A cold and frosty morning in Doncaster at Blyton Park Driving Centre – out with the drones and the BBC One Show team filming an article about potholes!
The One Show’s presenter Iwan Thomas presents the piece and overseas the competition judged by some eminent people in their field, Victoria Hazael (Cycling UK), Vince Crain (The AA), Keith Jones (Institution of Civil Engineers). The filming took place on Blyton Race Track in Lincolnshire, where three large potholes were repaired and reviewed. They will be testing out pothole repair technologies on the racing circuit itself and we will be providing supporting cinematography from an aerial perspective!
Watch the One Show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPqk2OEMYpU
Drone or Ladder: What Changes When a Solar Inspection Leaves the Ground
A drone or a ladder? The two are not the same solar inspection done two ways, and they produce different evidence. A visual check finds visible damage. A handheld thermal camera sees heat but, from a ladder, looks across the array at an angle where glass reflects the sky. A drone records every module from above under one set of conditions. This post sets out what each can see, why angle and timing change the reading, and where each belongs.
Simplified or Detailed: Which IEC 62446-3 Inspection a Rooftop Solar Array Actually Needs
IEC TS 62446-3 does not describe one solar thermography inspection but two. A simplified inspection confirms that modules and connections are working, reading thermal patterns only. A detailed inspection measures, normalises and classifies what it finds, and is the level at which module condition can be reported with confidence. This post explains the difference, where a drone flight over a rooftop array sits between them, and why the level should be agreed in writing before the aircraft is booked.
What the Office Cannot Fix: Why Aerial Data Quality Is Decided on Site
A drone survey flight produces photographs and positions, and that is the whole of the raw material. Everything afterwards is interpretation, so a gap in the imagery stays a gap and a soft frame stays soft. This post sets out what the day of capture actually decides: the light, the wind, the state of the ground, where ground control can physically go on a working site, and the narrow set of checks worth making before the van doors close.
