satellite Earth Observation data for asset analysis

Introducing an Upgraded Spottitt MF 2.0: What’s New? Part 1.

Spottitt’s analytics platform has long been trusted by our clients for monitoring and analyzing changes and encroachment riskssuch as vegetation – that could compromise the safety and integrity of their assets.

However, as climate change intensifies and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, it’s clear that understanding climate and weather variables is no longer just a ‘nice to have’ for asset owners. Recent disasters all over the globe, including the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, USA, only emphasise the necessity of integrating climate and weather data into asset monitoring workflows. 

Building on our past successful climate impact analytics projects, such as updating severe weather maps for SPEN, we are thrilled to announce the coming soon launch of Spottitt Metrics Factory 2.0.

This upgraded version now includes integrated climate and weather variables, digital elevation data, alongside other developments such as new metrics, a powerful but streamlined reports creation process that can handle multiple datasets, improved algorithm accuracy, and much more. 

While we’re finalizing the last touches on the upgraded platform, we’ve prepared a two-part blog-article on the new developments you’ll be able to leverage. In this first part, we discuss the new data sources introduced. 

Climate and Weather Impact Analysis and Visualisation

The source climate dataset includes climate and weather variables from ERA5, the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) global climate reanalysis. Variables include temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, humidity, soil moisture, solar radiation, and much, much more.

Insights can be delivered at native resolutions, (9km-30km depending on the variable and geographical location) or downscaled to a spatial resolution of 90m. The source climate data set continues to be added to daily, it has an hourly temporal resolution, and goes back 55+ years.

Using this data, clients can analyse how historical climate and weather patterns over time impact their asset resilience, identify which parts of the network require additional investment and hardening, and determine areas that do not. It can be used to provide a better assessment of vegetation fall-in risks, which are driven not only by vegetation health and clearances, but also by the probability of strong wind gusts and heavy rainfall in the area.

Spottitt analyses for tree encroachment alongside precipitation & wind data for the period of July 2024, grouped by asset.

To different extent, every client asset is exposed to the vegetation taller than 5m and closer than 3m to the line while simultaneously experiencing a significant number of days with precipitation > 15 mm, with no wind > 15 m/s.

Digital Elevation Data and Absolute Distance

Platform users now have access to detailed insights into terrain characteristics, including land elevation, slope, and aspect. 

These insights help assess the likely location of other potential risks, such as:

  • Landslides or soil erosion, which can be triggered by a combination of steep gradients and/or excessive precipitation
  • Vegetation growth rates, which are impacted by the aspect (north or south facing) of the vegetated land.

Spottitt MF slope and aspect view.

For power network clients who know the height of their pylons, Spottitt can create a basic 3D model of pylon and conductor vertical clearance distances. For clients with LiDAR data, Spottitt can build a detailed 3D model of individual conductors and their sag. Power network clients with a Spottitt 3D asset model can now benefit from Spottitt MF’s absolute distance calculations, offering a more realistic representation of actual distances under real-world conditions.

In the second part of the article, we’re introducing a new, more sophisticated and streamlined approach to report building across multiple data layer types.

Stay tuned!

Picture of Lucy Kennedy
Lucy Kennedy

Spottitt Co-founder and CEO

Our latest news:

Report Split View Customization

Spottitt Metrics Factory – May Update: New Platform Developments

Welcome to your monthly roundup of the latest updates from the Spottitt Metrics Factory platform. As always, we’re working to make your asset risk analytics experience more insightful, flexible and faster.

Future Climate Data Models Now Integrated
Understanding how climate change affects infrastructure is no longer limited to the past or current. Spottitt MF now integrates future climate scenario models, based on global models developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The IPCC models explore a range of future climate pathways – from best-case to worst-case scenarios – depending on how global actions and policies evolve. With this integration, users can now assess asset risk and resilience using a range of future climate models, helping make forward-looking decisions grounded in climate science.

satellite EO data providers and constellations

All About Satellite Earth Observation Data

Welcome to Spottitt “Let’s Talk Satellite EO Data” eBook – your ultimate guide to understanding satellite-derived data types, their applications in asset monitoring, of the different types of data providers, and practical tips for navigating the challenges of using remote sensing data.

This resource is designed to help you make well-informed decisions about the use and integration of EO data, ultimately to ensure the safety and performance of your critical infrastructure.

climate data layer gradient map

Spottitt MF Monthly Update: New Features & Enhancements

At Spottitt, we’re constantly working to enhance your experience with our analytics platform, by making data visualization and reporting more intuitive, flexible, and insightful. This month, we’re introducing several updates which give you even more control and customization.

🌍 Your Free Climate Data Now Displayed as a Gradient Layer in a Map Format
Just like our other data layers, your free climate data can now be viewed on the map in a compact gradient color format. While generating a report on how each climate parameter impacts your assets is the best way to match this data to your assets and can be nice to view these data layers – helping you assess environmental exposure at a glance.

asset risk report creation across multiple data layers

Introducing an Upgraded Spottitt MF 2.0: What’s New? Part 2.

The upgraded Spottitt platform now empowers users to customize reports in a single step, using multiple data layer types, filters, and display preferences.

Layer types refer to the specific input data leveraged for a monitoring use case.

Depending on the source data purchased through Spottitt MF, the available layer types might include but are not limited to: Optical Vegetation and Man Made Classes, Wind, Precipitation and Temperature Classes, SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) Land & Asset Motion Classes, Digital Elevation Data Classes.

satellite Earth Observation data for asset analysis

Introducing an Upgraded Spottitt MF 2.0: What’s New? Part 1.

As climate change intensifies and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, it’s clear that understanding climate and weather variables is no longer just a ‘nice to have’ for asset owners. Recent disasters all over the globe, including the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, USA, only emphasise the necessity of integrating climate and weather data into asset monitoring workflows.

Building on our past successful climate impact analytics projects, such as updating severe weather maps for SPEN, we are thrilled to announce the coming soon launch of Spottitt Metrics Factory 2.0.

Welcome to Spottitt’s Chief Technology Officer

We are thrilled to announce that Sebastian Sobocinski has joined us as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

With a wealth of experience as a CTO, Chief Product Officer (CPO), and Software Development Director, Sebastian brings a strong background in IT project management. As he puts it, he is passionate about leveraging his extensive knowledge and skills to create value and drive impact through innovative business and technology solutions.