Digitisation for vegetation management – an end-to-end vision
Trimble Market Manager, Otto Pulkkinen, is currently working on the integration of NM Group’s services with existing Trimble software to push the envelope of what is currently offered to market. In this blog he discusses how integrating Utility To Go™ with 3D data offers clients an innovative approach to field mobility and how this end-to-end digital solution can improve vegetation management operations.
What is the vision and how does the Trimble software fit into this?
To make comprehensive vegetation risk information and related tree cutting tasks available to everyone; from a desktop computer to the field with a tablet or a smartphone. Utility To Go™ (UTG) is Trimble’s mobile application. It brings the advantages of modern mobile technology to everyday field work. You can assign work, mark it as complete and even take a photo of completed tasks. All from your mobile device. By integrating UTG with NM Group’s 3D Asset Management software, Caydence® we are making the 3D virtual environment more actionable. It is possible to find the tasks on the map, navigate to the right locations and document the work done with data and photographs. It is bringing digitisation to the entire workflow, so more efficiency can be achieved for utilities.
Why should we be interested in digitisation?
It means less physical documents to complete, less cumbersome documents to handle in the field and less chance of losing vital data and information due to incomplete documents. In short , it facilitates easier data maintenance across all operations. With UTG I am especially proud of the ease of use and deployment. We want to make everything as easy as possible for users.
Why would a vegetation manager want UTG?
“It provides easy, universal access to vegetation risk information on the network. This includes accessible task lists and daily tasks execution for field staff and it provides auditable documentation of work, including photos and notes.
Plus, it’s available on any handheld device. Combining this with Caydence® means you have the ability to visualise the tree risks in 3D in the office and then easily update the cutting status from the field.”
“It is an end to end solution for vegetation management, so really making vegetation data actionable.”
How can UTG complement NM Group's Caydence® software?
“Caydence® is the leading platform for 3D visualisation of aerial survey and 3D network data in general. I believe the next step is about making vegetation management more accessible. UTG can start where Caydence® ends.
Where we have valuable vegetation risk data in Caydence®, we can make that data operational with UTG. We can turn it into work actions and we can target those actions to the correct people working in the field crews. We can help them document what they do in the field and ensure that the cutting data stays consistent. We store it all, generate reposts and ensure compliance.”
What role will you undertake in supporting this integration?
"I’m leading the initiative at this stage. It is important to establish the real customer needs and map them into value and technological features we can provide. We're working hard with our clients to make sure we're building the right thing. I'm leading the development work for the first implementation of the solution integration."