Fulcrum connects risk data to crews

Fulcrum and Woolpert said on September 2 that they have linked lidar-based vegetation risk data to the field crews that carry out utility work, moving risk scores from remote analysis into assigned tasks inside Fulcrum’s field operations management software. The companies said the integration is live and is aimed at utility vegetation management programs that need field execution records as well as risk models. Woolpert produces the risk data from lidar and imagery, while Fulcrum routes that information into crew workflows and captures completion records. The companies said the result is a chain from corridor analysis to scoped fieldwork to documented closeout. ### How does the handoff from remote sensing to a crew actually work? Woolpert said its lidar and imagery create a connected 3D model of utility corridors and score vegetation encroachment and clearance risk down to the span and canopy level. Fulcrum said those scores are then turned into field task scopes inside its platform, where crews can see what needs attention and in what order. (prnewswire.com) Fulcrum’s own description of the workflow says crews complete the work in the field and enter photos, GPS coordinates, timestamps and clearance measurements as structured data before leaving the site. Completed work then flows back to Woolpert to update the vegetation management model with what crews found and what they cleared, according to Fulcrum. ### Why are the companies stressing “auditable proof-of-work”? (prnewswire.com) The September 2 announcement says the partnership turns lidar-based risk scores into scoped fieldwork with “auditable proof-of-work.” Fulcrum’s related post says the record includes what was surveyed, what was done and what is ready for the next compliance cycle, using on-site data such as photos, timestamps and location information. (fulcrumapp.com) Fulcrum said in a July 14 launch announcement for its field operations management platform that utilities and contractors use the software to run, record and close out work, and that completed field work is pushed back to office systems as “a record they can trust.” That earlier product launch said the platform was built to complement systems such as GIS, enterprise asset management and work-order software rather than replace them. (prnewswire.com) ### Where does each company fit in this partnership? Fulcrum described itself on September 2 as a field operations management platform used by almost 3,000 organizations. Woolpert was described in the same announcement as a provider of architecture, engineering and geospatial services for the utility industry. Woolpert’s broader geospatial materials say its lidar systems collect dense lidar data and high-resolution imagery from multiple mobile platforms for uses including 3D modeling and asset management. (prnewswire.com) That helps explain Woolpert’s role in producing corridor-level utility risk models that can be sent into field workflows. ### What problem are they trying to solve for utilities? Fulcrum said the partnership is designed to connect risk data to “the crews who need it,” so utilities and service partners can act on modeled vegetation risk in the field. (fulcrumapp.com) The companies framed the product as a way to move from remote scoring to actual work orders and documented completion, rather than leaving risk analysis disconnected from execution. (woolpert.com) Fulcrum has previously said utilities and contractors already use its software for vegetation management, asset management, linear construction, emergency response and disaster recovery. That earlier July release said the platform pulls context from office systems and returns completed field records when jobs close. (prnewswire.com) ### What comes next after vegetation management? The companies said the integration is live now and called it the first of several expected use cases for the partnership. The next extension, they said, will apply the same lidar-to-field-action model to facilities management by verifying clearance between buildings and high-voltage lines. September 2 is the date attached to both the partnership announcement and Fulcrum’s accompanying product post, which the companies identified as the current rollout point for utilities and service partners. (prnewswire.com 1) (prnewswire.com 2) (tmcnet.com)