How Drones Are Changing Condominium Property Inspections
The UAV or unmanned aerial vehicle technology, commonly referred to as a drone, has changed so quickly in recent years; using drones to conduct inspections and assessments on condominium properties has become much more commonplace. Using drones at condominium properties has opened the door to inspect many different types of buildings that would not normally have been inspected easily. Steep - sloped, shingled, or metal roofs, for example, are traditionally inspected by a technician from the ground, from an adjacent building, or from a scissor lift, if possible. With the use of a drone, an investigating technician can get a much closer, direct, line - of - sight look at the roof surface and can capture high - resolution photographs to create a permanent record of any issues discovered (Figure 1).
Willie Carroll, CET is a certified UAV/drone pilot, UAN flight reviewer, professional GIS analyst, engineering technologist and photographer. In addition to leadership responsibilities as a UAV Practice Leader for Rimkus, a worldwide leader in engineering and technical consulting,
Willie uses drone technology to conduct inspections of building elements. He transforms data
collected through drone inspection into actionable information through application of GIS and digital mapping technology. He has extensive work experience providing services to various industry sectors related to infrastructure, government organizations, aggregates and mining, environmental, utilities, transportation, and many others. Mr. Carroll holds a B.A. in physical geography with a minor in geomatics from Carleton University.
Figure 1: Using a drone to conduct an inspection of a metal roof on an 8 - storey condominium building.
Another important assessment where a drone can be very useful is an exterior leak investigation. Normally, if the suspected leak is on a tall building, a technician would attempt to visually inspect from the ground, from an adjacent building, from a scissor lift, or from a swing stage. With a drone, the technician is able to get right up to the area of the suspected leak and capture direct photographs. These photographs can then be viewed on a computer monitor afterward, with the ability to zoom in on the suspected leak (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Taken during an exterior leak investigation using a drone to get up close to the exterior wall. These photographs can be viewed on computer monitor afterward, with the ability to zoom in on the suspected leak.
CCI Review 2022/2023 - 3 March 2023 Page 10
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