Detecting Vegetation Encroachment with UAV Hyperspectral Imaging & LiDAR

Vegetation encroachment along railways in order to prevent tree fails and the interruption of train service has a severe economic and safety impact on passengers, freight customers, and railway operators. Encroachment onto power transmission lines can cause outages, that also severely impact consumers as well as power utility companies.

These types of infrastructure extend for many kilometers, and need a continuous monitoring as well as rapid decisions.

UAV surveys are a great tool to survey these extended areas with a combination of LiDAR, which can provide a 3D model of terrain and vegetation, and Hyperspectral Imaging, which measures the spectral response of vegetation.

Using LiDAR, it is possible to detect the encroachment and estimate the distance of trees from the lines. And by using Hyperspectral Imaging, it is possible to determine the health status of trees and assess the risk that they might fall before signs become visible to the human eye.