Noteworthy AI expands grid intelligence access to 32 Florida utilities

Noteworthy AI will give all 32 Florida Municipal Power Agency member utilities access to its Inspect platform after winning FMPA’s AI utility infrastructure data collection procurement. The program aims to lower field-collection costs, improve GIS and asset visibility, and strengthen storm response for Florida’s municipal utilities.

Why it matters: - The program gives 32 municipal utilities flexible access to AI-enabled grid data tools that can improve asset visibility, condition tracking and storm response. - FMPA member utilities can tap negotiated pricing and multiple deployment models, which can matter most for smaller utilities with limited staff and budgets. - The access could help utilities build better GIS baselines and document pre- and post-storm conditions for restoration work and disaster-assistance claims.

What happened: - Noteworthy AI said all 32 member utilities of the Florida Municipal Power Agency will have access to the company’s Inspect platform. - The announcement follows FMPA’s competitive request for proposals for an AI Utility Infrastructure Data Collection System, where Noteworthy AI was selected as an awarded provider. - The program is available through FMPA’s Joint Purchasing Program. - FMPA serves more than 2.5 million Florida residents from the Panhandle to Key West, or about 11% of the state’s population. - Nationally, about 2,000 community-owned, not-for-profit public power utilities serve more than 55 million people across 49 states and five U.S. territories.

The details: - FMPA members get standardized terms, negotiated group-buyer pricing and flexible deployment options. - Program pricing can be up to 80% lower than conventional field collection and data analysis methods, depending on project scope and deployment model. - Utilities can buy camera systems for use on existing fleet vehicles and collect data passively during routine operations. - Utilities can rent cameras for targeted projects, baseline patrols or storm assessments. - Noteworthy AI can also provide turnkey collection services, including vehicles and drivers, for faster coverage. - Inspect uses vehicle-mounted cameras to automatically geolocate distribution poles and capture high-resolution, timestamped imagery as vehicles move through a service territory. - Near-real-time, cloud-based analysis supports asset inventory and GIS development, pole and equipment condition analysis, joint-use attachment inventories, outdoor lighting audits, vegetation detection and post-storm damage assessment. - The same field collection can support multiple workflows without separate, redundant truck rolls. - Results are available in Noteworthy AI’s Inspect Cloud application. - Results can also be delivered into existing systems of record, including Esri ArcGIS Online. - The program builds on deployments with municipal, investor-owned and cooperative utilities across Florida. - At the City of Starke, about eight hours of collection inventoried and inspected roughly 2,300 poles. - At the City of Starke, a third-party attachment audit identified revenue opportunities from previously uncounted pole attachments. - The Starke project helped offset its cost. - The software also follows Noteworthy AI’s affiliation with American Municipal Power.

Between the lines: - The joint-purchase model lowers the barrier to entry for utilities that need modern grid data tools but do not want to build the capability in-house. - The storm-readiness angle is important because utilities often face the biggest data and staffing constraints when severe weather hits. - A current, timestamped visual record can strengthen documentation for reimbursement, even though FEMA makes eligibility and reimbursement decisions independently. - The Starke example signals that utility data collection can also uncover missed revenue, not just improve operations. - The program positions Noteworthy AI as a partner for both routine asset management and emergency response.

What's next: - FMPA members can choose among purchase, rental or fully outsourced collection models based on local needs. - Utilities can use the system to build baseline inventories, update GIS records and speed storm damage assessments. - Noteworthy AI is likely to expand its footprint as more members adopt the program and fold results into existing utility workflows.

The bottom line: - The FMPA program turns AI-based grid intelligence into a shared utility service, with lower costs and faster deployment as the main selling points.