Utilities Analysis
Menu: Analyze / Utilities Analysis
The Utilities Analysis tool is designed to automatically and semi-automatically detect, vectorize, and analyze power line infrastructure directly from your point cloud. It covers the full workflow from pole and line detection through to clearance compliance reporting.
Key Capabilities
✔ Pole detection and vectorization — automatic (by class) or manual (by picking in scene)
✔ Power line detection and vectorization — manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic
✔ Pole lean analysis — flags poles exceeding the tilt limit defined in the active Profile
✔ Line clearance analysis — measures the minimum distance from each line to the ground and flags violations by road type
✔ Span definition — defines sections of power lines between two poles
✔ Clash detection — detects vegetation encroachment within span intrusion zones
✔ Compliance Profiles — configurable regulatory profiles (e.g. NESC) with per-road-type clearance limits and lean thresholds
✔ Detailed PDF reports — generated per analysis type, with interactive OpenStreetMap and violation tables
Dialog Structure
The Utilities Analysis dialog is organized into three tabs:
Poles
Detect and vectorize poles automatically from a classified point cloud or manually by picking points in the 3D scene. Displays each pole's height, radius, and lean angle. Poles exceeding the Pole's lean limit defined in the active Profile are flagged directly in the table. A Poles Detection Report can be generated showing violation poles on an interactive map.
Lines
Detect and vectorize power lines using manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic methods. Computes the minimum clearance distance from each line to the ground and evaluates it against the road-type thresholds defined in the active Profile. A Line Detection Report can be generated showing violations and near-limit segments on an interactive map.
Spans
Define spans between pairs of poles, manually or automatically. Run Clash Detection on selected spans to identify vegetation intruding into the power line safety zone. Each span can be viewed in isolation in a dedicated second viewer, and spans can be selected directly from the 3D scene. A Clash Detection Report can be generated showing intrusion zones on an interactive map.
Profiles
All three tabs share a common Profiles system, accessible via the Profiles button at the bottom-right of the dialog. A Profile defines the compliance thresholds for a specific regulatory environment, including:
Clearance limits per road type (Public road, Highway, Railroad, Residential driveways, Pedestrian surface, Building)
Pole's lean limit (maximum acceptable tilt angle in degrees)
Near-Limit percentage (threshold below the limit to flag as "Near-Limit" rather than "Violation")
Multiple profiles can be created, duplicated, and managed to support different project requirements.
Reports
Each tab provides a dedicated Report button that generates a PDF containing:
The active Profile name and its thresholds
An interactive OpenStreetMap with the project extent, detected infrastructure, and violation zones highlighted
A detailed data table with the name, position, measurements, and severity of each flagged element