Industrial sites are large, complex, and rely on machinery running smoothly to avoid delays. Manual inspections are slow and can cause unnecessary downtime. Drones offer a faster and more cost-effective way to perform routine and ad-hoc inspections across pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and other industrial facilities.
The use of drone 3D modelling technologies gives you the opportunity to inspect a digital twin of a site from the comfort of your office. This detailed replica can be inspected at a minute level, allowing you to make a record of any areas that are in need of attention. Issues such as poorly executed repairs, general damage and other potential weaknesses can be shared with your employees, suppliers and other shareholders at the click of a button.
Using drone photography and orthomosaic technology, allows us to perfectly reflect a geographic area. Giving you a crystal-clear top-down view that has been corrected for geometric distortions — resulting in a pinpoint representation of the Earth's surface. An orthomosaic map is a state-of-the-art measuring device for accurate readings of scale and distance.
Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras allow you to accurately assess the condition of a industrial asset. Infrared photographs can be used to detect extreme temperature differences that can locate otherwise unseen issues, such as concealed moisture damage and heat leakage.
The use of specialist impact-resistance technology deployed with our drones allows us to access areas that are otherwise too hazardous or difficult to reach. Get instant data from confined spaces without the time-consuming, labour-intensive and costly methods of the past, and with zero risk to personnel.
The safety of your personnel and our own is paramount, and we place it at the forefront of our company culture. Ask us about our HSSE systems and practices.
Drones aren't just for flying up in the sky. Our specialist drones can fly into confined spaces like chimneys and boilers to look for issues that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Drone inspections take up less of your manhours and resources than traditional inspections, giving you a faster and more budget-friendly return on your investment.
Downtime is expensive, unpopular and inconvenient. Using a drone, our engineers can conduct a thorough survey with little to no downtime.
Our equipment won't touch or even go close to your assets. Our high-resolution cameras use optical zoom to give extreme close-up views while staying a safe distance away.
We use cutting-edge technologies to detect problems that would otherwise be invisible. These include 4K ultra-HD photography/video, LIDAR and thermal imaging.
We understand that you need answers fast. We can deliver a plain-English report with clear-cut conclusions in days. Then, you can take the steps you need to and get back to doing what you do best.
Need us there in a hurry? No problem. Let us know what you need, and we can be there on the same day. After all, sometimes the problem just won't wait.
Large ceilings and hard-to-reach areas are difficult and risky to inspect manually. Drones make it easy, they reach heights effortlessly, without the need to climb or the risk of falling. Inspecting hard-to-reach with a drone reduces the risk of loose equipment falling. In pharmaceutical and food production facilities, there's a risk of contamination from foreign objects. Drone inspections help prevent that by identifying issues early and keeping everything where it belongs.
It takes less paperwork to send a drone into a dangerous situation than a human. This not only makes drones safer, but also saves you time before and after the inspection.
Monitoring pipes and racks is more efficient with the use of drones. It's time-consuming to walk along pipes to visually assess them and check for leaks. Drones quickly fly over the pipes and confirm that there are no leaks or damage. Our inspections are faster, without compromising quality or safety. Unlike people, drones don't tire or miss details.
We inspect enclosed spaces just as easily as open ones — including tanks and vessels, inside and out. Fast drone inspections mean less downtime, allowing production to resume ASAP.
We carry out a complete building inspection without scaffolding or climbing equipment. As engineers, we're familiar with industrial machinery. Different components require different approaches. No two sites are the same and we take all needs into account when planning the inspection.
Thermal imaging cameras help us detect insulation issues and heat loss across roofs and building exteriors. Thermography is used to inspect live chimneys, so that they can remain in operation during the inspection.
Processing plants, manufacturing facilities, refineries, and factories pollute the environment when they function poorly. A comprehensive inspection will alert you to all hazards inside and outside the building.
A digital surface model (DSM) made by a drone refers to a 3D representation of the Earth's surface that is created through the use of remote sensing technology. Drones are equipped with sensors that capture high-resolution images of the ground surface from different angles, which are then processed and stitched together to create a comprehensive 3D map. The DSM is different from other elevation models, as it includes all surface features, including trees, buildings, and other objects on the ground. DSMs have a wide range of applications, including land management, urban planning, environmental monitoring, and disaster response.
A Digital Surface Model (DSM) is a 3D representation of a geographic area that shows the height, shape, and texture of the terrain and any objects on the surface. It is created using digital elevation data obtained from various sources such as aerial photography, LIDAR, or satellite imagery. DSMs can be used in a variety of applications, including urban planning, flood risk assessment, and infrastructure development. They provide a detailed view of the Earth's surface, allowing for accurate measurements of elevation and topography. DSMs are a valuable tool for analyzing and visualizing the landscape and can be used to support a wide range of geospatial analyses.
A digital terrain model (DTM) created by a drone refers to a highly accurate and detailed digital representation of the Earth's surface, generated through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with advanced sensors and cameras. These sensors collect a vast amount of data, which is then processed using specialized software to create a 3D model of the terrain. The resulting DTM is typically used for various applications such as urban planning, construction, forestry, agriculture, and natural resource management. The advantage of using a drone to create a DTM is its ability to capture data from hard-to-reach areas and produce high-resolution images with incredible accuracy.
A digital terrain model (DTM) is a digital representation of the Earth's surface that captures the elevation data of a particular area, represented in a grid format. It is created by using specialized software that analyzes data from various sources, such as satellite imagery, aerial photography, and ground-based surveys. The DTM accurately portrays the three-dimensional topography of the terrain, including the height and slope of the land, and can be used for a wide range of applications, such as urban planning, flood management, geological analysis, and environmental modeling. DTMs are widely used in the fields of cartography, geology, geography, and remote sensing, among others.
DSM (Digital Surface Model), DTM (Digital Terrain Model), and DEM (Digital Elevation Model) are three commonly used terms in the field of geomatics and remote sensing. These models represent different types of 3D data models that are used to represent the elevation of the Earth's surface. Although they are often used interchangeably, there are some significant differences between these models.
A DSM represents the topmost surface of the Earth's terrain, including any vegetation, buildings, and other objects that may be present on the ground. In other words, a DSM is a digital representation of the Earth's surface with all features and objects included. DSMs are commonly used in applications such as urban planning, flood modelling, and environmental studies, where a detailed representation of the Earth's surface is required.
A DTM represents the bare Earth surface, excluding any objects or features above the terrain such as vegetation, buildings, and other structures. DTMs are used to study the Earth's surface in its natural form, and are commonly used in applications such as topographic mapping, hydrology, and soil mapping. DTMs are created by removing all features from a DSM, leaving only the terrain elevation data.
A DEM represents the elevation of the Earth's surface in a digital format, regardless of whether it is covered by objects or features such as vegetation or buildings. DEMs can be derived from both DSMs and DTMs, and are used in a wide range of applications, such as flood risk assessment, land management, and geological studies.
The main differences between DSMs, DTMs, and DEMs lie in the type of data they represent and the applications they are used for. DSMs represent the topmost surface of the Earth's terrain, while DTMs represent the bare earth.
Optical zoom is a feature found in cameras that allows you to change the focal-length of the lens, which in turn magnifies the image. Unlike digital zoom, which simply enlarges the pixels of an image, optical zoom physically moves the lens elements to zoom in or out, resulting in a higher-quality, more detailed image.
Optical zoom is better than digital zoom for several reasons. Firstly, optical zoom maintains the image quality and sharpness because it captures more detail from the subject. In contrast, digital zoom often results in a pixelated, blurry image because it enlarges the existing pixels of an image, which degrades the quality.
Secondly, optical zoom allows you to get closer to your subject without physically moving closer, which can be useful in situations where you cannot or do not want to approach your subject closely. This can be especially helpful for wildlife photography or for taking photos of events from a distance.
Overall, optical zoom is a valuable feature that can help you capture high-quality, detailed images from a distance, making it a must-have for many photographers.
An orthomosaic is a high-resolution, georeferenced image produced by stitching together multiple overlapping aerial or drone images. Unlike a regular mosaic, an orthomosaic corrects for perspective distortion and terrain variations, resulting in a highly accurate and detailed representation of the area being imaged.
Orthomosaics are used in a variety of fields, including agriculture, construction, urban planning, and environmental monitoring. For example, in agriculture, orthomosaics can be used to create detailed maps of crop health and yield, allowing farmers to optimise their planting and fertilization strategies. In construction, orthomosaics can be used to monitor progress and identify potential safety hazards on a job site. In urban planning, orthomosaics can be used to map out infrastructure and identify areas in need of maintenance or repair. And in environmental monitoring, orthomosaics can be used to track changes in land use, detect changes in water quality, and monitor wildlife habitats.
An orthophoto is a georeferenced aerial or satellite photograph that has been corrected for topographic relief, camera tilt, and other distortions so that it has a uniform scale and can be used for precise measurement and mapping.
To create an orthophoto, multiple overlapping images of an area are captured from different angles and heights. These images are then corrected for distortions, such as perspective and relief displacement, using photogrammetric techniques. The result is an image that has a uniform scale and can be used for accurate measurements of distance, area, and volume.
Orthophotos are used in a variety of applications, including urban planning, land surveying, environmental management, and emergency response. They are particularly useful for identifying and mapping changes in land use, such as the expansion of urban areas or the conversion of natural habitats. Orthophotos can also be used to create detailed terrain models and to plan the placement of infrastructure, such as roads and buildings.
Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) is a type of satellite-based positioning system that is commonly used in surveying and mapping applications. RTK technology uses a combination of GPS (Global Positioning System) and GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals to provide highly accurate and precise location information. Unlike traditional GPS systems that provide accuracy within a few meters, RTK systems can provide Centimetre-level accuracy in real-time. RTK works by using a fixed base station that receives satellite signals and transmits corrections to a mobile rover receiver in real-time. This allows the rover to calculate its precise location relative to the base station with high accuracy and speed.
UHD or Ultra High Definition signifies that a camera's resolution is 3840x2160 pixels. This is exactly four time higher than high definition cameras (1920x1080 pixels), and so UHD is often also know as 4K. More about drone photography...