Pin&Post - App-Based Reporting of Electrical Fire Hazards to Prevent Wildfires

Abstract

The drawing of electricity from power lines by vegetation is a major wildfire hazard. Fire hazard management, particularly vegetation management, is a challenge for utility providers overseeing the upkeep of thousands of miles of electrical transmission lines. Currently, the accuracy, relevance, and utility of data collected on such hazards are a genuine concern for the communities served by utility providers. Pin&Post is an iOS and web-based platform developed to assist utility providers with wildfire mitigation efforts by crowdsourcing data on wildfire hazards, such as excess vegetation and overloaded utility poles, in a timely and reliable fashion. Pin&Post empowers the general public to file reports of potentially dangerous situations relating to electrical infrastructure directly to their utility provider using the mobile application’s easy-to-navigate UI. Pin&Post’s ability to accurately pinpoint the locations of submissions and swiftly populate a report on a website will lead to safer communities by proactively tackling and reducing the threat of wildfires.