In recent years, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drones) have become an essential part of many industries including the energy and telecommunications. Regular inspections are crucial to properly schedule maintenance and ensure uninterrupted delivery of services.
Traditionally, a crane crew would have been needed to inspect tower structures, but at a much higher cost and with limited vantage points. Creating a 3D model of the tower with drones and photogrammetry software proved to be more efficient and more cost-effective.
With the ability to configure dual camera (Visual and thermal), the DJI’s M210 and M210 RTK drones are able to completely capture a cell tower that inspectors previously had to bring multiple tools to inspect. This improves inspection turnaround times and significantly lowers equipment expenses. Cell tower inspectors can also take advantage of DJI GO’s Intelligent Flight Modes like Point of Interest to easily set up their system to circle a tower at a constant radius while keeping it locked in the frame. Once set, they are able to focus on directing the camera and controlling zoom level to capture image data or perform real-time inspections. With the ability to share the drone’s feed in real-time with engineers all around the globe, inspections can be conducted more efficiently and with fewer boots on the ground.
