From the Floor of InterGeo 2025: Axpo’s LINIA Software Suite Offers Complete Drone Powerline Inspection Solutions
At Intergeo 2025, Swiss power company Axpo put a spotlight on drone-enabled, data-driven grid maintenance with the LINIA software suite—an end-to-end set of tools designed to plan, execute, and analyze powerline inspections. As utilities worldwide scale up UAV operations to replace costly helicopter missions and labor-intensive ground checks, Axpo is packaging its in-house workflow for grid operators across Europe and beyond.
The LINIA platform is split into three complementary components—LINIApower for route planning, LINIAair for flight execution, and LINIAinsights for post-flight review—delivered as modular Software-as-a-Service. Together they create a cohesive inspection pipeline that adapts to different fleets, geographies, and standards while keeping pilots in the loop on safety-critical decisions.
LINIApower: Precision Planning From Digital Infrastructure Models
LINIApower is a web-based mission planner that converts digital infrastructure data into flyable routes. By processing LiDAR point clouds and other asset models, the software calculates safety distances around conductors and towers and determines the optimal camera positions for capturing transmission hardware with repeatable quality.
Key capabilities include:
- Point-cloud processing to derive obstacle buffers and safe stand-off distances.
- Automated camera-angle and waypoint selection for tower and line imagery.
- Support for unique pylon geometries while standardizing flight paths across large regions.
- Pre-defined safety margins and image capture points baked into each route.
The result is consistent, scalable mission planning that accounts for local infrastructure specifics without sacrificing repeatability across an entire network.
LINIAair: Field Execution With Workflow Automation
LINIAair brings the plan to the field. The application imports flight routes from LINIApower and automates operational tasks that typically slow inspection teams. It handles camera alignment and focusing, enforces the planned capture points, and organizes photos as they are taken—while ensuring pilots retain full control over aircraft navigation and safety decisions.
In practice, that means:
- Automated camera orientation, object focus, and capture timing per waypoint.
- Context-aware overlays showing previously inspected assets to guide repeat surveys.
- Structured photo naming and categorization by location and component, reducing post-flight admin.
- Operational support for diverse drone platforms and payloads.
LINIAinsights: Post-Flight Review, AI Assistance, and Reporting
Once data is captured, LINIAinsights serves as the browser-based analysis hub. Inspectors can filter, search, and deep-zoom into high-resolution imagery to evaluate asset condition. The platform includes AI-assisted algorithms that flag potential anomalies on powerline components, helping teams triage attention and prioritize site visits.
Highlights include:
- High-resolution image visualization with flexible filtering and sorting.
- AI-based damage detection to identify potential issues on towers and conductors.
- Automated report generation to standardize outputs for maintenance workflows.
- Time-series comparison to track condition changes across inspection cycles.
Modular SaaS for Different Operating Models
Axpo’s LINIA suite is delivered as SaaS, making it straightforward to adopt a single component or deploy the full pipeline. Grid operators can integrate LINIApower with existing flight tools, use LINIAair to bring discipline to field capture, or centralize review in LINIAinsights—while end-to-end users can span planning, flying, and analysis within one ecosystem.
Addressing Utilities’ Inspection Pain Points
By automating repeatable tasks and formalizing data capture, the LINIA workflow targets several long-standing challenges:
- Reducing reliance on costly helicopter inspections.
- Minimizing manual, time-consuming ground assessments.
- Standardizing routes and imagery to improve data quality at scale.
- Accelerating defect detection and reporting for faster maintenance decisions.
The offering is aimed at electricity grid operators and the service providers who inspect on their behalf, with support for diverse drone fleets and varying regional standards.
Bottom Line
From planning to capture to insight, Axpo’s LINIA suite reflects how drone inspections are maturing into a software-first discipline. For utilities looking to scale UAV programs while improving safety and consistency, LINIA’s modular approach provides a clear path to standardization without locking teams into a single hardware stack.
More information about Axpo and the LINIA suite is available on the company’s website.
