Drone Inspection vs Manual Inspection

Recently we completed an inspection of a commercial building whereby the tenant highlighted the benefits of deploying a drone over traditional inspection methods. This was refreshing as it's more often than not the other way around. Inspired, we decided it was only fitting to dedicate our first blog post to the subject entirely.

What are the advantages of a drone inspection?

• Cost Effective - drone inspections are significantly cheaper than a manual one. It's not uncommon for cost savings to run into the thousands after equipment hire, permissions, labour and licences have all been considered
• Efficient - drone inspections are measured in hours rather than days. It's standard procedure to plan, execute and deliver the data to key stakeholders within one working day. Compare this with the use of high lift equipment like a cherry picker and the overall length of the inspection increases significantly
• Safety - an unquantifiable element but ultimately the most important is of course safety. Using a drone significantly reduces the risk of an inspection by removing the requirement for a person to work at height. If we can remove a human from a hazardous situation with no compromise to data quality, let's do that
• Frequency - due to the low cost, drone inspections can be performed at regular intervals, allowing for a more preventative approach to maintenance, identifying remediation works in the early stages, helping to future proof your assets and prevent unnecessary costs
• Data Quality - drones capture more detailed, accurate data. For example, a manual inspection of a commercial roof is never going to be 100% complete as there will be areas where access isn't possible. Drones collect data from the entirety of the structure. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) drones can collect data from the exact same location time and again, streamlining inspection processes

We have to mention the Great British weather, the elephant in the room.

As is the case with all aviation, drones are impeded by adverse weather conditions - rain and severe winds hinder their ability to operate. Pilots counter this through flight planning to ensure the safety of the operation, whilst giving themselves the best opportunity to conduct the flight. This is normally achieved by building in multiple flight days.

You'll notice in the last paragraph the language used suggests drones can still operate in adverse weather conditions, which is true. To illustrate, the DJI Matrice 300 pictured below can operate in wind speeds of 15 m/s or 34 mph and temperatures ranging from -20 degrees C up to 50 degrees C. It also retains full functionality whilst raining.

Drone operations are only grounded when the weather conditions fall outside these parameters, which is rarely.

If you are looking for a cost effective method to capture data efficiently and safely, it's time to start incorporating drones into your daily operations.

Work smarter, not harder.