HONOLULU (KHON2) — In the rapidly expanding world of AI and technology, new uses for them show up every day. And a recent new endeavor moving to Hawaii came with the partnership of Moana Pacific, working with Atlanta-based drone service company Sky360 Aerial Media.
The drone footage and thermal images taken by Sky360 are used to construct 3D models that AI then analyzes, looking for improvements in the building’s structural integrity. This includes checking for potential issues or wear and tear of the building, among other things.
“Really, what we do is we use AI to analyze imagery, and so we can move through that data set much faster,” said Scott Thomas, Director of Flight Operations at Sky360. “In terms of using artificial intelligence to analyze that data, it’s very cutting-edge. It’s sort of an emerging market; there’s only a few companies in the world that are kind of doing that right now.”
Unlike bigger cities such as New York City, San Francisco, or Boston, Honolulu does not mandate periodic inspections of mid-to high-rise buildings, like Moana Pacific. This meant that when the board for Moana Pacific decided it was time to inspect, finding an efficient and productive method was key.
“We’ve been wanting to do an exterior inspection of our building, our building is nearing 17 years old,” said Corey Chong, member of the Moana Pacific Board. “Having the drone, you can operate the drone from much different angles. You get a wider perspective, and you can actually get a much more thorough 360 inspection of the building.”
The drone and AI analysis process saves more than just time, however. It also eliminates a dangerous and time-consuming job where people have to scale the building, floor to floor, on a rope, doing the inspections manually.
“It can analyze the efficiency of things like windows, seals, and door seals, and that just helps with determining if there’s any areas that may need improvements or maintenance,” said Thomas. “It’s vastly more efficient than the traditional method of sending somebody up on a rope. It’s much safer, it’s much faster, much more cost-efficient.”
The drone process also serves an extra function, by highlighting areas of the building that could be more efficient energy-wise, potentially saving a lot of money.
“Not only do we get the analysis of where we have potential leaks, areas that we need to address, but from an energy efficiency perspective, the model that they generate also lets us take a look at perhaps where we could be a little bit more efficient with energy,” said Chong.
Moana Pacific is the first building in Hawaii to partner with Sky360.