A world first global groundwater temperature modelling project has predicted that shallow groundwater will warm between 2.1C° and 3.5C° on average by the end of the century. Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) Outstanding Future Researcher Dr Dylan Irvine and University of Newcastle’s Dr Gabriel Rau, collaborated with colleagues from Canada, Germany and Austria to develop the model, which aims to [...]
As the major representative body for locators in Australia, NULCA today provides essential leadership and support to its members and works to eliminate network damages, personal injury and costs to the community during excavation and construction activities. Here, we uncover the history of the association and the events that laid the foundation for the NULCA as we know it today. [...]
Hunter Water’s GIS Transformation Project, in partnership with 1Spatial, aimed to migrate GIS data to the ArcGIS Utility Network for improved network visualisation and analysis. The project faced data quality challenges, with a reactive process leading to high error rates and unplanned rework. 1Spatial’s cloud-based platform enabled proactive data assessment, significantly reducing errors. The collaboration led to a dramatic improvement [...]
The Federal Government is mapping Australia’s underground water reservoirs in a first of its kind stock-take of the nation’s groundwater resources, in an effort to ensure future water security. The National Hydrogeological Inventory, developed by Geoscience Australia, has mapped Australia's major groundwater-bearing basins and geological provinces. The inventory paints a picture of the communities, industries and environments that rely on [...]
The countdown is on to Australia’s Leading Geospatial Conference, happening on the 10 - 12 May 2023 at the Adelaide Convention Centre. With less than two days until the event, Locate has been busy announcing its captivating display of speakers, exhibitors and workshops. With an exceptional number of companies from across the globe, the exhibition hall of Locate23 will give [...]
The asset management capabilities of GIS rely on data integrated from a variety of sources. Discrepancies can often occur between different datasets, or between older and updated spatial data. For critical utility infrastructure applications, a simplistic fix to reconcile these differences will not pass muster. Achieving the most accurate dataset requires a strategic and rigorous approach to conflation by utilising [...]
Leveraging remote sensing, imagery, and advanced analytic technologies, Horizon Power’s Geospatial Intelligence Program aims to deliver a geospatial intelligence solution that transforms the utility’s ability to quickly understand the state of the network. With a network spanned across thousands of kilometres, the program will optimise asset performance, and keep the network safe and reliable. Horizon Power has selected geospatial specialist [...]
Utility companies are some of the most advanced users of spatial data, requiring high-quality information delivered at a large scale. Aerometrex has built a strong reputation with its utility clients through its expertise and diversified product. Multiple large-scale utility customers trust Aerometrex’s LIDAR solutions and aerial imagery, delivered via MetroMap, as their spatial data sources for planning and ongoing asset [...]
Teledyne Technologies has announced the successful completion of the acquisition of FLIR Systems. At special meetings held on 13 May 2021, the shareholders of each company approved and adopted merger proposals related to the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated 4 January 2021. FLIR will now be included in Teledyne’s Digital Imaging segment and operate under the name Teledyne FLIR. [...]
As underground cable and distribution systems age, electrical faults occur with increasing frequency due to damage, workmanship issues and general deterioration. Energy utilities need a quick, effective solution to identifying these faults before they can cause damage or harm the community. Recently, a utility deployed a mobile contact voltage solution to perform a survey of their underground distribution areas. The [...]
Facing ongoing influences such as climate change, dam owners are under increasing pressure to ensure the safety of their assets. The consequences of failure are becoming more significant too, in light of factors like downstream urbanisation. With asset owners integrating new solutions to help them rise to the challenge, Hunter Water has turned its eyes skyward in a bid to [...]
by Radhiya Fanham, Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC Get a clear picture of immediate bushfire risk with the Australian Flammability Monitoring System. The world’s first near real-time web application for assessing how dry vegetation is, and in turn, how flammable, can help the utility sector better understand the risk bushfires pose to their infrastructure. Developed through the Bushfire and Natural [...]
Find it faster with RIDGID utility location equipment. RIDGID utility locators feature an easy-to-use visual mapping display that allows the location of utility lines and sondes with confidence. These locators can be used with RIDGID SeeSnake® cameras equipped with sonde transmitters to find the camera head during a pipe inspection. They can also be used in conjunction with a line [...]
Technology has become a major part of our modern world, helping to make life easier and safer for many – and utilities are no different. For Gippsland Water, the implementation of advanced technology into its operations has been a no-brainer, with the water utility embracing the use of drone technology over the past few years to help improve the way [...]
by Imogen Hartmann, Journalist Victorian Power Networks (VPN) (encompassing the CitiPower and Powercor networks) and United Energy (UE) own and operate large electricity distribution networks, totalling over 850,000 poles and more than 800,000km of line. VPN and UE are required to comply with strict regulations governing the design, configuration and environment of their assets as safely and cost-effectively as possible. [...]
Many utility companies currently use a manual process, where as-constructed drawings are drawn on paper in the field before being submitted for manual entry into the relevant GIS. This introduces various points where errors can occur. These include errors and inaccuracies in the initial drawings which are then entered into the system, or errors can be made at the time [...]
As part of US energy services holding company Southern Company Gas’ goal to maintain quality asset records, the company invested in a three-year project to map over 2,100 miles of its existing transmission pipeline system in four states with high-accuracy GPS. Southern Company Gas selected Locusview’s mapping technology to be used throughout the duration of the project by several contractors. [...]
While global positioning systems (GPS) can currently provide 5-10m accuracy, more precise positioning is increasingly important for applications in civil engineering, construction, disaster response, flood and storm modelling and more. Utility spoke to Nicholas Brown, Director of National Geodesy at Geoscience Australia, about the $225 million Positioning Australia program, upgrades to the Australian Geospatial Reference System, and the impact on [...]
By Kate Crawford, Paul Reed and Roshni Sharma, Locate20 Organising Committee Communication is vital to keep communities affected by bushfires proactive, resilient and prepared. The 2019/20 bushfire disasters have heightened public awareness of the need to improve communication within communities and with officials about danger and to locate resources in chaotic conditions when normal services are not available or visibility [...]
Most utility locators have a good understanding of electromagnetic field (EMF) locators. While there are similarities between EMF and ground penetrating radar(GPR) technologies, both have their downsides and using GPR alone can be dangerous. Similarities between EMF and GPR locators start with frequencies – single, dual and multi array. Like an EMF locator, GPRs with more than one frequency help [...]
Energy Queensland has 1.7 million power poles and over 225,000km of overhead and underground powerlines across Queensland. Unfortunately, powerlines are accidentally contacted by workers all too frequently, which can result in severe and sometimes fatal injuries. Ergon Energy and Energex, as part of Energy Queensland, have developed a lifesaving tool to help improve safety around powerlines, that was formally recognised [...]
Ergon Energy and Energex, as part of Energy Queensland, have won a Safe Work Award for a lifesaving tool to help improve safety around powerlines on work sites in the air and on the ground. The online mapping application lookupandlive.com.au pinpoints the location of 178,000km of overhead powerlines and 1.7 million poles across Queensland. Ergon Energy Community Safety Manager, Aaron [...]
Icon Water is currently undertaking a widespread transformation program looking to align people, process and technology within its Business Strategy. As part of this transformation, Icon Water has been modernising its Geospatial Information System (GIS). This has resulted in full connectivity established across the entirety of its networks, including flow direction across the sewer network. The innovative GIS approach has [...]
One of the long-running challenges for utilities in managing their assets has been finding ways to easily access, survey and inspect their networks. The introduction of drone technology is providing network owners with new perspectives on their assets in unprecedented detail, and Zinfra is now offering drones as part of its asset inspection services on a routine basis. Zinfra’s interest [...]
Bushfire risk is one of the most the significant safety issues for electricity networks. Historically, this risk has been managed through annual vegetation maintenance programs applied across the whole network. A significant trial based on spatial conflation and geo-statistical analysis has seen Endeavour Energy explore better ways to analyse light detection and ranging data (known as LiDAR) of vegetation near [...]
Bays, inlets and rivers are under increasing pressure from urbanisation, population growth and climate change to continue to properly serve their communities. In coastal and inland regions around the world, fecal contamination remains the primary cause of closure for recreational use. Researchers from Monash University used Thermo Fisher Scientific’s TECTAtm B16 to study and sample Melbourne's recreational waters. There are [...]
There is an urgent need for improved access to water quality information to better understand the impacts of climate — and human — induced change on water security. In order to effectively monitor water quality, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has partnered with satellite bathymetry data provider EOMAP to build an interactive portal that showcases water quality on a global scale.
Energy Networks Australia has released new interactive maps of Australia’s energy grid to help identify optimal areas for new renewable projects and demand management, ultimately saving customers money in power bills. The Network Opportunity Maps, produced with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), identify areas where the grid is ‘constrained’ and not easily able to cope with new connections. [...]
Drones have opened a new frontier of mapping and inspection possibilities for the civil construction industry, according to Nick Smith, CEO of Airsight Australia. Mr Smith has almost a decade of experience in the commercial drone industry, immersing himself in drones long before they entered the mainstream. He began development of the business model for his current company, Airsight Australia, [...]
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