Digital Grid

Digital Grid is Aura's comprehensive suite of tools for creating, managing, and analyzing utility infrastructure. Model poles, towers, wires, spans, and crossarms directly on your point cloud data, then run clearance calculations and vegetation analysis.

What is Digital Grid?

Digital Grid allows you to create a digital model of utility infrastructure overlaid on LiDAR point cloud data. This enables:

• Infrastructure Inventory - Document poles, towers, and equipment
• Wire Modeling - Map transmission and distribution lines
• Clearance Analysis - Calculate distances to vegetation and obstacles
• Compliance Verification - Check against regulatory standards

Key Components

Digital Grid Workflow

A typical Digital Grid project follows this workflow:

1. Load Point Cloud Data
        ↓
2. Add Poles/Towers
        ↓
3. Create Spans
        ↓
4. Add Wires
        ↓
5. Add Crossarms (optional)
        ↓
6. Run Analysis

Step-by-Step

1. Load your point cloud - Import COPC data covering your infrastructure
2. Add poles and towers - Mark the locations of utility structures
3. Create spans - Connect poles to define the network topology
4. Add wires - Model the conductors between poles
5. Add crossarms - Define attachment points (optional)
6. Run analysis - Calculate clearances and generate reports

Accessing Digital Grid Tools

From the Top Menu

Click Digital Grid in the navigation bar to see:

• Poles & Towers - Add, edit, remove poles and towers
• Spans - Add and remove spans
• Wires - Add and manage wires
• Analysis - Run clearance calculations

Keyboard Shortcuts

From the Left Sidebar

The Digital Grid layer in the left sidebar provides:

• Visibility toggles for each element type
• Color controls for poles, wires, spans
• Opacity slider for the entire layer
• Voltage labels visibility toggle

Element Types

Poles

Standard utility poles for distribution lines:

• Distribution poles
• Wood, concrete, or metal construction
• Height and lean angle tracking

Towers

Transmission towers for high-voltage lines:

• Lattice towers
• Monopole towers
• Multiple crossarm support

Spans

Connections between poles defining the network:

• Span geometry follows wire sag
• Direction and length calculation
• Foundation for wire placement

Wires

Conductors and cables on the network:

Crossarms

Horizontal structures for wire attachment:

• Support multiple wires at different heights
• Can be added automatically or manually
• Track attachment point geometry

Visibility Controls

In the left sidebar under Digital Grid, toggle visibility for:

• ✓ Poles (with color picker)
• ✓ Towers (with color picker)
• ✓ Pole IDs/labels
• ✓ Spans (with color picker)
• ✓ Primary wires
• ✓ Secondary wires
• ✓ Telecom wires
• ✓ Underbuilt wires
• ✓ Guy wires
• ✓ Service wires
• ✓ Crossarms
• ✓ Voltage labels

Next Steps

1. Set up Worker if you haven't already
2. Learn the getting started workflow
3. Start adding poles to your project