Tucson Electric Power used to record line inspection data on paper patrol sheets. If there were not any problems, the sheets were simply filed away for future reference. If there were items that needed attention, the patroller would manually input those observations into the company's asset management system to generate work orders. This was a cumbersome, time-consuming process. There had to be a better way.

In 2005, Tucson Electric Power (TEP; Tucson, Arizona, U.S.) updated this process when it converted the patrol sheets into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and, later, to a Microsoft Access database. This change helped with reporting, but inspection observations still had to be entered by hand into the work-order management system. The stand-alone system also lacked interfaces with other programs, and inspectors could not access the electric system geographic and asset information from the field.

Standards Step

When TEP set out to standardize the collection and warehousing of data gathered from inspections of its transmission system, the utility went looking for a product that could be used in the field as well as in the office. The field units — to be used from helicopters, trucks and other vehicles — would need to reference existing geographic information system (GIS) and have global positioning system (GPS) capabilities. Office users would connect to the inspection server database via workstations to generate work orders based on observations collected with the field units. The product also would have to be expandable and compatible with the company's enterprise asset management system (EAMS) and other applications.

After more than a year of research, TEP awarded a contract to activeG, LLC (Mesa, Arizona, U.S.) in 2005. TEP chose the Transmission Line Asset Management/Inspection Program (TLAMP) as the basis for standardizing its inspection maintenance data, integrating and sharing that data, and tying it into the company's EAMS.

There was one problem, though. TLAMP relied on Microsoft Access to store asset and inspection information, and TEP's information services department was reluctant to adopt new Access-based applications based on its plan to standardize on another database program. Upon learning this, the project sponsors turned to activeG, who understood the company's concern and took on the challenge of redesigning TLAMP to support multiple databases: Microsoft SQL Server Express and Microsoft Access for field units and Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle for the server data store. During development, TEP was given several beta versions to test in the field for data synchronization and GPS capabilities. This allowed customizations and bugs to be worked out prior to delivery of the final product.

Aerial Inspections

activeG delivered TLAMP to TEP in April 2006, ahead of schedule and just in time for the company's biannual flight patrol. During the inspection flight seasons, TEP inspects approximately 500 corridor miles (805 km) of 345-kV transmission lines in five days. On the first day of the company's April flight season, John Johnston of activeG went along to train TEP's line patrol expert Cary Stubbs on TLAMP's inspection observation-gathering functions. In no time, Stubbs was inputting the inspection records and navigating the user interface that incorporates a user-friendly front end with drop-down menus triggered by “hot keys” for simplicity and speed. TLAMP's GPS interface tracks the vehicle — in this case, the helicopter — on the line route screen, displaying detailed electric system information and the surrounding area geography. This allows the operator to know exactly where he or she is relative to the line route at all times. After the patrol was complete, the interface to the server was put to the test by successfully synchronizing the TLAMP server database with the field units.

As the patroller navigates through the electric system using TLAMP, the structure, line attributes and past observations are automatically displayed on the main observation screen. This screen allows patrollers to record new observations for both phase-specific issues — those related to a specific conductor, insulator or assembly — and common issues, including those affecting the structure, foundation or surrounding vegetation. Memo fields are available for recording observation notes other than maintenance items. “Hot note” warnings can be entered on the fly and are displayed in red at the top of the screen to catch the patroller's eye.

Almost all user interaction with the TLAMP is keystroke or hot-key oriented. This allows for fast and efficient collection of maintenance observations, particularly during flight inspections.

TLAMP also allows patrollers to access more in-depth information about the structure from the main observation screen. The user can view and attach pictures, images, spreadsheets, land ownership, right-of-way data and other information. Once again, all of this data can easily be accessed in the field.

Ground Inspections

TEP also inspects its electric transmission systems from the ground on a year-round basis. This offers inspectors a closer look at system components, thereby enabling a much more detailed inspection. TLAMP's inspection menu system is designed to provide a different set of menu choices based on the type of inspection being performed. For example, the view of the electric system from a helicopter is much different than the view from a truck or on the ground. So when the inspector logs on to TLAMP and selects the inspection mode (ground, aerial, or climb and shake), he or she is presented with a completely different set of inspection menu paths. These paths can be customized easily through TLAMP's Menu Builder feature.

Another feature in TLAMP that has been extremely helpful is the Patrol Builder. This allows users to select the routes, lines and structures to be patrolled in any order. For example, if the inspector encounters bad weather during a flight patrol and must alter the route, he or she can modify the programmed patrol route and continue on the new route with no confusion about directional changes or line intersections.

Inspection Data Synchronization

TLAMP's bidirectional synchronization process takes all of the data collected in the field and syncs that information with the server. This includes inspection observations, inspection history, asset record changes, digital photos, field notes and comments. The field unit is then synchronized with the TLAMP server database, which updates and adds new or changed information that has been input by office users or other inspectors. This includes completed or updated work orders, inspection observations, asset record changes and GIS changes.

TLAMP provides a user-friendly interface for data synchronization. After logging into TLAMP (with Microsoft Windows Authentication for security purposes), the user connects to the server and, with the click of a button, syncs the machine to the server and transfers data. Afterward, users can interface with EAMS and send any fieldwork observations to the system.

Reporting

There are a variety of useful “canned” reports, such as inspection history and map queries. TLAMP stores every patrolled item in a historical table that can be referenced by tower or structure, circuit or voltage. The program's map queries allow searches for towers or structures that have inspection observations and displays results on the line route map. Since TLAMP relies on a server database such as Microsoft's SQL Server for storing enterprise data, users can create customized reports with their favorite reporting tool for easier reporting. As a result, a reporting task that might have taken days under TEP's previous system can now be handled in seconds.

TLAMP has exceeded all of TEP's expectations in performance, time savings, expandability and reliability. Thanks to TLAMP, TEP has evolved from paper-based collection and reporting to a cutting-edge GIS/GPS-driven system for its transmission-line inspections in less than two years. The process of generating work orders from inspection observations has been automated, and current reports are now available to anyone connected to the TLAMP server database. Now the company is working to integrate a wireless sky-card system that will allow field workers to send and receive data from any location where a wireless connection is available.

With TLAMP in place, the sky is no longer the limit for TEP's line inspection capabilities.

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Jim Bennett is a transmission line maintenance planner at Tucson Electric Power Co. He has worked in the transmission engineering, construction, maintenance and vegetation management department for two years. He has been in charge of administering activeG's TLAMP system since its installation at TEP in early 2006.
JBennett@TEP.com