Tremco Roofing launches potentially revolutionary aerial imaging technology

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by Brianna Crandall — August 1, 2014—Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance has introduced a potentially industry-changing program that uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with high-resolution cameras to identify and locate potential maintenance and energy issues on rooftops and elsewhere on the building envelope.

SkyBEAM (Building Envelope Asset Mapping) uses unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with high-resolution thermographic (infrared) and video cameras to help Tremco Roofing’s customers locate where their facilities may be leaking energy through gaps in the roof, façade or elsewhere, or may have wet insulation; and to find and photograph other potential problems on the building, such as the need for appropriate rooftop safety equipment (e.g., screens over skylights, or permanent guardrails around hatches and the perimeter).

SkyBEAM’s thermographic camera graphically depicts energy inefficiencies by showing temperature variations within the building, a result of problems that can lead to increased operating costs, occupant discomfort and other issues. Poor or missing sealing around windows, for example, typically allows energy to escape. On rooftops, wet insulation retains heat longer than dry insulation; wet insulation can cause enormous long-term damage if not removed, reminds Tremco.

“Using SkyBEAM to gather building data is faster, more thorough and safer than any other method,” said Paul Sheehy, Tremco Roofing’s vice president of sales. “Instead of standing on the ground and trying to map the façade of a multistory building by holding a thermal or video camera, or by sending someone up in a lift, we program the UAV to fly to the precise height, do the mapping and return. We can now map buildings without the expense of tools such as scaffolding, so we can find problems for our customers that would have been virtually impossible to detect before. SkyBEAM also eliminates the need to send technicians onto rooftops to conduct infrared scans, which means no safety risks.”

SkyBEAM consolidates the infrared scanning and videotaped images into a comprehensive, interactive, easy-to-understand report that is presented to facilities owners and managers and technicians through a cloud-based application, enabling them to determine a plan of action. A virtual model of the building is created in two dimensions (2-D) and three dimensions (3-D) and can be viewed from any angle.

Photographs, comments and other data can be added in real time through a tablet, including when technicians are on site, to ensure that work can be verified and that the report always has the latest information. Through geo-positioning, technicians can precisely locate where work on the roof needs to take place, in relation to their current position, therefore minimizing disruption to the roof.

While conventional infrared scanning with handheld thermographic cameras is available if a SkyBEAM scan cannot be performed, Sheehy believes that SkyBEAM will revolutionize the industry. “SkyBEAM is completely unique in construction,” he said. “It gives decision makers visual evidence of where their building is losing energy, especially from areas that were difficult to scan before. SkyBEAM will help them improve their facility maintenance planning and budgeting; is the safest way to conduct night time infrared scanning; and is a huge benefit to our field technicians who need to locate and repair rooftop damage.”

SkyBEAM is currently available to Tremco Roofing’s customers throughout Canada through a relationship with Toronto-based Industrial SkyWorks (iSW), experts in aerial mapping and reporting. A video explaining the SkyBEAM system and its many benefits can be found on the Tremco Roofing Web site.