Powerlink Queensland automates spatial emergency readiness

Powerlink Queensland owns and operates a high-voltage electricity transmission network servicing 4 million customers across Eastern Queensland, Australia.

This work was done in collaboration with Safe Software partner 1Spatial Group Limited.

Making data accessible

Powerlink wanted to create a fully automated, data-driven Emergency Management system for bushfires, cyclones, flooding, thunderstorms, and earthquakes. This involved consolidating infrastructure data, monitoring for severe weather events, performing impact analysis, and sending informative reports to stakeholders when infrastructure is at risk.

Automation reduces emergency event handling from days to hours

Using FME, they built a connected series of workflows to monitor for events, such as when a meteorology website posts a weather alert, and analyze the potential risk and impact. When emergency criteria are met, FME automatically delivers reports to stakeholders in accessible formats like PDF, which contain layered maps that enable decision-making. The fully automated, FME-powered system runs an average of 2500 jobs per day, monitoring for events, sending notifications, and generating mapping products.

With their automated Emergency Readiness system in place, Powerlink’s staff can make decisions based on informative datasets. Since notifications are only sent if emergency criteria are met, stakeholders can focus on critical information, reducing the time spent on emergency event handling from days to hours.