For the First Time, Vegetation Risk to the Entire US Electrical Transmission Grid Has Been Analyzed With Satellite Data; LiveEO Publishes Results for Free Online

For the first time in history, vegetation encroachment risk to the entire publicly available U.S. transmission grid has been analyzed from space by the Berlin-based startup LiveEO.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210126005595/en/

Publicly available US transmission grid with vegetation closer than 30 ft (Photo: Business Wire)

Publicly available US transmission grid with vegetation closer than 30 ft (Photo: Business Wire)

The goal of this large-scale analysis was to demonstrate LiveEO’s market-leading analytic capabilities to a North American audience. In total, over 15,000 public satellite images were used to evaluate risk to 574,000 miles of electricity lines. (Details about the analysis can be found at www.live-eo.com/us-power-transmission-grid-analysis).

The analysis covers the detection of vegetation along the transmission grid, as well as the identification of grid segments that are exposed at dangerously close distances. These are some of the biggest challenges and operational cost factors for utility companies in maintaining their assets. Proven by studies vegetation is one of the main challenges for utilities globally, causing up to 56% of externally triggered power interruptions. In the United States alone, approximately US$ 6 billion is spent on vegetation management by utility companies annually.

"The scale combined with the detail of the analysis represents a milestone in satellite data analytics for utility companies and proves that satellite data represents a viable alternative for vegetation management to Lidar or foot patrols." says LiveEO's Co-Founder Daniel Seidel. "Additionally, these insights can be made actionable directly via our tool set of mobile and web apps, and API integrations to improve workforce efficiency in the field and to realize OPEX saving" adds LiveEO's other Co-Founder Sven Przywarra.

Besides the sole detection of vegetation distance from transmission grids, LiveEO is experienced in highly accurate and efficient investigations of vegetation height, condition, and species determination to improve cycle trimming activities and dangerous tree removal while reducing vegetation management costs on transmission and distribution levels.

LiveEO offers a sample analysis using commercial satellite data of their network free of charge for utility customers.

About LiveEO
LiveEO offers the world-leading satellite-based monitoring solution for infrastructure operators in the utility industry for vegetation management, ground deformation, and monitoring of third-party interactions. The company was founded in 2018 in Berlin, Germany, and has been continually growing, currently counting 40 employees with exceptional expertise in their respective field. The application of state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to investigate satellite imagery ensures the accuracy and reliability of the results. Currently, LiveEO’s product helps different customers in more than ten countries- among them, Australia, the United States, and various European countries- to monitor their assets and decrease operational expenses. Find out more at www.live-eo.com

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