FIRE FIGHTING
After a fire seems to have burned itself out, it can still be smoldering in places that are difficult to detect by the naked eye. Using aerial thermography, fire fighters can see where those lingering “hot spots” are, and make sure they keep themselves from harm. Aerial thermography can also help identify the location of fire victims, either within a house or a forest fire, so that fire fighters know where to focus their energy and time.
POWER LINE INSPECTIONS
One of the many uses of aerial thermography is in preventing fires that occur as a result from failures in power lines. By detecting weak points in the transmission and distribution network, which is a highly complex system of lines of interconnecting electric energy sources, drones equipped with thermal imaging systems can identify problem areas before a breakdown or fire happens and prevent the fire from happening.
SOLAR PANEL INSPECTIONS
If a solar panel is malfunctioning, this could mean a huge daily loss in potential energy gathered. But manual inspections are time consuming, and cost prohibitive. Using aerial thermography, an entire field of solar panels can be inspected quickly, checking for any hot spots where there might be problem areas.
BUILDING HVAC (HEATING VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING) AND ROOF INSPECTIONS
Thermography can allow pilots to perform a simple energy audit of any building, either someone’s home or a large corporate structure, in order to determine where there might be excess heat, or where heat might be escaping.
CELL TOWER INSPECTIONS
Just as with power lines, aerial thermography can also help detect problem areas in cell towers.
SEARCH AND RESCUE
When someone is lost outdoors, timing is everything. Whether the climate is hot or cold, the longer they stay outside the more dangerous the situation becomes. Since drones can cover a huge area of space in a short period of time, using aerial thermography to find people lost outdoors not only makes sense, it can potentially save lives. In addition, if a person is injured or too weak to call out, someone searching could potentially walk right by the person they’re trying to save and not see them. With a drone, all you have to do is look for the heat signature of the person you’re trying to rescue.
HAZARDOUS MATERIAL (HAZMAT) INSPECTIONS
Yet another scenario in which drones can go where people can’t, and really shouldn’t go.