Spexi Final

Revolutionizing Building Inspections with Drone Technology

Efficient and accurate building inspections essential for maintaining infrastructure, ensuring safety, and assessing environmental sustainability. As a leader in drone infrastructure solutions, Airspace Link partnered with Spexi to advance drone-based building inspections in Detroit. By integrating Spexi's high-resolution aerial imagery, Airspace Link optimized flight planning and enhanced environmental assessments using drone-based thermal data collection for various structures across the city

“We need up-to-date information, especially around construction sites, temporary buildings, or seasonal changes. With Spexi, I can log in and immediately access fresh aerial data to help plan operations efficiently. It eliminates uncertainty, allowing us to optimize drone flights, save time, and improve the accuracy of our inspections.”

Bruce Briglia

Program Manager at Airspace Link

Overcoming the Limitations of Traditional Building Inspections

Traditional building inspections rely on either outdated satellite imagery or in-person site visits, both of which present limitations. Satellite imagery often lacks the resolution and real-time accuracy needed for detailed assessments, while on-site evaluations require significant time and resources. Additionally, environmental assessments—such as evaluating heat loss, structural integrity, and potential damage—demand precise data collection methods. Without an efficient pre-flight planning solution, drone operators faced challenges in optimizing their flight paths and ensuring accurate data capture across Detroit’s diverse urban landscape.

Bruce Briglia

Program Manager at Airspace Link

The Solution

Spexi provided Airspace Link with high-resolution aerial imagery that allowed drone operators to plan efficient flight paths for inspecting buildings across Detroit. This imagery was especially valuable when used alongside thermal imaging technology, which was deployed to assess environmental factors such as heat retention, structural weaknesses, and energy efficiency. By leveraging Spexi’s data, drone teams could:

• Optimize Flight Planning: Identify potential obstacles such as trees, power lines, and rooftop structures before deploying drones.

• Enhance Data Accuracy: Ensure drones captured the most relevant information by pre-selecting ideal scanning areas.

• Support Environmental Assessments: Improve analysis of heat loss, insulation efficiency, and overall building conditions by integrating aerial imagery with thermal data.

One key use case involved using drones equipped with both optical and thermal cameras to inspect buildings in Detroit. Spexi’s aerial imagery provided an initial overview, allowing teams to strategically position drones for optimal coverage, reducing redundant flights and unnecessary risks.

Impact & Results

Improved Inspection Efficiency: By using Spexi to pre-plan flights, drone operators reduced the need for extensive manual assessments, saving significant time.
Enhanced Environmental Assessments: Combining aerial imagery with thermal scanning enabled more accurate evaluations of building sustainability and energy efficiency.
Reduced Operational Risks: Pre-identifying flight hazards helped minimize drone crashes and improved overall mission success rates.

Key Metrics

Conclusion

A real-time example demonstrated the effectiveness of Spexi’s imagery when a drone operator needed to inspect a building for energy efficiency improvements. By reviewing Spexi’s data beforehand, the team optimized their drone’s flight path, ensuring comprehensive coverage while avoiding obstacles.‍ By integrating Spexi’s aerial imagery into its drone inspection workflows, Airspace Link enhanced building assessments, improved environmental data collection, and optimized flight planning in Detroit and across Michigan. As urban infrastructure continues to evolve, leveraging real-time aerial data in combination with advanced scanning technologies like thermal imaging will be essential in driving smarter, more sustainable building management.

About Spexi

Spexi provides on-demand, high-quality, and standardized aerial imagery at scale using local drone pilots. Offering affordable sub-3cm resolution and customizable frequency, Spexi enables companies to access fresh data anytime, without the need for specialized training. It’s the fastest growing and largest standardized ultra-high resolution drone imagery network with over 1.1M acres imaged in 2024 alone.

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