Case Study
Supporting Long-Term Bushfire Risk Management Across a 13,000 km Transmission Network
The Client
A major transmission network operator in New South Wales and the ACT. Managing over 13,000 km of high-voltage corridors, the utility runs a comprehensive annual bushfire safety program. This includes aerial LiDAR surveys, helicopter inspections, and advanced digital modelling to identify vegetation encroachments, ensure statutory clearances, and reduce fire risk across the network.
Summary
Since 2020, NM Group has supported a major Australian transmission network operator with annual aerial LiDAR surveys and vegetation analysis across more than 13,000 km of transmission infrastructure.
Through a long-term partnership focused on continuous improvement, NM Group has helped the utility accelerate the delivery of critical vegetation intelligence, improve programme efficiency, and maintain visibility of network-wide bushfire risks.
Over successive survey campaigns, the programme has expanded in scale while reducing turnaround times, enabling earlier access to actionable information that supports vegetation management, regulatory compliance, and network resilience.
Testimonial
“NM Group's aerial LiDAR surveys give us the confidence to proactively manage vegetation risks across our network. The rapid turnaround and reliable deliverables directly support our annual bushfire mitigation program.”
The Challenge
New South Wales contains some of Australia’s highest bushfire risk regions, with transmission corridors traversing extensive areas of dense vegetation.
For a network exceeding 13,000 km, maintaining statutory clearances and identifying vegetation risks requires more than periodic inspections. The client needed a scalable and repeatable approach capable of delivering accurate, network-wide intelligence while supporting annual bushfire mitigation activities and operational planning.
As programme scope expanded, expectations increased. The utility required faster access to insights, consistent data quality, predictable delivery, and the ability to support risk-based decision making across the entire network.
The Solution
NM Group delivers annual aerial LiDAR surveys, vegetation analysis, and digital corridor modelling across the client’s transmission network.
Over the course of the partnership, NM Group and the client have continuously refined programme workflows, data management processes, quality assurance procedures, and automation capabilities. This collaborative approach has reduced delivery times while increasing programme scale and maintaining consistent output quality.
Advanced automation supports data processing, vegetation analytics, encroachment assessment, and reporting workflows, enabling the efficient delivery of high-quality vegetation intelligence across one of Australia’s largest transmission networks.
The Results
Faster Access to Risk Intelligence
37% reduction in programme turnaround time, enabling vegetation risks to be identified and acted upon earlier in the bushfire mitigation cycle.
Scalable Network Coverage
Programme coverage increased by 25% while maintaining consistent delivery performance and data quality across the network.
Predictable Programme Delivery
Long-term collaboration and process optimisation delivered 100% budget predictability with no price creep across annual survey programmes.
Continuous Improvement
Incremental advances in automation, workflow design, quality assurance, and data management have driven measurable improvements year after year.