A recent Associated Press article on the number of eagles killed by wind farms in the last five years has been widely circulated among major media outlets, such as NBC News, ABC News, The Weather Channel, and multiple newspapers. The article, and the study it cites, highlights the importance of accurately tracking and reporting bird mortalities and strike incidents. In our consulting work with electric utilities over the years, we found that while many electric utilities are already gathering this type of data, it is often stored in multiple places, making it challenging to see incident trends and prioritize efforts to reduce bird mortalities.
Seeing the need for a quality tool to accurately gather and report this data, GeoEngineers paired its in-house scientists and subject subject-matter experts with its software-development team to create the web application AvianAudit. This cloud-based application helps both energy distribution centers and generation facilities, such as wind farms, accurately capture and report bird mortality and incident data.
AvianAudit enables both field and operations staff to visualize and analyze data at any time from a single, secure location. The application also enables staff to export the data into federally compliant forms and send it directly to US Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies. Over time, AvianAudit will streamline incident reporting; enabling regulatory agencies to understand aggregate avian-incident data better and help utilities minimize their environmental impact.
For more information about AvianAudit, or to request a demo, contact me via email or at 253-271-4152. We’ll also be at the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee (APLIC) conference later this month in Cape May, NJ.