One of the biggest themes that cuts across much of our coverage here at Geo Week News is the rapid improvements being made around lidar. This is true for both the hardware and the software, but the steps taken in the former’s regard are particularly impactful for its adoption. In large part due to innovations from the automotive industry, as they use this technology as a major component in the development of autonomous vehicles, lidar sensors are better than ever. Sensors are staying as powerful as ever – and in some cases, more powerful – while reducing in size, and advancements in SLAM and IMUs are making mobile handheld systems more feasible for more projects.
All of these improvements are making the use of lidar more accessible and, in turn, opening up its value to a growing number of users. In some ways, this has opened up use in new industries, and even in more traditional industries, smaller firms have a clearer path to investing in the tools. Sometimes that means bringing in the technology for in-house teams, but a lot of times this can also mean hiring on a third-party service provider to collect and process the data. Those service providers, then, should be constantly on the lookout for new industries to diversify their customer base and open up multiple streams of revenue.
Coming up later this month, Geo Week News will be hosting a webinar focusing on one of these industries to which service providers can and should be catering: Energy and utilities. The webinar, entitled How Lidar is Transforming Energy & Utility Management, will be moderated by our Carla Lauter and will take place 1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern Time on June 17. Registration is free, and includes a free on-demand recording of the panel discussion, so be sure to register even if you are not able to make it live.
The utilities industry is currently in the midst of seismic change coming in different directions, necessitating the need for managers of these assets to take better stock of their current network to enable the change coming down the road. To that point, a few factors are driving the change. To start, urbanization is rapidly increasing worldwide, putting more energy demand into more centralized areas. As our everyday lives become more digital, too, individual demand for energy only increases, to say nothing of the massive demand increases that come with this current AI boom. Furthermore, sustainability goals are changing our relationship with energy sources, often resulting in the need to change how energy is derived and retrofit current solutions.
All of this requires accurate data to take stock of current systems, which is where these service providers come in. If they aren’t already exploring potential job opportunities within the electric, gas, and other energy sectors, now is the time to do so. This webinar will aim to provide some of the reasons why this demand shift is happening and how to best approach this industry. While some of the work of service providers is going to remain static regardless of the industry with which they are working, there are always intricacies within each sector, and this is no different.
Moderated by Lauter, this 60-minute webinar will feature insights from a panel of experts who work within this industry and have experience as third-party service providers working with leaders. Attendees can expect to hear about how to initially approach prospective clients, what those clients’ needs are, the common concerns that they should be aware of, and what the future looks like. Similarly, those within the industry who are thinking about starting to use these technologies will learn about the benefits, some of the initial barriers to unlock the long-term potential, and what kinds of updates they should be looking for in the future. If you fit either of these categories, you won’t want to miss this conversation.
