Tata Power DDL to Deploy AI-Based OCR Application for Meter Reading with Anyline

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, a pioneering power utility that serves over 7 million people in North Delhi, has announced a collaboration with Anyline, a global leader in mobile data capture and artificial intelligence, to reduce non-technical losses through the introduction of a new forensic meter reading solution for field workers.

This industry-first innovation is the result of a collaboration between Tata Power-DDL and marks the first use of optical character recognition (OCR) for meter reading. Following development and testing, the solution was made available to field workers in North Delhi.

The new scanning solution, which combines mobile data capture and AI-powered anti-spoofing capabilities, is integrated into field workers’ mobile devices to collect meter readings. Field workers can instantly capture meter readings by scanning utility meters with their mobile device cameras, which are then verified by Tata Power-DDL to determine whether the data and images submitted are genuine and accurate.

Tata Power-DDL’s operations cover an area of 510 square kilometers, with over 1.9 million meters recorded monthly by field workers. With the implementation of this new solution, the company was able to significantly improve the data quality of readings while also shortening the meter billing cycle time for customers. These combined advantages are intended to improve the process’s speed and efficiency.

The solution will assist in overcoming human errors that result in faulty readings, ensuring accuracy in meter reading and billing. It will also assist in reducing the discom’s non-technical losses.