Vegetation Management
Cutting-Edge Monitoring Solutions for Better Railroad Vegetation Management
Advanced multispectral imaging of the plants, trees, and surrounding natural resources along your railway corridor to improve your vegetation control program.
Vegetation Monitoring
Reduce Track Closures by Monitoring the Health & Progression of Nearby Vegetation
Uncontrolled vegetation can cause safety issues by creating fire hazards and blocking the visibility of railway signals and signage. It also hinders the inspection of the track and the surrounding area.
At Summit Infrastructure, we’re proud to help railway operators monitor the health and progression of vegetation near tracks to identify areas that require vegetation control and reduce track downtime. We provide an entire overview of your lineside vegetation without the need to stop trains, improving job safety by keeping boots off the ballast.
Our qualified drone pilots will fly our UAV with a special multispectral camera over your tracks at regular intervals. Then, we extrapolate the data using photogrammetry into a multi-band image, which we use to identify hazards that can harm your railway tracks, disrupt drainage pathways and impede safe railway operations. Our services will also ensure that your railroad complies with Transport Canada’s Rules of Respecting Track Safety.
SERVICES
Our Railway Vegetation Management Services
At Summit Infrastructure, we have the expertise to offer the following services to support vegetation management programs.
GIS Analysis & Indice Calculations
We use Geospatial and Imaging Software to highlight dying and dead trees, overly saturated soil, and drainage patterns near your rail infrastructure.
Digital Elevation Model (DEM) / Digital Surface Model (DSM) Generation
We capture the terrain features as well as the vegetation so decisions can be made on vegetation removal or management based on the areas posing the most risk to the rail corridor.
Photogrammetry Imaging
We use photogrammetry imaging to create a multi-band image, containing infrared imagery as well as RGB.
Track & Infrastructure Inspections (*Bonus Service)
While monitoring your vegetation, we will also note any infrastructure issues we come across and can add these to the dataset that we provide.
BENEFITS OF Vegetation Monitoring
Experience the Benefits of Railroad Vegetation Monitoring
Railway vegetation monitoring has a number of key benefits for railway operators.
Reduced Railroad Downtime
Properly timed and targeted brush control makes it easier to inspect rail infrastructure and perform track maintenance, so you can identify and resolve faults before they result in more serious failures.
Highly-Focused Maintenance Work
Once trees or vegetation has been identified for removal, only specific site visits are required to control vegetation rather than having to inspect the entire line.
Less Crew Time On or Near Tracks
Traditional vegetation monitoring results in more time with “Boots on Ballast”. Our UAV solution requires no flaggers or personnel near the track, and our data can be analyzed completely remotely.
INDUSTRY-LEADING
Why Choose Summit Infrastructure?
Unlike other companies offering multi-spectral imaging in Canada, our advanced technology allows us to monitor significantly larger areas in high resolution from a safe altitude, and we have specialized experience in railway monitoring and management.
Additionally, our vegetation monitoring services are performed by qualified drone pilots, and we have certified GIS professionals that work with and analyze the resulting data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is vegetation management important?
It is important to manage vegetation near railway infrastructure because vegetation can pose safety hazards, including reduced visibility and trackside fires that can spread into the right of way. Vegetation can also harm railroad tracks and damage railroad equipment, resulting in downtime for the infrastructure. It also makes it challenging to perform track inspections and maintenance.
Vegetation management ensures that visibility is maintained for both train operations and track inspections and maintenance while reducing the risk of fire.
How long does vegetation monitoring take?
We can fly as far as we can see with the drone covering up to 2km in a single flight. With speeds in the air of up to 50 km/h, our drones can cover long corridors quickly and safely. We can also fly multiple flights in a day, so there is no real limit on the area to be covered.
Are you insured for flying over the railway?
Yes, we carry full liability insurance with drone-specific coverage and all staff hold both e-rail safe and advanced drone licenses. We comply with all rules set by Transport Canada and always put safety as the first priority. If you have a site in mind, get in touch and we can provide you with a flight plan.
Contact Us
Talk to a Vegetation Monitoring Expert
Reach out to our experts today to find out how Summit Infrastructure can reduce your track closures with railroad vegetation monitoring.