Above Sensing Ltd. recently completed a pilot vegetation management survey for Arrow Lakes Power in the Castlegar region, evaluating how drone-based LiDAR can support transmission corridor maintenance.
The objective was to identify vegetation requiring attention in a steep terrain section that normally would be accessed with a helicopter and deliver information that management crews could immediately incorporate into their workflow.
Using high-density LiDAR and aerial imagery, the project delivered:
- GIS-ready vegetation management layers
- Classified LiDAR point cloud
- Corridor fly-through video for visual review and stakeholder communication
The results were put to work immediately. Following delivery of the survey, helicopter crews were deployed to address priority vegetation identified during the assessment.
Pilot projects like this allow utilities to evaluate new technologies under real operating conditions before integrating them into long-term vegetation management programs.
For utility operators, the value of drone-based LiDAR isn't measured by the volume of data collected—it's measured by how quickly that data can be transformed into practical, defensible maintenance decisions.