When electricity is on the line

Providing electricity to a whole country is a demanding task. It gets even more demanding when roughly one-third of the country is covered with woods and the other two-thirds contain Europe’s highest summits, the Alps.

为了提供不受干扰的供应并保持电力流，Alpiq Enertrans AG集成了Leica Geosystems无人驾驶飞机（UAV）解决方案中的工作流程，以管理对电线，绝缘体和电线杆的视觉检查。Alpiq Enertrans AG不断发展使用无人机来改善工作流程，将其提升到了一个新的水平，为植被管理创造了创新的方式，并使用Leica Geosystems Hexacopter监视环境威胁航空电缆。

Vegetation management from the air

Regular monitoring of the environment around infrastructural constructions is the first step in vegetation management. These structures include:

• Powerlines
• 管道
• Railways

The next step is planning and conducting the maintenance work to prevent any incidents. Therefore, a minimum distance between the surrounding flora and the lines is necessary. This is majorly important when it comes to aerial powerlines. As an insulating layer would be too heavy, the air around the lines works as a non-conducting protection. To prevent any short circuit, neither the lines to each other nor any vegetation should come closer than the minimum distance.

地球断层和短路可能会造成严重的破坏，火灾，甚至导致一条线的拆除，这可能意味着成千上万的人停电。最小差距取决于国家法律，运营电压和公司给出的定制偏移。

In the past, Alpiq EnerTrans AG was using experts to walk next to the powerlines to estimate the space between the conductions and the vegetation, to see if anything would interfere with the minimum gap. In doubt, the whole segment of the conduction had to be shut down and the crew had to climb up to get a more detailed view.

这种方法已经也是如此ry accurate, mainly because it was based on appraisals, nor was it very efficient. With most of the constructions being built in difficult terrain, the inspections were very time consuming and it was a major effort for the crew to inspect the powerlines through the rough terrain. Apart from this method, Alpiq EnerTrans AG monitored its grid by using helicopters with infrared-, korona-, RGB-cameras, as well as laser scanners, to get ahead of possible threats caused by the environment

Alpiq正在寻找植被管理的新方法，并在基于无人机的解决方案中找到了他们的完美匹配：

• 提高效率
• Heighten safety
• Increase precision

Using an UAV to get as many details as the helicopter provided in combination with the benefit of small crews and light equipment was the perfect combination of versatility and granularity. To capture every data pertinent for the analysis, a Sony Alpha 7R with its full-frame CMOS-sensor (36.4megapixel) and a 28 mm lens is mounted onto the UAV’s gimbal.

使用无人机监视电动线环境的第一步是准备飞行计划。稍后需要监视的每个细分市场必须在飞行前进行调查，以获取各州和可能的危险点。当工作人员在下一步计划最有效的航向飞行时，这变得很重要。

The in-house built flight planning software calculates the most efficient route, the Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) and height of the UAV showing you the duration and waypoints of the whole operation. Another way to get ahead of this task, especially when the area is hard to predict, is the teach-in-function, where the UAV saves the waypoints from the flight to remember them the next time at this place.

To increase the precision, the a RTK/GNSS module can be attached and references the UAV with a scope of 1-3cm. This method is based on the technology of NovaTel and Leica Geosystems.

After the expulsion of the overhead lines, further processing of the data begins. The recorded images are georeferenced with the GPS data of the UAV’s logfile in a special software. Through the georeferenced data, an accurate 3D point cloud of the area and the environment is created.

在下一步中，添加了位置和极高的数据，并通过极点的GPS坐标引用模型。设置模型后，添加计算的电导，以模拟最大导体线圈SAG。

在进一步的过程中，计算出的点云是给瑞士公司Picterra GmbH。该软件确定植被和电源线之间的距离。这些点在确定最小距离的点云中标记。情况计划源自该模型，该模型显示了危险以及包裹的边界和数字，道路，路径，线条和桅杆名称。根据情况计划，可以清楚地找到危险点的坐标。

找到合适的差距

By using the Leica Geosystems UAV solution, Alpiq has now been able to accurately determine the distances between the overhead lines and the surrounding vegetation toas much as ± 30cmin order to ensure a smooth operation of their routes. Since the current paths must frequently be checked at irregular intervals, the full potential of the UAV develops, in this case, in order to generate exact and comparable results from partial sections.

The entire monitoring can now be carried out by a small crew, since only one other person is required to watch HD live transmission on the screen. The cost advantage compared to a helicopter and the associated crew as well as the elaborate sensors is obvious. Another advantage of using an UAV is the possibility to generate precise data again and again in order not only to create snapshots but to generate a longitudinal section for a long-term study from the data obtained.

Leica GeosystemsUAV as a floating multisensor platform also offers the possibility to use other measuring methods. So, Alpiq EnerTrans AG is extending the workflow to a multispectral camera, such as the Parrot Sequoia, to determine the Normalised Differenced Vegetation Index (NDVI) of the vegetation. This can identify regions that need to be inspected more frequently due to increased plant growth. This operationeliminates the need for expensive and large-scale inspections使用直升机，可以准确地预测到受植被威胁的高架线的区域。

The UAV is also equipped with a LiDAR sensor to achieve even more precise results. By using a LiDAR sensor, the UAV can generatemillimeter-precision point clouds从空气中，更精确地工作。

The advantages of collecting data for track management with an UAV are not only the reduction of costs and increased security. Rather, the UAV based open-line monitoring is a multiple flexible and allows selective and highly precise vegetation management. While in the case of an on-site inspection or the use of a helicopter, only momentary recordings are collected. The workflow generates data with an UAV, from which various scenarios can be simulated and analysed. This makes it possible not only to identify an actual situation but also to make detailed forecasts.

"The aerial robot from Leica Geosystems supports Alpiq EnerTrans AG optimally in the fulfillment of our demanding inspection tasks. A device for professionals by professionals!" - Rudolf Meier, chief executive of Alpiq EnerTrans AG

With the innovative approach of Alpiq EnerTrans AG to specify and modernise vegetation management through the use of Leica Geosystems UAV, the company not only works more efficiently, but it can also depend on solid data to counteract any malfunction.