Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure post-storm damage assessment

Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure has released Intergraph Damage Assessment (IDA), an application that enables end-to-end automation of the entire post-storm damage assessment process. IDA can be used for simple outage patrols as well as in times of devastating storm damage, making it an everyday solution that maximises return on investment for electric utility companies.

The web-based application’s integrated components originate in the storm room and extend to the field and back for a complete, automated solution. Supervisors can assign assessment work and view and analyse up-to-date data from a web-based application. Field crews using tablets can perform assessments against GIS network facility data and send results back in real time.

Unlike disaster documentation systems, IDA is specific to utility workflows and, unlike other damage assessment applications, integrates with any geographic information system (GIS) or outage management system (OMS), featuring both a field application and supervisory dashboard for end-to-end workflows.

A tablet-based mobile application uses web services to provide views of outages, crews and GIS facility information as a layer on top of commercial maps, which enables workers to collect data in the field for comprehensive damage assessment. Using the web-based application back in the storm room, supervisors can view that information and run reports and analysis to determine the extent of damage and aid in restoration strategy. Server-side event processing and industry-standard messaging enable integration with other systems for collection results, including materials required to rebuild the network, leading to real-time intelligent decision-making, which is not possible when using outdated paper maps.