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AERIAL SURVEYING


FEATURE SPONSOR


ADOPTING CUTTING-EDGE DRONE TECHNOLOGY


Cutting-edge technology is to be used by leading ecology consultancy Thomson Ecology to map sites and assist with surveying. The business is trialling the use of drones for Phase 1 surveys and mapping of, for example, coasts and invasive species, and in water sampling.


UAVs are not yet in regular use in the UK ecology sector, and the company will be one of the first ecology businesses to use this technology.


MORE


FLEXIBILITY Neil Smith, Senior GIS Specialist, who is at the forefront of the project said: “The use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), often referred to as ‘drones’,


CONDITION ASSESSMENT BY HELICOPTER


PDG Helicopters of Inverness are now applying proven aerial techniques for condition assessment by helicopter to wind turbines, by using ultra high resolution digital stills which are acquired by deploying their state of the art GSS Gyro Stabilised C516 camera system.


This system allows for a greater standoff distance


from the turbines resulting in superior quality imagery, improved consistency and increased productivity.


BENEFITS


A helicopter survey of wind turbines has a number of benefits for the wind turbine


80 www.windenergynetwork.co.uk


operator. Primarily it reduces turbine downtime from traditional rope access methods or UAV inspection and also allows for access to turbines in weather conditions unsuitable for boat or UAV operations. Also by utilising the helicopter, there is a reduction in risks to personnel.


SUMMARY


So condition assessment of wind turbines by helicopter can now be completed in a safe, efficient and cost effective manner.


PDG Helicopters


will allow us to be much more flexible in the way that we map and survey sites. We will be able to access precarious environments and hard-to-access places more quickly, with less cost, and without risk to surveyors.


ADDITIONAL BENEFITS


“Data can be collected very quickly, and then shared with project teams and clients via TIM, our interactive mapping system. 3D modelling can also be created from the footage. This is an exciting time for us as we test the new technology and discover its full potential. The fact that we can link to TIM means that data acquisition is very rapid and results can be displayed more quickly than ever before.”


LEGAL REQUIREMENTS


There are legal requirements when using drones. You cannot fly a drone within 50m of people, and it must be kept ‘within site’ – below 400ft (120m) in altitude, for example.


Legislation is in place to prevent people from breaking these laws with fines imposed on those who do; and permission from the Civil Air Authority to carry out aerial work (PFAW – Permission for Aerial Work) is required to use a drone commercially.


Thomson Ecology


TECHNICAL ADVANCES


Due to advances in helicopter mounted cameras, we are now able to capture a far superior quality image in a reduced timeframe, meaning an offshore turbine can be surveyed in 30 minutes.


REPORTING


A report including pictures is then uploaded to a secure cloud where the client can access this report from anywhere in the world and share with colleagues. Typically these images are available within 24 hours of a turbine survey. On average 10 turbines per day can be surveyed.


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