Insurance companies, builders, and real estate agents are increasingly using drones to inspect roofs and other areas of structures. The technology is also being adopted by other industries, such as oil and Gas, agriculture, surveys, etc., due to its safety and financial benefits.
Drones are now used to assist building professionals in assessing exteriors for defects, wear and other conditions. This allows building managers or owners to fix the problems and prevent costly accidents or failures by using drones in conjunction with drone software. Drones are not only used to inspect for defects but also have many other applications in construction projects. Aerial imaging can also be used to provide valuable information for real estate marketing and insurance companies.
The drones can offer many benefits to stakeholders in the building sector, but before we start looking at them, let’s first look at the problems with traditional inspection methods.
Traditional building inspection methods can present challenges
Traditional inspections are expensive, risky, slow and difficult because of the many challenges they face. It is especially difficult to inspect complex and taller structures. These are the most common problems:
Higher prices
Normal ladders can be used for buildings up to a few stories high. However, they may not be suitable for taller structures. Accessing walls and roofs at higher heights will require expensive climbing gear, such as access towers and aerial lifts, scaffolds and swing stages, and other equipment.
The building owner or the inspector may not have the equipment necessary to inspect the property. This will increase the cost of inspections.
The cost of equipment is not the only factor. Manual inspection also requires more labor. Insurance costs are higher due to the high risk of falls, electrocution, or collapsing roofs.
Time-consuming
The process of planning and assessing a structure can take several days depending on its location, height and design. The workers must first erect or set up ladders, scaffolds or other access equipment before surveying and assessing the building. After the exercise, they will need to take them apart.
This can lead to delays in the decision-making process, whether it is for maintenance, insurance assessment, or marketing. A delay in identifying defects can lead to structural failures. Maintenance staff might not have the information they need in time to fix the problem.
Higher risk
Workers who climb up walls or take to the rooftops are generally exposed to many risks. There are high chances of workers falling from ladders, collapsing roofs, or being exposed to other hazards. This can cause accidents for both workers and passersby.
Drone Inspections: Why?
The drones are a viable alternative to traditional methods of inspecting buildings. This is the case for managers, building owners, and construction companies.
UAVs offer a variety of benefits, including better data sharing, greater coverage, shorter inspection times and lower costs for building inspection services.
Drones can be used to inspect buildings.
Drone technologies can help professionals and property owners overcome many of the problems they face with traditional methods. There are many benefits to drones being used for building inspections. Here are five of the most important.
Lower inspection costs
Drone-based building inspections are faster and usually require less preparation time and equipment. Both the building owner as well as the professional inspecting the building will benefit from lower inspection and deployment costs. This is a significant savings over traditional methods that require expensive access and climbing equipment.
Drones are generally less expensive than hiring or purchasing expensive access equipment, and they take far less time to assemble and disassemble.
Drones can be used by organizations to reduce their labor and equipment costs. They can also perform frequent inspections, allowing for better and more current data.
Improved images and data sharing
High quality aerial photos of buildings and other structures can be very useful. These images can be used by managers and building owners to assess the condition of the structure in order to plan maintenance, insurance or marketing. Aerial images can also be used by construction professionals to plan and track their progress.
While traditional methods can still be used, they are slower, more expensive, and more risky than drones. Drones can access difficult to reach areas or dangerous areas quickly, which allows them to capture better images from the roof and walls. They also allow for the assessment of complex building features.
Drones can also provide greater coverage for taking photos, videos and measurements, as well as thermal images. It is possible to measure and capture images at angles or positions that are difficult for human workers. The drone can even repeat the same shot from the same location as before. It is easier to compare the before and after images of a repair or maintenance job.
Operators can also use the high-resolution camera to integrate drones with other sensors, such as gas leak detectors and infrared imaging device, to gather more information from roofs. They can collect more detailed data in a shorter time, and it doesn’t require high levels of expertise.
The devices transmit data using communication technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or cellular data. This allows the parties to see the footage in real time. Data can also be shared across platforms because it is compatible with standard software.
Time-saving
Drones can be used to inspect structures, ladders, and other equipment without the need for transport or assembly.
Drones are able to significantly reduce inspection time, unlike traditional methods which require long preparation times, heavy access equipment setup, and manual data collection processes.
The drone inspection is usually quick to plan and easy to execute. It is actually possible to plan and execute a drone-based inspection within an hour, as opposed to many days or weeks with a manual method.
This allows for faster detection of issues or problems that need attention. Insurance and marketing professionals can save time by submitting proposals faster.
Drones are a cost-effective way to reduce inspection time and costs in asset management and construction projects. It reduces the time it takes to inspect the structure and make necessary decisions, such as fixing defects before they cause more costly failures.
The drone can be sent back to the operator if it is unclear or requires clarification. It can take several hours to send back traditional inspectors, particularly if the climbers have been dismantled.
Access to difficult to reach places
Drones are a fast, safe and inexpensive way to inspect any structure. Most buildings, especially those with complicated designs and roofs, are difficult or dangerous to inspect with traditional methods. These buildings require more expertise and climbing gear as well as higher labor costs.
Drones, on the other hand can reach difficult-to-reach places or confined spaces in complex structures with lower costs and faster access. Drones can inspect places that would be difficult to access using traditional methods. Sometimes, workers have limited access to surfaces. It becomes difficult to collect valuable data from these areas. The drone can however get as close to the area as possible and capture high-resolution images.
Drones allow inspectors to access information from nearly all areas. This increases the reliability of assessments and maintenance programs.
Safety improvements
Drones can access difficult-to-reach locations as well as areas that present safety and health hazards. Inspection of complex and tall structures can pose other dangers than the possibility of falling from the access equipment or building.
Exposed electrical cables that are too close to or touching buildings pose a serious risk as they can electrocute workers. Another risk is when climbing equipment accidentally touches exposed wires. This can lead to short circuits or fires, as well as putting lives at risk.
A drone is capable of accessing dangerous or restricted areas with less effort than manual methods.
Due to the high risk associated with manual inspections the insurance costs for workers and equipment are higher. The risks associated with manual inspections are higher, and so are insurance costs. However, drones are safer. UAVs make it unnecessary to send workers to dangerous locations. They allow operators to inspect the building safely from a distance.
Conclusion
Drones offer a quicker, safer, and more cost-effective alternative to traditional manual building inspection methods. UAVs offer a variety of benefits for building managers, insurance companies, marketers, and other stakeholders. These include, but are not limited to, reduced inspection risks and lower costs. They also allow for faster access to information about the building’s status. This allows organizations to take timely decisions about maintenance, marketing and other important matters.
