Outstanding partnership helps reduce power outages
Power outages caused by trees falling on power lines are being reduced as a result of a research partnership involving a Durham University Research Fellow and an international company. Sophie Davison, originally from Gateshead, worked with NM Group 's Knaresborough office to develop a system to model vegetation around power lines using aerial laser scanning from fixed wing planes and helicopters, to help utility companies minimise the risk of power outages caused by vegetation. The company entered a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Durham University, which enabled Sophie, a Geography graduate specialising in remote sensing, to work as a knowledge transfer specialist alongside Shane Brunker, Technical Director at NM Group and Danny Donoghue , Professor in Remote Sensing at Durham University. The KTP has since been graded as 'outstanding' by Innovate UK , the UK government's innovation agency, for its achievements. Next generation vegetation analysis The partnership recognised that effective vegetation management is vital to reduce avoidable power outages caused by contact between overhead power lines and vegetation. It also plays an important role in helping reduce the risk forest fires in countries such as Australia and parts of the USA. Durham University and NM Group worked to develop the use of LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) remote sensing technology, traditionally used to model power lines to also analyse the surrounding vegetation.
