In his special address to the country to lay out his administration’s plans to support the Hurricane Ida recovery efforts, President Biden announced on Monday, August 30th, that the use of drones, as well as satellite imagery, will be used to improve the effectiveness of the hurricane recovery efforts.
In announcing federal government support for the hurricane recovery efforts, Biden said he's asked the Federal Aviation Administration to allow utilities in impacted areas, including most prominently Entergy "to operate the use of surveillance drones to assess Ida's damage to energy infrastructure." He also called for the use of satellite imagery to assist with the recovery efforts.
Ken Maness, Executive Director of the Utility Imagery & Inspection Consortium (UIIC), commented on the President’s announcement, "First and foremost our hearts go out to those affected by Hurricane Ida. The images that we see in the news are horrendous and we hope for a speedy recovery. We are grateful to see widespread support and the use of advanced imagery and inspection technologies in order to improve and expedite the recovery process. This action by the federal government is another data point confirming the important role of advanced imagery and inspections in improving safety, reliability, and bottom-line financial performance in utility operations."
TMG Consulting launched the Utility Imagery and Inspection Consortium to bring utilities and solution providers together to share best practices and collaborate on improving business process and analytic development for the benefit of utility leaders and professionals responsible for the maintenance and management of critical infrastructure.
UIIC is a membership-based organization for utilities and solution providers to share best practices and collaborate on improving business processes and analytic development for the benefit of utility leaders and professionals responsible for the maintenance and management of infrastructure. The membership in and engagement with the UIIC is a critical step for a utility to successfully unlock value from information in its imagery, operational data, & business processes to deliver critical operational and predictive insights to improve reliability, safety, and financial performance.