Abstract
William Thompkinson
Regional Sales Manager
Optech Incoroporated
Canada
Abstract
As the supply of non-renewable energy resources has dwindled over the last few decades, the vast regional economies of China, India, Brazil and others have grown to the point where the demand for energy has begun to outpace the available supply. In response to this growing imbalance, the power utility industry is challenged not only to develop new energy sources, but is also looking to maximize the efficiency of existing power line corridors by improving and upgrading their transmission line assets. In order to conduct a comprehensive examination of the critical parameters in existing power lines, a utility company must have access to accurate elevation data on the conductor wires and the surface terrain throughout the transmission corridor.Because it is the fastest and most efficient means of acquiring high-density, high-accuracy geo-referenced spatial data, airborne LiDAR technology has become a widely accepted and popular tool among transmission companies. This paper reviews the workflow of LiDAR data collection and analysis used in power line corridor applications. The key advantages of ALTM LiDAR systems manufactured by Optech Incorporated are demonstrated and discussed.
