The Situation

A large North American utility sought to improve competency and consistency among its vegetation management workforce—especially for pre-inspectors responsible for evaluating trees and prescribing work for tree crews. Traditional assessment methods (e.g., written tests) are targeted for knowledge and fail to reliably measure field decision-making. Real-world assessments are limited by the unpredictability of tree conditions and the inability to safely and repeatedly simulate hazardous scenarios. The utility needed a controlled, repeatable, and defensible way to assess whether field personnel could safely, correctly, and competently perform their work—helping to mitigate wildfire risk and increase safety for tree crews (for example, ensuring workers don’t climb trees unnecessarily, which increases risk).  

Mosaic Provides a Solution 

Mosaic partnered with the utility to deliver an immersive augmented reality (iAR) assessment solution, leveraging pass-through headset technology to create realistic, interactive scenarios. This approach enables users to walk around virtual trees and objects, make decisions, and demonstrate their competency in a safe, controlled environment. 

• Robust iAR tutorial: Prepares users to navigate the technology and understand the assessment process before formal evaluation begins. 

• Dynamic assessment scenarios: A pool of 20+ virtual scenes is randomly presented during assessments, ensuring variety and realism. Scenarios include trees, hazards, and contextual targets (e.g., propane tanks, power lines) to simulate real-world complexity. 

• EndeaVR platform integration: Mosaic’s EndeaVR platform serves as the foundation for the project, hosting all deliverables, tracking comprehensive assessment data, and integrating with other systems of record. This enables the utility to analyze user performance, identify training gaps, and generate actionable insights for workforce development. 

• Embedded reflection prompts: At the end of each scenario, users are asked to explain their decisions, providing supervisors with valuable metadata about technician thought processes and behavioral patterns—not just right/wrong answers. 

• Flexible scenario development: The iAR system allows rapid creation and deployment of new scenarios in response to emerging field incidents or changing business needs, supporting both assessment and training. 

By combining immersive iAR simulations, dynamic scenario logic, and reflective questioning, Mosaic’s solution—anchored by the EndeaVR platform—enables the utility to accurately and consistently assess field competency, identify gaps, and drive safer, more effective vegetation management practices.  

This project is ongoing, with Mosaic and the utility continuing to refine and expand the iAR solution. Immediate next steps include adapting the technology for transmission vegetation management, which presents new challenges in scale and complexity. Beyond vegetation management, Mosaic is exploring how iAR can be applied to other inspection-based work and emergency response—such as simulating transformer inspections, reacting to abnormal operating conditions, or performing tasks in emergency scenarios. The flexible iAR platform enables safe, realistic training and assessment for a wide range of utility field operations, supporting continuous improvement and risk mitigation.