VOLT Inspections reduced their drone data management time from 36 hours to 4 minutes using the NAR app!

In the post below our client Dusty Birge CEO of UAV Recon describes how NAR | the Live Data Management App helps him reduce his reporting work from hours to a couple of minutes. He explains how he leverages the various document and map reports provided by NAR to link them to his company’s custom-built cloud software VOLT™ for more efficient data management. He also explains how, using NAR, he is capable of sending reports to his client as soon as he lands for faster emergency response in the case of natural flood disasters.

 
 

Traditional Workflow with VOLT™ (48 hours)

Some drone service companies struggle with managing large data sets with thousands of inspection images. When image quantities exceed about 250 images, the report time often bogs down the processing workflow. At UAV Recon, we use VOLT™ for our large inspection project processing because of the quality inspection and guaranteed inspection turn-around in (12) days or less. However, we actually had been struggling with the small inspections, like a short 2-mile section of the line. Normally, this process would take 24-48 hours to review imagery, annotate, organize, and deliver. We reduced our report processing time for powerline inspection from 48 hours to less than 30 minutes!

 
 

New Workflow with the VOLT™ – LiVE powered by NAR  application (30 mins)

By leveraging the VOLT™ – LiVE powered by NAR application, we enabled a reporting process that takes just a few minutes! We tested this on a 2-mile patrol in early August 2019 and the results were shocking. During this inspection, we yielded (11) advisory images that needed organizing and put into the utility’s maintenance workflow. This rotted crossarm, among the other advisories, was organized and a report generated while in the field upon landing the sUAS! The high-resolution images and detailed report were delivered when I returned to the client’s office.

 
 

 
 

“We literally reduced our report processing time from 48 hours to less than 30 minutes!”

 
 

The app is very easy to operate and is designed to be used for both flying and data capturing. Before flying, I defined both the name of the project as well as the client’s information for my inspection. I used VOLT’s pre-populated list of labels for a powerline inspection, corresponding to potential advisories that I might encounter during my inspection. As I was flying and discovered an advisory, I simply selected the corresponding label and then double-tapped on the advisory, which saved the image along with the time-stamp, coordinates, and the corresponding label with a box around the advisory!

 
 

Nebraska Natural Flood Disaster: VOLT™ – LiVE powered by NAR (Report delivered in 4 mins instead of 36 hours!)

We used VOLT™ – LiVE powered by NAR during a natural flood disaster near Kearney, NE to assess flood damage for a local utility. In the past for natural disasters, our normal sUAS operations would consist of flying a selected area, taking imagery of at-risk and/or damaged structures and later organizing, annotating, and reporting that data. The report was the most time-consuming process.

 
 

Nebraska was hit with flooding 2 times this year in 4 months, one being the largest in the state’s history. Both floods had catastrophic damage to private and commercial properties, roadways, and utility assets.

 

In March, for the first flood, our report time was 36 Hours.

In July, for the second flood, our report time was 4 Minutes.

 

By using the LiVE application with the auto report generator for the annotated imagery, the process is streamlined. I landed the sUAS, generated the report, and forwarded it to the utility, all while on the hotspot of my mobile phone in the field. The LiVE application allowed me to generate a report the same day, more than satisfying the client’s inquiry! Moving forward, we use LiVE for datasets where report generation is feasible with (1) person. All other projects, we continue to process through VOLT’s cloud-based inspection portal with a (12) day deliverable.

 
 

Download App for FREE

 
 

Watch VOLT Inspection’s webinar showcasing VOLT – LiVE app powered by NAR (click here for the full webinar)

 
 

About VOLT:

The Visual Online Lineman Team (V.O.L.T) is the largest & fastest comprehensive review option for aerial inspection imagery. Having reviewed 1 million images, V.O.L.T is the choice for utilities across the US for managing the technical review of aerial inspection imagery. Learn more at www.voltinspections.com

 
 

About NAR:

NAR is an app that helps you manage your drone data management at a fraction of the time and cost. NAR is the first application that enables image labeling, organization, packaging, and sharing on the fly and in offline mode. Learn more at www.nar.ai