation: Targeted vegetation management ensures that resources are deployed efficiently, focusing on areas that need immediate attention.
Access to Utility Assets Across Urban and Rural Areas

Vexcel is the world’s largest aerial imagery provider, and that’s no less true in what we collect across the U.S. We capture imagery in urban and rural areas at a resolution of 7.5cm in urban areas to 15cm in rural. You can learn all about our U.S. Collection Program here.

Because of our extensive coverage, being able to manage utility assets in diverse terrains, from dense urban environments to remote rural landscapes is less challenging with access to Vexcel’s vast aerial imagery library. Utility managers get unparalleled access to these assets, ensuring comprehensive monitoring and management.

Key Benefits:
  • Geospatial Analysis: Aerial imagery combined with geospatial analysis tools allows for accurate mapping and tracking of utility assets across vast areas.
  • Remote Inspections: Vexcel’s imagery offers greater reach and coverage than a drone program and provides easy views of hard-to-reach locations, reducing the need for field technicians to physically traverse challenging terrains.
  • Consistent Monitoring: Regular aerial surveys ensure continuous monitoring, enabling a consistent overview of the entire utility network.
Get Comprehensive Coverage to Stay on Top of Your Networks

Aerial imagery has revolutionized asset management for utility companies, offering high-resolution and multispectral imagery that enhances precision, safety, and efficiency. By integrating this type of aerial data into their operations, utility managers, field technicians, and asset inspectors can save time, optimize resources, and maintain a robust and reliable utility network.

Ready to transform your utility asset management? Discover how Vexcel’s imagery solutions can help you manage, maintain, and monitor your network of utility assets with unmatched accuracy and efficiency. Contact us today to learn more and get started.