New innovations |
monitoring sedimentation in reservoirs, the versatility of geospatial analytics is evident. Almlie shared: “We’re already working with companies in the UK on projects like pipeline and rail construction, helping them identify ancient burial grounds and other environmental factors.” One of the services the company provides for utility
customers in the US is pre- and post-storm damage assessment, particularly in regions prone to hurricanes, such as the east and south coasts. Using satellites, the company can identify specific locations of concern to infrastructure. This same technology can be applied to assess sites for future infrastructure projects, such as dams or transmission towers. Additionally, there is a land movement algorithm
to monitor erosion and water quality algorithms that detect specific constituents in the water, including arsenic, barium, manganese, iron, aluminum, nitrogen, and phosphorus. These are crucial for water body managers.
“However, if a utility needs to detect something we don’t yet have an algorithm for, we can develop a new solution,” Almlie said. “Instead of waiting for laboratory analysis of thousands of costly point samples, utilities can use satellite data for a more efficient and comprehensive analysis.” As utilities face increasing pressures from
Below from top to bottom: Aquatic Vegetation Detection by Satelytics along a reservoir and nearby waterways using 50cm Pléiades imagery from Airbus
Aquatic Vegetation Detection provided by Satelytics helps pinpoint where potential risks are in the waterways, such as hydrilla
environmental regulations and the need for efficient operations, the demand for advanced monitoring solutions like those offered by Satelytics is set to grow. The ability to detect and respond to issues swiftly not only enhances operational efficiency but also contributes to environmental conservation efforts. By leveraging the power of geospatial analytics, Satelytics can provide a level of insight and responsiveness that was previously unattainable. As Almlie aptly put it: “We’re not just solving single problems; we’re enabling utilities to address multiple issues simultaneously with the same set of data.” This multi-faceted approach not only optimizes operations but also paves the way for a more sustainable future in utility management.
Case study: Georgia Power
Satelytics’ advanced AI-powered geospatial analytics technology is helping Georgia Power to proactively monitor and safeguard the health of lakes and reservoirs that constitute the organization’s hydroelectric system, which delivers power to more than 2.6 million residents in the state of Georgia. Satelytics deployed a suite of proprietary algorithms, and along with the field expertise of Georgia Power, was able to proactively identify threats before they could spiral out of control. Satelytics analyzed high-resolution satellite images, providing unprecedented, detailed insight into the challenges faced by Georgia Power.
“Land disturbance issues are the primary concerns we are looking for with our surveillance program in the lands around the lakes,” said Dawson Ingram, Lake Resources Manager, Georgia Power. “Environmental risk is the biggest issue.” The problems facing the hydroelectric industry include shoreline-adjacent private construction projects springing up faster than manual inspectors can detect them. Soil, pollutants, and other unwanted debris are at constant risk of draining into reservoirs. Lakes set aside for water sports, or used as sources of drinking water, are frequently beset by algae and invasive species. Worse yet, invasive vegetation like hydrilla can grow to the point of choking off flow into dams, in the process damaging entire hydroelectric systems. Any one of these problems, if not identified in time, can cause significant problems. Satelytics’ change-detection algorithms ensured that problems were identified in time by rapidly detecting land disturbances, vegetative clearing, and signs of construction on land or at the shoreline itself. Meanwhile, separate algorithms were deployed to detect aquatic plant growth in the water, at depths unattainable with conventional monitoring technology—upwards of two feet in many cases. Because images were acquired on a seasonal basis, Satelytics could pinpoint subtle differences in terrain, vegetation, and building structure, and instantly bring these to Georgia Power’s attention for remediation. “Hydropower is key to a clean energy
future, but that future is jeopardized by threats to the hydroelectic system,” said Sean Donegan, president and CEO of Satelytics. “By drawing multilateral insights from the highest-resolution imagery, we’ve been able to help Georgia Power avoid problems faced by hydroelectricity projects worldwide, providing the kinds of timely, actionable information that stops problems at the source.” Georgia Power and its field workers can now
save time on remediation efforts by focusing their efforts only on those issues flagged as most problematic by Satelytics’ technology.
16 | July 2024 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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