Drones have been used to inspect structural damage in buildings and structures for quite some time. The UAVs or drones are equipped with cameras that can capture images of cracks, leaks, deterioration, and other faults in the structure. The UAVs can make a complete detailed map of the structure and its parts, allowing engineers and architects to verify the structure’s structural integrity, including locations of cracks, leaks, corrosion, and other damages. As a result, drone inspection software can lead to several benefits for all concerned parties, including inspection management, emergency services, and the general public.
What is a Drone Inspection Software?
Drones are powerful tools that provide real-time imagery. When the data captured by these devices is analysed, it’s possible to conduct multi-disciplinary inspections that can bring valuable insights into structure integrity, structural aging, and the ability of structures to sustain severe events.
Drones provide distinct advantages that inspectors don’t have, such as point-of-use inspection, flexible operations, and the ability to inspect very large areas at a low cost.
Moreover, drones could be a viable solution. They are large, lightweight, and simple to operate, allowing them to be a more convenient option compared to traditional inspection methods.
Importance of Drone Inspection Software
No matter how advanced the drones are today, they remain, for the most part, passive mechanisms that provide views of the structure but are incapable of performing structural inspections on their own. The components of a structure are too heavy for a drone to carry, making it impossible to carry out a thorough structural inspection.
That’s where drones come in. Now, structures can be inspected from the air, and, although the equipment may be costly, it can identify issues and issues that may be overlooked by an untrained human operator.
These factors motivate organizations to invest in drone inspection software, which can simulate a drone’s movements.
Benefits of Drone Inspections
One benefit that can arise out of drone inspections is that they can provide an insight into how structures function. It is common for structures to undergo routine inspections to ensure that they are structurally sound and that appropriate materials are used. However, traditional inspections can be labour-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. One major advantage that drones offer is that they can fly autonomously, without the need for a pilot to follow along with the inspection.
Since they do not require any specific skills to operate, the inspection process can be carried out by non-experts and at a lower cost. Below are some more benefits of drone inspection software.
- Quality aerial imaging- An aerial picture can reveal more than what an even better human eye can see. Aerial imaging offers valuable insights and more comprehensive imagery, where the satellite or the camera is positioned above a location and captures an entire scene in one frame. Aerial imaging has several benefits, including a more accurate representation of the environmental conditions that can impact a project or issue. Some examples of aerial imaging systems include UAVs, drones, human-crewed aircraft, and helicopters. Drones and UAVs can take high-resolution pictures and videos of a building or structure for evaluation purposes. These aerial images can help management and engineers evaluate and confirm the status of a structure.
- Drones minimize the obvious dangers and health risks– A crucial decision when considering the usage of drones is determining their suitability for the industry to which they are being used. Drones can be used to inspect infrastructure, a critical role for quality assurance, and monitor physical assets for safety. Drones can also be employed to survey airspace and radiation levels, as well as inspect and map properties, making them a very important part of their society. Drones can also be useful for aerial inspection of construction sites or live performances to obtain the best possible footage for advertisements or film. Drones are highly attractive to this industry because of their ability to cover large areas quickly, without the need for expensive travel, allowing them to conduct high-quality work at lower costs.
- Collection of in-depth and higher detail data– Drone operators, both professional and hobbyists, can gather information that would not be possible otherwise. Some can capture unique, high-quality photographs and video, while others can perform complicated tasks without direct human supervision. Furthermore, drones can help organize and streamline the data collection process, allowing for an exceptional level of accuracy. The practical and financial advantages that drones offer may be enough to influence the decision to use them in the future.
- Quick deployment or launch– Drones are available at affordable prices. Those who prefer to deploy drones more quickly and efficiently can be launched using a conventional UAV launcher. Also, the flight controller can be removed from the aircraft and transferred to a laptop for flight control. Many commercial drones come with features like GPS tracking, infrared thermal imaging, digital images, and streaming video capabilities. These features enable researchers, construction companies, and municipalities to stay on top of their work by utilizing drones for real-time monitoring and reporting.
- Easily shareable data- One of the core benefits of using drones for inspection applications is that they can provide quick and easy data retrieval. In the case of a flood, drones equipped with an app can capture aerial imagery of the affected area and quickly find the path of the flood that caused the damage. Similarly, in the event of an earthquake, drones equipped with HD mapping tools can provide detailed imagery of the affected area and determine the exact location of the ground damage. The same goes for testing structural integrity. This is a great time for the construction industry to leverage the high-quality drone imagery available to ascertain their work status.
Thus, drones are light, portable, and less expensive to purchase and maintain than traditional inspection methods. This makes them an ideal option for inspecting and verifying structures and equipment without the need for the necessary certifications and permits that would otherwise be required to do so. This drastically reduces inspection costs, saving organizations millions of dollars each year.
Moreover, drone data analytics software also allows organizations to make quicker, more informed decisions on their inspections, resulting in savings for them and their customers.
