SUCCESS STORY
Case Study: Anomaly Detection in Electric Poles

Anomaly Detection in Electric Poles

ThirdEye Data developed and deployed an AI-powered computer vision solution to detect anomalies in electric poles and predict potential failures that could result in service disruptions or wildfires. By analyzing drone-captured images, the system identifies defects in poles and their subcomponents, enabling preventive action. This solution is integrated into a larger platform used by field teams, customers, and partners of a global IT enterprise, ensuring safety, reliability, and operational efficiency.

THE CUSTOMER

BUSINESS GOALS OR CHALLENGES

Business Goals

  • Ensure Public and Infrastructure Safety: Identify defects in electric poles early to prevent wildfires and outages.
  • Support Utility Field Operations: Equip field personnel with visual intelligence to take timely corrective actions.
  • Automate Defect Detection at Scale: Process thousands of images daily to detect issues with minimum human intervention.
  • Enable Proactive Maintenance: Predict the likelihood of pole deterioration and optimize maintenance workflows.
  • Integrate Into Global Ecosystem: Deploy a scalable and secure solution for use by international stakeholders.

Understanding the Challenges:

  • High Risk of Wildfires: Defective poles are known to trigger wildfires, especially in high-temperature regions.
  • Manual Inspections Are Inefficient: Traditional methods are time-consuming, costly, and error-prone.
  • Massive Image Volumes: Drone programs capture large amounts of imagery, creating a need for scalable processing.
  • Subtle Anomalies: Damage in subcomponents (e.g., cross arms, insulators) may not be easily visible to human reviewers.
  • Global User Base: The system had to support users across geographies, from partners to field sales personnel.

Prerequisites and Preconditions:

To deliver this advanced anomaly detection solution, the following groundwork was laid:

  • Drone-Captured Imagery Pipeline: Integrated drone footage upload directly into Azure Blob Storage.
  • Image Labeling & Training Data: Curated a dataset of pole components and known defect patterns.
  • Computer Vision Model Design: Trained object detection and classification models for poles and sub-parts.
  • Azure-Based Processing Pipeline: Built an inference pipeline on the Azure tech stack for scalable detection.
  • User Access Management: Set up secure access for internal teams, partners, and global field operators.

THE SOLUTION

ThirdEye Data engineered an AI-driven anomaly detection system using Azure’s cloud capabilities and advanced computer vision techniques.

Solution Highlights

  • Image Ingestion via Azure Blob Storage: Seamlessly imported drone-captured images into a centralized cloud location.

  • Object Identification: Accurately recognized electric poles and their structural components from aerial imagery.

  • Anomaly Detection Models: Applied deep learning models to flag abnormalities in insulators, wires, and pole structures.

  • Predictive Deterioration Scoring: Calculated the likelihood of failure based on anomaly severity and historical patterns.

  • Scalable Azure Architecture: Deployed the entire pipeline using Azure services for high availability and global access.

  • User-Friendly Interface: Enabled customers, partners, and field sales personnel to view results and take action via dashboards and mobile interfaces.

VALUE CREATED

The deployed solution had a measurable impact on operational safety, maintenance efficiency, and environmental risk reduction:

  • 92% Accuracy in Anomaly Detection: Significantly reduced false positives and manual verification efforts.
  • Reduced Inspection Time by 70%: Automated processing allowed field teams to prioritize actual problem areas.
  • Early Failure Prediction: Helped prevent potential wildfires and power disruptions with proactive interventions.
  • Cost Savings in Field Operations: Lowered the costs of routine inspections and emergency maintenance.
  • Environmental Impact Mitigation: Supported safer energy infrastructure and protected at-risk communities.
ThirdEye Data

Transforming Enterprises with
Data & AI Services & Solutions.

ThirdEye delivers Data and AI services & solutions for enterprises worldwide by
leveraging state-of-the-art Data & AI technologies.