Symbion Power and PDG Helicopters assess two years with GeoField

Over the last two years, Symbion Power and PDG Helicopters have used GeoField for all their aerial power line inspection work. In this time they have experienced the benefits that adopting GeoField can bring: many of them were planned, some were unexpected. Adam Crick, General Manager of Symbion Power, explains some of the planned benefits.

‘Most significant for us is that Symbion have gained a competitive advantage and have won additional work as a result of using GeoField. The pilots think using GeoField is great and would find it difficult to go back to the old paper-based method of working.’

Users have also found that the quality of the inspection results has improved dramatically — being more complete, accurate and at a detail that couldn’t be achieved by using a paper-based system. Among the more unexpected benefits, using GeoField has fostered a more collaborative relationship with the customer, particularly in improving the existing data quality. Areas that had been previously considered to be sound have been shown to be missing or wrong. Many of these errors lay undiscovered in systems for years and probably would have remained there without this partnership working.

‘Clients have found that their data is not as good as they thought it was,’ says Crick. ‘These gaps are being closed and now clients are much more aware of how they can use their data.’ The experience of Symbion Power, PDG and their customers have been so positive that they have already started to push this application into their other services such as condition assessment inspections, thermal imaging and corona discharge surveys. They already have plans to supplement these types of inspections and their standard Tablet PC-based visual patrols by integrating GeoField with video and still camera for a complete inspection package.