In the past few years, the technology built into drones has changed dramatically. Technology that was once only available to military personnel is now available in the civilian market, which allows many industries to cash in on the ability to use drone technology in multiple ways.
One way drone technology is being used is in building industry. The construction industry is typically somewhat averse to new technology. It’s one of the fields where getting it done the old-fashioned way still works and works well. From hammer and nails, ladders, and bull dozers, manual labor still is the key to any construction project. However, drone technology is quickly being adopted by many companies within the building industry, especially when it comes to building inspection.
While the on-ground surveys done are still very important to the overall construction project, the use of aerial drones provide builders the ability to see an overall picture of a larger area. This also helps their potential customer have a better picture. It’s like the difference between looking at a map on a cell phone vs seeing a larger layout with the use of a paper map.
Drones, or – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)’s – can be used for inspecting buildings as well. Professional building consultants and contractors are finding many ways to use this new technology. Professional roofers are using this technology to provide different services that benefit their customers.
Here’s three ways that utilizing drone technology is helping inspectors:
Access hard to reach areas: There are many buildings and structures that are difficult or could be hazardous to reach. There may be many obstructions that keep a visual inspection from being done accurately and completely.
An example of such would be hard to reach places on a roof. Typically, it is hard to gain access to vertical surfaces without setting up scaffolding or aerial work platforms. Using a drone allows quick access to these hard to see areas without the use of extra equipment. This results in a faster assessment, with a reduction in cost.
There are many times where you want to inspect where the power grid connects to the building; areas that can present issues that may require closer inspection. With the use of drones, the inspector can remain at a safe distance away from the power supply, but still be able to assess the area that may need attention.
Cost effective aerial imagery: For many reasons building owners and managers like to have aerial images of their buildings. They may use these images for documenting the condition of the existing building for insurance coverage.
The images may be used for planning and development of the property. Aerial images allow building owners and managers to be able to gain a better overview of their property.
Aerial infrared: Many building owners and property managers have used infrared scanning services to help assess the condition of their roofing systems. Infrared technology is used to locate trapped moisture within roof assemblies.
Infrared cameras are able to assess infrared energy being emitted from roof systems and capture images of the energy patterns. The images can then be interpreted to help determine potential areas of trapped moisture.
As good as drone technology is, without a high-quality, professionally built camera with a precision lens built in, the images could not be what you want, or expect.
When working with Universe Optics, the lenses we have, and the ones we can manufacture to meet specific specifications will be of the highest quality, and will meet or beat the industry standards. To find out more, contact us and we will put a team of experts to work for you.