Digital Pole Inspections: Mobile Apps and Software Solutions

The US is home to roughly 180 million wooden utility poles, with around 2 million new poles installed every year. Between the complications and costs of sending electric utilities underground, overhead distribution continues to be the preferred method for bringing power services to customers. 

Considering the scope of the overhead electric grid, maintaining the infrastructure is crucial for ongoing, reliable services. Pole inspections are one of the main maintenance methods to keep the grid secure and stable. 

As our grid advances, so too should our methods. Digital and software-based pole inspection solutions provide greater accuracy and more consistent data, meaning greater grid resiliency even in the midst of extreme weather. 

While traditional methods have historically relied on pen-and-paper routines, digital pole inspection software improves safety for workers, cuts calendar days, enhances accuracy, leads to better data collection, and provides long-lasting value for a long-lasting grid.

Structural Pole Inspections Then and Now

In the past, structural pole inspection methods have required inspectors to go out and sample each pole in the selected sample using sounding, boring, or excavating.

That data is then compiled from multiple field teams into spreadsheets, with teams trying to keep pole locations straight and avoid forked data. With the sheer size of electric footprints, even a seemingly small sample of 5% or 10% of a footprint results in huge volumes of inspection data. 

Plus, if data from the field doesn’t maintain consistency across teams, engineers in the back office have to validate and clean up info just to run remediation cycles. Manual methods increase redundancy and toil and introduce room for human error. 

The Digital Change 

While the inspection methods of boring, sounding, and excavating may remain the same (after all, they are effective!), the way we gather, record, analyze, and utilize data is changing for the better. 

With digital pole inspection routines, inspectors gather uniform, standardized data, which means that engineers back at the office can analyze that info for deeper trends and analysis. It also speeds up the remediation process because the formatting, naming conventions, type of data, and amount of information are the same every time. No more manual clean-up. 

Mobile field forms, real-time engines, and data integration are key software tools that assist teams in upgrading their pole inspection process in our digital age. 

Mobile Field Forms for Digitizing Pole Inspections

Field forms are a key feature of modern apps for pole inspection processes. Digital forms help teams document real conditions consistently. Custom fields allow teams to create the form that best suits the data they need to collect, and custom logic uses entries to prompt more information, so all data is not only consistent but also creates a complete snapshot of the pole’s condition. 

Photo documentation goes hand in hand with mobile forms, letting teams gather photos to create a visual timeline of the pole’s life. In Katapult Pro, mobile forms and photos are automatically associated with the same location, with specific inspection notes and IDs to make sure that data is stored in the right place and easily found. 

Depending on your team’s security regulations and pole inspection requirements, field forms and processes can be adjusted to make sure that the right amount and type of data is collected. 

Real-Time Engines for Managing Data 

Traditional processes capture the field data, return to the office, and then require that data be manually entered into engineering software for remediation. Digital solutions leverage real-time engines and uploads to automate the process. 

Once all the inspection data is entered into a form and captured through photos, that data can be uploaded into the database for storage, updating records, or running remediation cycles. 

A real-time engine lets engineers refer to historical inspection and attachment data as well, providing context for engineering. With accurate data on pole location, decay, severity, and historical data, back office teams can make informed engineering decisions. 

The best software solutions handle the inspection process from collection to construction. Once engineering is complete, it can automatically populate construction packages, improving communication with construction crews. Then, PCI routines can create feedback loops between engineering and construction to make sure that what’s designed gets built. 

Data Integration for a Digitized Grid 

Even after the pole inspection routine is complete, digital inspection programs can provide compounding value. By connecting pole inspection software with other utility management systems, like GIS software and asset management tools, teams can track work performed on the grid, maintain records, leverage data for future projects, and more. 

Digital tools also allow for better reporting—KPIs and dashboards create visual progress trackers, showing how much of the inspection cycle is complete, failure rates, different remediation types and their frequency, and overlap with make ready work. 

GIS integration means inspectors can capture data in the field, tie it to geo-locations, use it for engineering back at the office, sync with other programs, and track assets. 

Asset management lets teams integrate pole inspections within the same platforms as other pole work. Teams can track assets and all work done, managing planned work and responsive work in one place. 

This also helps to keep multiple parties and stakeholders informed, which is especially important for joint use management. 

Joint Use Pole Inspection Software

Poles with third-party attachments have multiple stakeholders plus a variety of maintenance work and make ready work. Without good digital solutions, and when our maintenance and make ready work are siloed in different platforms, managing pole inspection remediation for joint use poles becomes complicated. 

Let’s say a pole replacement is necessary, for example. If the pole has five attachments on it, a transfer process has to be initiated, with each attacher moving from the stub pole to the new pole. 

This isn’t a fast process—often, doublewood and stub poles remain untouched for months or even years before they’re finally removed. But when a pole fails inspection, it means it’s not safe. Now, that pole is still sitting in the midst of the grid, complicating GIS records and creating new risks. 

There are software solutions that not only simplify the pole inspection process but also facilitate the transfer and double wood process. Automatic notifications, status updates, email alerts, and more help keep all parties informed as pole inspection remediation turns into joint use management. 

The Right Pole Inspection Software

As our grid becomes increasingly more complex and advanced, our workflows and processes should follow suit. Finding pole inspection software that reduces manual work and improves data quality and lifecycle results in a better, safe, and more resilient grid. 

Software like Katapult Pro lets teams seamlessly leverage inspection data for engineering, construction, PCI, and the attachment transfer process when necessary. Katapult Pro offers custom, flexible deliverables available via direct download or SFTP/database integration, with all data in the system updated live. Plus, you can store records and location data in a secure database, update data and asset information using inspections, make ready, veg management, and more. 

Fulcrum is one example of a field form software with integrations into GIS platforms and other systems to ensure continuous data flow between field and office. Custom fields and workflows help standardize data and streamline the structural inspection process, even when offline.  

Alatrac allows users to create custom forms and workflows specifically for pole inspection routines. Using AI, the platform analyzes incoming project data and flags anomalies for quality control. However, this only addresses the data collection portion of structural pole inspections; data has to be exported to other platforms to conduct engineering.  

These are just a few of the software platforms out there, and your team has to find the one that works best for you based on your team’s needs and your clients’ requirements. 

Reach out to our team to learn more about our full-stack software solution for pole inspections. 

Get Started