Damage documentation and roof inspection by drone

Aerial photography with drones for maintenance and inspection

It used to be unthinkable to use aerial photography for maintenance, assessment or documentation in the private sector or even on a smaller scale. Thanks to powerful unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV, popularly known as drone), damage documentation or roof inspection is now affordable for every homeowner. Whether residential or commercial, it doesn't matter to us. Non-destructive, non-contact and comprehensive, problems with building insulation or facade insulation can be detected by thermal imaging thermography using a drone. The surveyor can even watch the drone pilot in real time, make special requests and evaluate the data directly, if desired. Immediate results and appraisals of hard-to-reach areas are thus easily possible. However, UAVs are not only used in the private sector, but also for projects that affect infrastructure. These can include, for example, damage to factory chimneys or the inspection of wind turbines or power lines. The advantages are obvious: it is fast, safe and delivers meaningful results thanks to high-resolution cameras. Particularly in the case of dangerously high structures or parts of buildings that are difficult to access (e.g. dilapidated factories), the risk to people can be reduced to virtually zero, as no one has to climb up to carry out a visual inspection.

Check facade insulation with aerial photos

When insulating facades, it is important to detect leaks and thermal bridges quickly so that no energy is wasted. In addition, such problems can lead to consequential damage, such as leaking roofs and the associated water ingress. From below, such damage is often impossible or impossible to detect. Not only because damage often occurs on or around the roof, but also because not every building is accessible from all sides. Structural or technical reasons can make a conventional inspection of the building insulation difficult or even impossible. Our drones, on the other hand, can get almost anywhere and provide high-resolution photos and 3D models with accurate measurement data. Video recordings and thermography with exact thermal measurement data, which is so important for the assessment of facade insulation, are also possible. A thermal image shows leaks and thermal bridges that would otherwise be invisible to the human eye.

Panoramic photography and photogrammetry using drones

Many types of drones are used for surveying and documenting construction projects. But often a simple aerial photo or even a 360° panorama is not enough to accurately assess an area. Surveying on the ground can be all the more difficult for large projects that are difficult to access. This is where the power of photogrammetry can help. This technology makes it possible to create meaningful and very precise 3D models by precisely measuring the height differences of individual points. The best known example of such a survey with photogrammetry are the Egyptian pyramids, whose secrets could be unraveled a good deal further through research from the air. Last but not least, archaeologists and other scientists are also increasingly turning to aerial photography at the local level to track down long-forgotten traces of buildings, settlements or changes in nature. In everyday life, photogrammetry is used with drones to precisely survey properties or entire neighborhoods and accurately map existing buildings and landscape features. Many parameters can be derived from these 3D models that would be impossible to capture at all from the ground. A roof survey, for example, becomes much easier if the slopes and angles are already taken into account, as is the case with 3D photogrammetry.

Helping to shape the future through aerial photography

When planning new construction or infrastructure projects, aerial photographs help to ensure that no important aspects are overlooked. Solar registers are a well-known example. For these registers, also known as solar atlases, complete localities are surveyed from above to check the suitability of buildings and land for the installation of solar systems. While factors such as the orientation of the house are evident from the building documents, current aerial photographs can provide evidence of previously unknown shading at different times of the day. Planning errors or miscalculations can be reduced or completely avoided thanks to modern drone technology.