Take control of the canopy

How next-generation vegetation management software enables a resilient network and efficient workforce

For those in the utilities and rail industries, "vegetation management" might conjure up images of manual inspections, paper maps, reactive maintenance, and the constant battle against encroaching trees. Vegetation management is a critical task, vital for safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance. But what if we could move beyond simply reacting to vegetation issues and instead proactively predict, plan, and manage them with unprecedented efficiency

Hitachi Vegetation Manager 3.0 is a game-changing solution designed specifically to empower utilities and rail organizations in their work management efforts. This isn't just another piece of software; it's a closed-loop digital platform built to transform how you approach vegetation, turning a potential risk into a manageable asset.

At its core, Hitachi Vegetation Manager is about providing a single source of truth for all your vegetation and workforce data. Imagine a world where you have a comprehensive, up-to-date view of your entire network's vegetation, complete with predictive insights and optimized work plans, coupled with one of the most intuitive and simple user experiences for your field and contractor workforces. That's the power we're putting in your hands.

Predict: See the Future of Your Vegetation

This is where the power of advanced analytics truly shines. Hitachi Vegetation Manager doesn't just show you what vegetation is there; it helps you anticipate what's coming.

• AI-driven risk assessment & prioritization: Our AI analyzes satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery to identify areas with the highest risk of vegetation-related incidents, allowing you to focus your resources where they matter most. We’ve taken the next step by enhancing our satellite offering with a suite of thermal capabilities, adding the ability to detect wildfires, and proactively monitor their progression with AI-driven forecasts on a rolling 12-hour basis. 

• Machine learning pipeline upgrades for model reinforcement: Our system continuously learns and improves, ensuring the accuracy and effectiveness of its predictions over time. This means your insights become more powerful the more you use the platform.

• Integration with the leading weather intelligence company, Tomorrow.io: We've partnered with the best to bring you comprehensive and accurate data, giving you a holistic view of your vegetation environment, ensuring you have the most reliable information for informed decision-making.

Plan: Strategize for Success

With accurate predictions in hand, the next step is intelligent planning. Hitachi Vegetation Manager provides the tools you need to develop effective strategies.

• Advanced vegetation plan management: Create, manage, and track vegetation management plans with ease, ensuring alignment across your organization and fostering better collaboration and a unified approach to vegetation management.

• Risk and capacity modeling: Model different scenarios and ensure your plans meet all relevant safety and regulatory requirements while staying within the bounds of resource constraints. This helps you stay compliant and minimize potential plan shortfalls.

• OTB Integration with Esri ArcGIS: Seamlessly integrate with your existing Esri ArcGIS enterprise geospatial platform for a smooth and efficient workflow. This reduces data silos and improves overall operational efficiency.

Prepare: Equip Your Teams for Action

Before any work begins, proper preparation is key. Hitachi Vegetation Manager ensures your teams are equipped with everything they need.

• Notifications and permissions management: Manage necessary permissions efficiently and set up automated notifications to keep stakeholders informed. Access relevant customer and property details, facilitating communication and ensuring work is performed on the correct land with the right permissions.

• Field knowledge capture and insights: Provide crucial safety information and specific instructions to field crews directly within the platform. This enhances communication, captures institutional knowledge, and improves safety awareness. Plan safe access and crew paths for tree removal, minimizing risks to personnel and property. This prioritizes worker safety and efficient work execution.

• Spatial analysis of work and mapping elements: Analyze your vegetation data geographically to optimize work routes, identify specific areas of concern through geofencing, and make informed decisions about treatment methods. This translates to more efficient field operations and reduced travel time.

Schedule: Optimize Your Workforce

Efficient scheduling is crucial for maximizing productivity and minimizing downtime. Hitachi Vegetation Manager offers intelligent scheduling tools:

• Automated scheduling and dispatch optimization: Automatically schedule and dispatch work orders based on factors such as priority, location, and resource availability. This leads to significant efficiency gains and reduces manual effort.

• Dynamic crew management: Effectively manage your resources and crews, ensuring the right people with the relevant skills are assigned to each task. This maximizes productivity and ensures quality work.

• Real-time crew location and task progress visualization: See where your crews are and what tasks they are working on in real-time, enabling enhanced situational awareness and proactive issue resolution.

• Mobile dispatch and opportunistic work exploration: Enable arborists and supervisors to send new work orders directly to field crews' mobile devices, while also empowering crews to identify and report potential issues or complete pre-approved tasks opportunistically while in the field. This helps improve responsiveness and efficiency.

Execute Work: Empower Your Field Teams, Execute with Efficiency and Precision

This is where the rubber meets the road – where planned and unplanned work transforms into tangible action in the field. Hitachi Vegetation Manager equips your field crews with a powerful suite of mobile tools to execute tasks efficiently and capture critical data seamlessly.

• Full offline work execution capabilities: Crews can access work orders, capture data, and update progress offline, with changes synchronizing automatically when a connection is restored, ensuring uninterrupted productivity - even in areas with limited or no network connectivity.

• Mobile task execution and data capture: Empower field crews with intuitive mobile interfaces to access work orders, view detailed instructions, and record data directly at the worksite. This eliminates paper-based processes, reduces errors, and accelerates data availability for both utilities and rail operations.

• Digital forms configurable by workflow: Customize digital forms to match specific work types and data collection requirements. This ensures consistent and relevant information capture, allowing for tailored data collection for various vegetation management tasks.

• Supervisory Task Completion: Provide supervisors or administrators with the ability to complete or update work order information and status on behalf of field crew members when necessary (e.g., for troubleshooting or remote assistance). This ensures accurate record-keeping and allows efficient handling of exceptions.

Adjust, Close, and Report: Adapt to Real-World Conditions

We get it. Things don't always go according to plan. But Hitachi Vegetation Manager provides you with the flexibility to adjust and adapt as needed.

• Comprehensive Work Order Closure: Standardized digital sign-off procedures and detailed documentation tools ensure complete and auditable work order closure. This creates a robust digital record for accountability and historical analysis.

• Digital timecard and expense reporting: Streamline administrative tasks for field crews with integrated digital timecard and expense reporting directly through the mobile application. This reduces paperwork, improves accuracy, and accelerates payroll and expense processing.

• Plan and progress reporting: Generate comprehensive reports on planned work and its progress, providing valuable insights for management. This allows for better monitoring and informed decision-making.

Technology: Built for Your Needs

We understand the diverse needs of our customers, which is why Hitachi Vegetation Manager offers flexible technology options.

• Flexible Deployment and Mobile Work Management: Offers both SaaS and on-premises deployment with AWS, coupled with Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) mobile work management via Flutter, ensuring seamless task execution across diverse devices (iOS, Android, Windows) and environments. 

• Data-Driven Geospatial Analytics: Integrates Esri ArcGIS at the core of the system for robust GIS-based work management, enabling the processing of diverse imagery (Satellite, LiDAR, Drone) and leveraging weather intelligence from Tomorrow.io for enhanced vegetation analysis that informs work orders and field operations. 

• Real-Time and Closed-Loop System: Facilitates real-time communication and collaboration between office and field teams, supports offline work order management with data synchronization, and provides GPS-enabled location tracking and access controls for efficient and secure work management.

The Power and Value for You

Hitachi Vegetation Manager is more than just a collection of features; it's a comprehensive closed-loop solution designed to deliver significant power and value to utilities and rail organizations.

• Enhanced Safety and Reliability Through Proactive Management: Proactive risk prediction and hazard marking significantly improve safety for both the public and workforce. This prevents vegetation-related incidents, minimizes outages and disruptions, and ensures a more reliable network.

• Optimized Operations for Increased Efficiency and Reduced Costs: Automation, optimization, and mobile capabilities allow for streamlined workflows, reducing manual effort and increasing efficiency. Optimized planning, resource allocation, and preventative maintenance also ensure significant cost savings.

• Data-Driven Compliance and Informed Decision-Making: Robust planning and reporting tools ensure adherence to safety and regulatory requirements. Accurate data and predictive insights empower informed, data-driven decisions.