Drones for Inspection | COPTRZ | Commercial Drone Solutions

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The use of drones for asset inspection has already transformed the workflows of numerous organisations across the country, reducing costs, time on site and increasing job safety. Join the likes of Thames Water, Severn Trent Water and Sellafield who have driven business wide development through the adoption of drone technology.

WE'VE HELPED OVER 1000 ORGANISATIONS UTILISE UAV TECHNOLOGY

Meet George Burne 

Business Development Manager for the Inspection Industry

George joined Coptrz 4 years ago and has worked with a wide array of organisations, enabling them to incorporate a UAV solution within their operations. George has enhanced business performance in organisations like Severn Trent Water, EDF Energy and TEXO by providing a complete drone solution. George’s expertise lies in reducing risk, improving the data collected and cutting operational costs by using a drone solution where possible alongside traditional inspection methods.

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WE WORK WITH LEADING GLOBAL MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS TO ENSURE YOU RECEIVE AN UNRIVALLED SOLUTION

What is a drone inspection?

A drone inspection is the process of using an unmanned aircraft to assess an asset. In this case, drones literally become the eyes of the inspector.

Drones have the advantage of reaching places that are difficult, expensive, dangerous, live, or even impossible to access by manned inspection teams, and they can be used for indoor, underground, onshore, or offshore purposes.

See the Matrice 300 RTK in action in this short video, where George and head of training Harry explain the groundbreaking features of using this drone for your inspections.

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REDUCE RISK

Using drones creates a dramatic increase in worker safety. This is highlighted in facilities such as oil and gas refineries that have multiple hostile environments including confined spaces, tall and complex stacks and pipelines, hazardous materials and areas with oxygen-poor atmospheres. Minimising the amount of human intervention needed for such asset inspection drastically reduces the chance of worker injuries or fatalities.

CUT COSTS

Using drones for inspection could save your company money in many ways – from requiring less manpower through to removing the need to erect scaffolding or pay for a cherry picker. A drone inspection provides a more cost-effective and efficient solution – enabling more frequent checks. This in turn means that any problems can be identified and remedied a lot quicker.

MINIMISE DOWNTIME

Using drones for inspection allows you to keep operations and assets open and running while critical inspections are conducted. With less need to erect scaffolding, towers and other equipment, surveillance can be carried out faster. Reducing, or even removing downtime, can save your organisation huge amounts of money.

ACCURATE DATA

Drones collect incredibly high quality data, which can be archived to create a detailed record of an asset’s lifecycle. Drones can conduct automated, repeatable missions, ensuring the data is consistent each time – especially vital for regular and comparative checks. This data is easily shareable using standard software and analytical tools, such as Pix4D or DJI Terra.

TYPES OF DRONE INSPECTION

VISUAL DRONE INSPECTION

A visual drone inspection is a thorough visual check of each part of an asset, whether it be a power line, wind turbine, or a building. The drone’s camera essentially becomes the operator’s eyes and the imagery can be collected during a short drone flight and then reviewed in detail later on.

THERMAL DRONE INSPECTON

Drones with thermal cameras can identify manufacturing defects, cracks, faulty inter-connectors, and temporary shadowing. One of the most powerful aspects of a thermal camera is that it can detect and highlight problems which can be missed during a visual inspection.

3D DRONE MAPPING

Photogrammetry is the process of capturing high-resolution imagery and stitching these pictures together in specialist software to create accurate digital twins. These offer visuals of an inspection area, and can be used to conduct measurements, such as calculating stockpiles. This data can be shared with team members and stakeholders.

ELIOS 2

The ELIOS 2 has been engineered to reduce downtime, improve safety and lower the cost of industrial inspections. You can use the Elios 2 to capture both visual and thermal data as it carries an optical camera, a thermal camera, and a powerful lighting system. Its configuration makes it the best of its kind to navigate confined spaces and manage collisions. It is also one of the only drones that can pretty much land anywhere, which may significantly extend the mission time depending on the asset configuration

M300

The DJI M300 RTK is transforming commercial drone programmes - helping global oil giant Shell save $100,000 on a single job, increasing a utility company's efficiency by 30%, and paving the way for automated powerline inspections. The M300 is able to integrate with an impressive range of payloads, and with a maximum flight time of 55 minutes - the M300 is the perfect piece of kit for any inspection.

MAVIC 2 ENTERPRISE ADVANCED

The Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced is the ultimate drone solution for those working within the inspection sector. This custom built quadcopter is crafted from the ground up with accuracy in mind. With high-resolution thermal and visual cameras, the M2EA supports up to 32× digital zoom and is capable of centimetre-level positioning accuracy with the RTK module.

Adopt the full solution

Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced Inspection Package

Hardware
  • Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced with Smart Controller
  • Batteries and Accessories (Beacon and Spotlight Speaker)
  • Tough Carry Case
  • Fly More Kit (Extra batteries, shoulder-bag, car charger and battery hub)
Training + extras
  • GVC Online Training Course
  • Introduction to Thermography Training Course
  • Handover Training with George Burne
  • 24-month Extended Warranty
  • 12-month Service
  • Lifetime access to Coptrz Academy

Payment plans available

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ELIOS 2 Confined Space Inspection Package

Hardware
  • Elios 2 aircraft with controller and case
  • 9 Batteries in total
Training + extras
  • 1-2-1 Handover and Flight Training on your site
  • Lifetime access to Coptrz Academy
  • Operations Manual Support
  • ELIOS 2 Online training course (12 hours)

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Drone Survey Inspection Solution

A great value all-inclusive package with the Matrice 300 RTK
  • Matrice 300 RTK Aircraft
  • 2 x TB60 Batteries
  • Intelligent Battery Station
  • 1 x Smart Controller Enterprise
  • Carrying Case
  • Charger cables, adaptors, all necessary ancillaries
  • Zenmuse H20 camera
  • Professional flight coaching and equipment handover
  • Inspection software training and 12-month licence
  • M300 RTK online training course (12 hrs)
  • Premium Care Package including 24-month warranty, priority use of DJI repair centre and access to servicing hotline.

Payment plans available

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One Master of Drone Applications (MDA) = all the knowledge you need!

The Drones in Inspection Mini-MDA will allow you and your team to carry out asset inspections at a consistently high standard.  It also gives you and your team the solid foundation needed to scale up your operations to capitalise on the increasing demand for Drone Inspections across multiple industries.

Included in your Mini-MDA: A2 CofC, GVC, UAV Specific Training, OFQUAL Level 5 Award for Cheif Drone Pilots and much more!

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Collecting your data

DJI Zenmuse H20 Series

These multi-sensor payloads that bring a whole new meaning to mission efficiency. The unique intelligence and integrated design provide unprecedented aerial imaging capabilities for a range of commercial drone applications.

DJI Zenmuse P1

The DJI Zenmuse P1 integrates a full-frame sensor with interchangeable fixed-focus lenses on a 3-axis stabilized gimbal. Designed for photogrammetry flight missions, it takes efficiency and accuracy to a whole new level.

Phase One iXM

The Phase One iXm incorporates the first medium-format sensor with backside-illumination technology, enabling high light sensitivity and extended dynamic range to satisfy diverse mapping & surveying applications.

EMESENT HOVERMAP

Hovermap is an autonomous mapping payload. Lightweight and versatile, it can be mounted to a drone for autonomous mapping in challenging and inaccessible areas.

PROCESSING YOUR DATA

TRENDSPEK

Trendspek connects asset owners, operators and engineers, through a simple to use online platform. Form opinions, make decisions and reach outcomes faster by collaborating on a single source of truth.

Don’t leave detailed inspections to chance, get the whole picture with true to life digital models.

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DJI TERRA

Use DJI Terra to capture, analyse and visualize your environment. DJI Terra is an easy to use mapping software developed to help you transform your drone data into digital assets.

DJI Terra offers unparalleled efficiency and user experience by allowing you to bulk import images and employ multiple graphics cards simultaneously all within its intuitively designed interface.

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FLYABILITY INSPECTOR 3.0 SOFTWARE

Visualise, localise, and document your inspection data so your team and clients can use it to make critical decisions.

The mapping feature of Inspector 3.0 relies on Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO). VIO estimates the position and velocity of Elios 2 by using only the input of the main camera plus the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) attached to it. VIO is a viable alternative to GPS and lidar-based odometry to achieve accurate state estimation.

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PIX4D MAPPER

Pix4D mapper is the leading aerial photogrammetry software. It turns your images into highly precise, geo-referenced 2D maps and 3D models.

Customisable, timely, and complements a wide range of applications and software.

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STEP 1: DRONES FOR INSPECTION GUIDE

Get started by downloading your free copy of our Drones for Inspection eBook. It covers:

  • Best hardware for the job in 2021
  • Best software for the job in 2021
  • What training will you need to work with drones in the inspection sector
GET YOUR GUIDE

STEP 2: CHECK OUT OUR RANGE OF CASE STUDIES

Head over to the Coptrz blog where you can expand your knowledge on how companies and individuals are using drones for inspection.

  • Check out our interviews with Severn Trent Water, Sellafield, EDF Energy and more
  • Hear from people who have started their own drone inspection business
  • Read how YOU can introduce a drone solution into your workflow
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STEP 3: BOOK YOUR FREE 1 - 2 - 1 WITH GEORGE

Ready to take the next step?

Book your FREE 30 minute 1-2-1with George where he will speak you through how to use drones for inspection and the steps required to incorporate a drone solution into your organisation.

SPEAK TO GEORGE

Severn Trent Water

Severn Trent Water were looking to improve their utility inspection processes by incorporating a drone fleet into the business. Coptrz introduced an internal drone team to the business which helped save £750,000 in their first year.

Yorkshire Water

“I intend on using the M210 from a security perspective to begin with and then as my team become more comfortable with it, I intend to offer our services to the wider business as I feel there is huge potential for it to perform on a bigger scale.”

Andy Hall Physical and Electronic Security Manager

GeoAccess

"GeoAccess considered the move into the drone industry as a natural progression to complement our established technical rope access services. We can now offer a much improved, safer, efficient and cost-effective product to our clients by using drones and traditional rope access techniques in combination."

Mark Coleman, Managing Director

Raptor UAS

“We have invested in ELIOS 2 to enhance our inspection capabilities using this groundbreaking drone. Its clear vision and intelligent collision avoidance were of particular advantage to our operations. We also chose to work with COPTRZ who are a trusted partner in the commercial drone space.”

Ana Gamarra , Managing Director

Oilfield Testing Services

"We have invested in ELIOS 2 to enhance our inspection capabilities. Its clear vision and intelligent collision avoidance were of particular advantage to our operations. We also chose to work with COPTRZ who are a trusted partner in the commercial drone space."

Jerry Smith , Base Manager

FAQs

  • Why should you consider drone technology for your inspections?

  • How are drones used for inspection?

  • What is an inspection drone?

  • Why should you bring your drone solution in-house?

  • Are drones taking away the need for traditional inspection methods such as rope access?

  • This sounds great, but what type of budget would I need?

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