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Jun 20, 2024Keywords:
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Vegetation Monitoring for High Voltage Transmission and Distribution Line Corridors using Satellite Stereo Images: a Case Study of Isingiro District.
Abstract
In Uganda, monitoring for vegetation encroachment on transmission and distribution line corridors is conducted through ground inspections. Ground inspection is carried out by either pole climbing, foot patrolling, or vehicle inspection. These procedures are time-consuming and stressful. In developed countries, aerial borne inspection methods, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), helicopter patrols, Synthetic Aperture Radar, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and aerial videography, are being used. These techniques produce accurate results but they are very costly and are hardly accessible. Using satellite stereo pairs for inspecting overhead power line corridors for vegetation can be more effective than inspection through aerial methods.
In this research, 50cm spatial resolution Pléiades1A stereo imagery was used to generate a digital surface model (DSM) showing the spatial relationship between vegetation and the high-voltage power lines in the study area. The resultant Pléiades 1A stereo imagery was then segmented into a chessboard grid and processed using texture classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) threshold values to identify any tall trees. Using the DSM, together with the data layer, showing the tall trees and the high-voltage powerline corridors, the degree of vegetation encroachment on high-voltage power lines at the time of image acquisition was determined.
It was found that the DSM generated was accurate to the 17.3cm Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). This demonstrates the capability of stereoscopic techniques using Pléiades 1A data in modelling the spatial relationship between vegetation and high-voltage power lines. A line denoted by Code 4 showed a considerable tree canopy density within its growth limit zone which was further confirmed through site visits.
