Projects

Started

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Computer Science and Informatics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
Northern Powergrid

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 September 2025

31 July 2026

ENA months

£334,400

Power

Yorkshire & Humberside

NULL

Project Contact, Northern Powergrid

A digital application will be developed and tested in an operational environment, which would allow field staff (craft and engineers) to capture optical data of damage they identify as they survey the network. StormTriage 2 could also be made accessible to various partners who assist NPg during a major incident (e.g., emergency services, local authorities, army etc.) as well as the general public. This could enable an appropriately trained and experienced field engineer on site to take over the restoration co-ordinator role rather than leave it to someone working remotely. This would enable faster, more dynamic and accurate ground level assessment of network damage during a storm.Timely communication of operational instructions are essential in resolving issues during a storm event and ineffective communication directly impacts ETRs. Augmented Reality remote assistance functionality could be included to allow the onsite restoration co-ordinator to liaise as appropriate with colleagues working at different locations. A remote collaborative working solution would ensure greater control and organisation of key resource, and faster and more accurate assessment of network damage.A Machine Learning model will be integrated to identify, categorise and prioritise damage from optical data and collate a supporting list of equipment which would be required to facilitate repair works. The project will deliver a release candidate mobile and web application, which will tested in an operational environment, to build upon the Closed-BETA test completed in May 2024 and prove the value of the StormTriage concept in a real-world major event. StormTriage phase 2 will focus on delivering a stable, reliable and robust solution, that is tested in a real-world major event scenario.The recommended Release Candidate deliverables and core components are outlined below:IOS Hardware UpgradeDevelopment Mobile & Web application enhanced feature updates and improvements2D Design Mobile & Web application enhanced feature updates and improvementsMachine Learning improvements and enhancements to the ML modelConnectivity design and delivery of stable, reliable and robust solution that is fit for purpose for the extreme use case. The objectives of this project are to enable:Faster & more dynamic assessment of fault damageVisual damage spotting & remote assistanceMulti-user capabilitiesPrioritisation of fault damage repairUtilise machine learning to assess type, severity, prioritisation of fault damageEngagement with wider stakeholders to report network damageStormTriage 2 could be transitioned to support delivery of planned works and would be particularly useful in a handover process as an engineer could quickly be onboarded to a project.

Following a successful StormTriageTM Closed-BETA project, the NPg Innovation team is exploring further development of the solution. The goal is to capture and submit high-quality optic and 3D data to NPg system experts, enabling remote situational awareness not previously possible. Initially, spotters will record damaged assets to generate accurate 3D photogrammetry scans viewable via a web app. Augmented Reality remote expert functionality adds real-time, human-centric triaging through the onsite frontrunner and mobile app. Timely communication of operational instructions is critical during storm events, as delays directly impact ETRs. A remote collaborative function would improve control, resource organisation, and speed and accuracy of network damage assessment among key NPg personnel.

24/04/26