Steve Hamilton

Drone Operator & Editor @Droneme

Northampton, GB

Regulations demand that critical infrastructure assets such as wind turbines, solar fields, cooling towers, energy distribution networks, dams, spillways, sewerage treatment facilities, pipelines, telecommunications towers, and other such utilities be inspected regularly for safety and Standards compliance.Regular asset inspection prevents faults, service interruptions and deterioration of assets caused by neglect. Early detection is particularly important as infrastructure ages.Bridges and overpasses, train lines and even monuments and buildings of historical importance also require regular inspection; more so following a severe weather event, earthquake, or tremor that is the result of an explosion.Conducting asset inspections manually is a time-consuming and labour-intensive process that consumes a significant portion of a utility’s operating costs. In some cases, manual inspection of certain assets can also be dangerous.Drones on the other hand cut costs, deliver efficiencies and save time. The use of GPS assisted Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) with collision protection and active camera stabilisation for asset inspection provides a number of substantial improvements over traditional inspection methods. Safety, efficiency and data quality are among just some of the obvious benefits of using drones.High definition imaging, 3D modelling and digital thermography are just some of the applications made affordably accessible through remotely piloted aircraft operations. Combining intelligence from all three methods provides technical engineers with quantitative and qualitative data facilitating faster decision-making, reducing maintenance and repair costs and extending the useful life of valuable assets.