Aerial images, orthophotos, 3D models and live inspection from hard-to-reach environments
Digital twins and inspection models can make maintenance planning more efficient and easier to manage. Gerdes Solutions has many years of experience in photogrammetric image collection of everything from factory complexes to mine dams and wind turbines. We also offer overview images and real-time inspection.
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Describe what you need to see, document or model, and whether the final product should be photos, orthophotos, point clouds, a 3D model or live inspection.
How can aerial images be useful?
Visual images taken from above, or of an inaccessible surface, can be useful in many different contexts. Sometimes a single image is enough, and sometimes an advanced model of a complex area is needed. We can assist across the full range.
The choice of equipment is adapted to the customer’s purpose and needs. To offer the right image quality, we have drones equipped with RGB cameras from 20 to 102 MP. This allows us to create image data for many purposes and applications.
We can quickly and cost-effectively document large areas with 3 cm resolution, for example for orthophotos used as input for elevation models. If the photos instead need to replace close-up manual inspection, we fly with a 102 MP medium-format camera and deliver images with resolution down to 0.1 mm per pixel.
Sometimes all that is needed is an image showing what a hard-to-reach place looks like. In those cases, our drones can act as an extension of your eyes.
Permanent documentation that can be reviewed afterwards is often an advantage, but there are also situations where the main need is real-time data for inspection in the moment. In those cases, the customer can follow the camera view on an external screen, either on site together with the drone pilot or through a live-streamed link.
If you need a measurable point cloud or terrain model rather than visual imagery, drone-based laser scanning may be a better choice.
For projects where image collection is part of testing, sensor integration or method development, we can also support research and development projects with drones.
Method: how the work is carried out
- Request: You contact us and describe your need.
- Method and product: We provide a proposal for execution and final product based on your needs.
- Preparations: We carry out a risk analysis and other site-specific flight preparations.
- Aerial photography: When weather conditions are favourable, we carry out the image collection within the agreed timeframe.
- Post-processing: The image material is post-processed depending on the agreed final product.
- Delivery: The final result is delivered in the agreed format.
Delivery: what the customer receives
- photo documentation
- orthophoto
- point cloud
- 3D model
- raw data
The delivery is governed entirely by your needs and what we agree during the planning phase.
Why use drones?
With drones, we can create images with higher resolution than from manned aircraft and satellites. This allows us to document large areas efficiently and with a high level of detail. Drones can also require fewer resources than other aerial photography methods.
Using drones for photo documentation instead of, or as a complement to, close-up manual inspection has several advantages. It reduces the need for people to be present in inaccessible and sometimes risky places, such as bridges and chimneys. It also creates permanent documentation that makes it possible to revisit the material and compare it over time. Photos can also be used to create 3D models where, among other things, AI technology can be used to detect deviations.
With drones, documentation and inspection can often be carried out without shutting down or otherwise disturbing ongoing operations, which is not always possible when an inspector needs to be physically present at the surface being inspected.
Conditions and limitations
Weather and light are crucial to the quality of photographs. To achieve the best possible final result, we are flexible when planning photo assignments and see it as an advantage when the customer can also be flexible regarding timing and access to the object in question.
Population density and airspace rules are factors that affect which drones can be used in different places and at different times. Although Gerdes Solutions holds generic authorisations for drone flights in populated areas, there are cases where regulatory limitations require specific applications and therefore some waiting time.
Experience, permits and quality
To offer the right image quality based on the customer’s needs, we have drones equipped with RGB cameras from 20 to 102 MP. This allows us to create image data for many purposes and applications.
Our collaboration with Spotscale, a company specialised in 3D modelling, goes back more than a decade. This has given us both broad and deep knowledge of photogrammetric image collection.
Because we have pilots with a photography background, Gerdes Solutions has extensive knowledge of how to create images of the highest quality. We see this as a major strength, because we know the final result never reaches its full potential if the individual images are not of sufficient quality.
Frequently asked questions
What orthophoto resolution can we get?
We can deliver orthophotos with resolution from a few tenths of a millimetre to about 5 centimetres.
What 3D model resolution can we get?
Together with our partners, we can deliver 3D models with resolution down to 0.2 mm per pixel.
How may we use the images?
Unless otherwise agreed, our paying customers have usage rights to the images according to agreement. When publishing or otherwise distributing aerial images, a dissemination permit from Lantmateriet may be required.
Do you only take images from drones?
No, we always want to use the most appropriate method and equipment. This means we also equip boats, masts and cars with cameras when needed. Everything is based on what creates the greatest value for the specific purpose and object.
Do you offer remote live inspection?
Yes, with encrypted live-streaming equipment, customers can follow the image from our cameras in real time on an external screen via a live-streamed link.
Free quote for image collection and inspection
Send a brief description of the object, area and desired final product, and we will get back to you with a suitable method and quote.