The Challenge

Palm Jumeirah is Dubai’s symbol of Creativity and Ambition. And at such an amazing place, the GIS Drones team was tasked with a Drone Facade Inspection of a building.

The building in question was this one:

The Proposed Solution

The task was undoubtedly significantly huge, but so was our determination to see it through. So, we prepared our drones and tested our skills and expertise. The Drone used in question was the DJI Matrice 300 RTK equipped with the Facade inspection payload. This is the top-of-the-line offering from DJI and is a heavy lift, rugged and top-performer drone.

Gobinath Chandramohan

UAV Chief Specialist

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Drones for Survey & Measurement

DJI Matrice 300 RTK
The Execution
Software Used
The Results
3D Models
Visual Analysis
Thermal Inspection

DJI Matrice 300 RTK

15 km Max Transmission1
55-min Max Flight Time2
6 Directional Sensing & Positioning
Primary Flight Display
IP45 Rating
-20°C to 50°C Operating Temperature
Hot-swappable Battery
UAV Health Management System

After obtaining all the permission from government bodies, the Pilot team executed the Data capturing using the proposed drones and payload system.

The Execution

The GIS Drones operation team conducted the site visit/ reconnaissance survey to identify the site condition and obstacles for flying drones and prepared a detailed risk assessment report before the execution mission. After obtaining all the permission from government bodies, the Pilot team executed the Data capturing using the proposed drones and payload system. Once the data is captured, the team should check all the data aligned with the study area boundary to meet client requirements and further data processing.

Software Used

GIS Drones has the AI in-house software to do multiple analyses, storing, manipulating, identification, etc., for the data sets.

The Results

Here’s an overview of the defects that were discovered as a result of the Facade Inspection: These results were further divided into the following categories:

And we compiles a comprehensive table of all the defects for the client:

	Roof	West1	West	Southwest 2	Southwest 1	South west	East	Northeast	North	South1	South	Total
Tile Crack	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19
Tile Missing	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
Worn Off Sealant	8	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	1	0	0	15
Disengaged	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	3
Concrete Crack	9	7	2	0	26	0	37	14	31	1	7	134
Layer of Membrane	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Rust	2	9	35	10	45	7	38	46	85	20	17	314
Missing Facade Attachment	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2
Water Stain	0	7	4	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	15
Paint Peeling	0	1	1	0	3	0	6	6	8	0	3	28
Glass Crack	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Dent	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	3	0	10
Concrete Spalling	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	2	0	8
Surface Discoloration	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	5	3	24
Mold	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Total Number of Defects	51	24	42	11	80	7	87	76	148	32	30	588

We compiled a comprehensive table of all the defects for the client:

3D Models

The software suite we had enabled us to create detailed 3D models for the clients

Visual Analysis

We could provide a detailed visual analysis of the entire building defects in a detailed report. Here is a sample of this:

Thermal Inspection

In addition to visual inspection, a thermal inspection was also done of the defects. Here’s a sample of this:

Drones for Survey & Measurement

DJI Matrice 300 RTK

15 km Max Transmission1
55-min Max Flight Time2
6 Directional Sensing & Positioning
Primary Flight Display
IP45 Rating
-20°C to 50°C Operating Temperature
Hot-swappable Battery
UAV Health Management System

After obtaining all the permission from government bodies, the Pilot team executed the Data capturing using the proposed drones and payload system.

The Execution

Software Used

GIS Drones has the AI in-house software to do multiple analyses, storing, manipulating, identification, etc., for the data sets.

The Results

Here’s an overview of the defects that were discovered as a result of the Facade Inspection: These results were further divided into the following categories:

And we compiles a comprehensive table of all the defects for the client:

	Roof	West1	West	Southwest 2	Southwest 1	South west	East	Northeast	North	South1	South	Total
Tile Crack	19	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	19
Tile Missing	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8
Worn Off Sealant	8	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	1	0	0	15
Disengaged	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	3
Concrete Crack	9	7	2	0	26	0	37	14	31	1	7	134
Layer of Membrane	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Rust	2	9	35	10	45	7	38	46	85	20	17	314
Missing Facade Attachment	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2
Water Stain	0	7	4	1	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	15
Paint Peeling	0	1	1	0	3	0	6	6	8	0	3	28
Glass Crack	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Dent	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	3	0	10
Concrete Spalling	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	4	2	0	8
Surface Discoloration	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	16	5	3	24
Mold	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Total Number of Defects	51	24	42	11	80	7	87	76	148	32	30	588

We compiled a comprehensive table of all the defects for the client:

3D Models

The software suite we had enabled us to create detailed 3D models for the clients

Visual Analysis

We could provide a detailed visual analysis of the entire building defects in a detailed report. Here is a sample of this:

Thermal Inspection

In addition to visual inspection, a thermal inspection was also done of the defects. Here’s a sample of this:

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The Benefits

The drone facade inspection alternative was to conduct a manual survey, which would’ve taken weeks, and the data wouldn’t have been accurate. Manual Facade inspection is still a thing, but it’s costly, takes a vast amount of time and resources, and the data is not that trustworthy. With Drones, we avoided all of that.
We were able to provide the following benefits to our clients:

We completed the project in significantly less time.
The cost of operation was significantly low.
The manpower requirement was limited to only a team of 1-3 skilled teammates.
The output data formats were more than adequate.
And above all, the data was accurate and trustworthy.
2D and 3D models were provided.
A complete list of defects was provided.
Both visual and thermal images were provided.
A comprehensive collection of all the photos and videos was provided.

Conclusion

Not every day a drone company gets a chance to be a part of such a significant project, but there’s a reason for that. Our commitment to what we believe and our vision for the future makes these clients trust us. And businesses today are realizing the importance of drones in their day-to-day operations. This Facade Inspection could’ve been done manually, but NO Drones are better.

And the above-proposed solutions show that UAV-based Facade Inspection and 3D Modelling provide exact results compared to traditional surveys practised in the facade inspection with less cost, time, and Manpower. Drones can also be deployed during Pre-construction, Ongoing construction, Construction progress monitoring, and post-construction. Drones in Facade Inspections are useful decision-making information for the people working on the project as Facade Engineers, planning engineers, site and construction managers, Stakeholders, and building masterplan for any building.

Can you trust someone with your business as our clients trust us?