Innovations

Drone-Equipped Thermal Imaging

Thermal drones are another option to DSLR thermal cameras. As the name implies, thermoelectric drone systems produce a thermal images from the air using an infrared camera. It has long been understood that having the ability to observe heat from above is crucial for successful operations. Drones equipped with thermal cameras have saved countless lives during search and rescue efforts by covering large areas quicker than grounds teams and detecting a heat source of a missing person. Pipeline leaks and tank heat losses can be very costly, not to mention dangerous. Thermal scanning with FLIR imaging can help you detect these issues early on, before they become a bigger problem. With our thermal scans, you can rest assured knowing that your business is running safely and efficiently. FLIRs make pictures from heat, not visible light. Heat (also called infrared, or thermal, energy) and light are both parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, but a camera that can detect visible light won't see thermal energy, and vice versa. Measuring the relative surface temperature of an asset or terrain reveals hidden damages, otherwise impossible to spot with the naked eye. These sensors measure all kinds of invisible damages, like moisture damage, electrical issues, problematic temperature variations, energy inefficiencies, and water leaks. The speed, ease, and cost-efficiency of drone-based thermal inspection means it can be carried out more frequently than traditional methods. And with pro-active maintenance, asset and facility managers can work smarter and identify risks earlier.

A point cloud is a discrete set of data points in space. The points may represent a 3D shape or object. Each point position has its set of Cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z). Point clouds are generally produced by 3D scanners or by photogrammetry software, which measure many points on the external surfaces of objects around them. Point Cloud: commonly the product of a LiDAR system, it is a collection of points useful for storing large amounts of data. Each point in the point cloud can hold information, called components, which contains a value that describes the point.

The one difference to remember that distinguishes photogrammetry from LiDAR is RGB. In other words: colour. Photogrammetric point clouds have an RGB value for each point, resulting in a colourised point cloud. On the other hand, when it comes to accuracy, LiDAR is hard to beat. A point cloud is a collection of points of data plotted in 3D space, using a 3D laser scanner. If you're scanning a building, for example, each virtual point would represent a real point on the wall, window, stairway, metalwork, or any surface the laser beam meets.