K
Kathleen Martin
Guest
In December 2019, a 60-year-old New York City resident, Erica Tishman, was killed when a chunk of broken façade fell off a midtown Manhattan building and struck her. In late April, city inspectors cited the owner of the building at 729 Seventh Ave. for a Class 1 facade violation, the most severe category, Gothamist reports.
Following the incident, city council members began exploring ways to use drone technology to make building inspections more efficient and safer.
Roughly two years after Tishman’s death, New York City’s Department of Buildings issued a report that found experienced building safety inspectors can use drones to conduct enhanced building facade inspections with greater efficiency. Other cities have been exploring using drones to inspect construction projects, including Tarpon Springs, Fla.
“It is imperative that we continue to embrace the latest technologies and innovations in support of our mission to protect our fellow New Yorkers,” Department of Buildings Commissioner Melanie La Rocca says. “Our report is the product of intensive research by DOB experts, and finds that when combined with traditional hands-on examinations, the effective use of drones could potentially result in more comprehensive building inspections, resulting in reduced inefficiencies and a safer New York City.”
How New York Might Use Drones for Inspections
The report found that drones can be used to collect a wide array of visual data in inspections, especially when equipped with video cameras, lidar, thermal imaging, photogrammetry and location software.
“Drones can also access angles that are more difficult to achieve using other methods of visual inspection, which is particularly helpful for the inspection of larger buildings,” the report states.
However, facade inspections require more than just visual images. Drones could take photographs and provide location information to “easily pinpoint where a defect is located on a building,” the report notes, but physical examinations by qualified professionals will still be needed.
Continue reading: https://statetechmagazine.com/article/2022/01/how-can-drones-be-used-city-building-inspections
Following the incident, city council members began exploring ways to use drone technology to make building inspections more efficient and safer.
Roughly two years after Tishman’s death, New York City’s Department of Buildings issued a report that found experienced building safety inspectors can use drones to conduct enhanced building facade inspections with greater efficiency. Other cities have been exploring using drones to inspect construction projects, including Tarpon Springs, Fla.
“It is imperative that we continue to embrace the latest technologies and innovations in support of our mission to protect our fellow New Yorkers,” Department of Buildings Commissioner Melanie La Rocca says. “Our report is the product of intensive research by DOB experts, and finds that when combined with traditional hands-on examinations, the effective use of drones could potentially result in more comprehensive building inspections, resulting in reduced inefficiencies and a safer New York City.”
How New York Might Use Drones for Inspections
The report found that drones can be used to collect a wide array of visual data in inspections, especially when equipped with video cameras, lidar, thermal imaging, photogrammetry and location software.
“Drones can also access angles that are more difficult to achieve using other methods of visual inspection, which is particularly helpful for the inspection of larger buildings,” the report states.
However, facade inspections require more than just visual images. Drones could take photographs and provide location information to “easily pinpoint where a defect is located on a building,” the report notes, but physical examinations by qualified professionals will still be needed.
Continue reading: https://statetechmagazine.com/article/2022/01/how-can-drones-be-used-city-building-inspections
