Electra’s 33 kV Power Pole Inspections
Electra are the 8th biggest lines company in New Zealand owning and operating power lines in the Kapiti and Horowhenua region.  Since 2004 the company has used ike to capture data as part of their asset management process.
Electra have the 2nd lowest line charges in New Zealand and they achieve this through the adoption of innovative, efficient systems and technology.  Electra were an early adopter of GIS technology, first populating their GIS with GPS data in 1994.  Electra's line inspections are performed by Lineworks, a subsidiary of Electra, who are a power contractor specialising in design, construction and maintenance of power infrastructure.
There were a number of issues that Electra encountered during line inspections, and they were always on the lookout for innovative and cost-effective ways to overcome these issues.  ike provided them with the potential to solve a number of their problems with the adoption of a single new device.
The key issues to overcome were:
Significant lag time from data capture to GIS population
Discrepancies between the contractor’s and Electra's pole condition assessment
Up to 20% mismatch of photos/pole numbers/paperwork, a situation often caused by the multiple handling of data
20% re-inspection required
For a NZ$180,000 inspection, a re-inspection equates to NZ$36,000 in added costs.  In addition, NZ$15,000 of the inspection cost was data entry alone.  ike was the totally integrated data capture device that Electra were looking for.
	The customised ike application allows additional checks to be put in place. For example, each pole has a serial number followed by a checksum.  This checksum is used to verify exactly which pole has been inspected. The ike application requires the entry of a valid serial number and checksum ensuring the pole is correctly referenced at source.   The ike application also ensures the power pole’s condition is fully recorded.  If problems are found, up to 6 detailed photos can be captured and automatically attached to the file.
	Left: Electra’s 33kV power poles from Paekakariki to Paraparaumu, surveyed with ike
Results
Surveylab designed a data capture application that was logical and mirrored Electra's existing paper based methods making ike very easy to use in the field.
Electra were impressed with ike’s performance.
No data discrepancies
All data was collected and transferred into the ArcGIS database
Immediate savings in re-inspections
No delay between data captured and data being reviewed by Electra
Cost savings in data entry
The application meant data was captured without the usual input and transcription errors.  Furthermore, Electra could get data updates as the inspection was progressing - no more delays waiting for data.
Added Benefits
Because each individual pole inspection is data and time stamped, if a automobile ever knocks a power pole over, Electra will be able to respond with the date and time the pole was inspected, proving that the pole was in good condition.  This could deliver significant legal benefits. GPS positioning of poles is made possible in areas of difficult access, due to ike’s laser distance meter and compass. The position of the pole can be accurately pinpointed without having to traverse rail tracks, cross streams or other hazards in order to collect data. In poor GPS coverage the operator can relocate to a position of strong signal, and simply aim the cross hairs in the viewfinder at the pole. Detailed geographic and accompanying technical information about each asset is stored in Electra's ArcGIS database, from where all the photos are available as clickable hyperlinks.  This allows for a very easy review of the collected data.
Conclusion
Electra concluded that ike improved data collection accuracy, saved time, and saved money.
		Electra will use ike for all line inspections, street lighting inspections, and underground cable route inspections.         Left: Sample image of the data captured using ike.

 

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