Thermal Inspection · BC & Western Canada
Find what the eye can't see — heat signatures, moisture intrusion, electrical faults, and energy loss — with the Zenmuse H20N's dual thermal and visible sensor. BC and Alberta coverage, day or night.
01 / What It Is
Thermal infrared imaging detects emitted heat radiation rather than reflected visible light. Every material and object emits heat — differences in surface temperature, even fractions of a degree, reveal conditions invisible to the naked eye: moisture trapped in walls, failing electrical connections, solar cells that have stopped producing power, heat escaping through insulation gaps.
When a thermal camera is mounted on a drone, those heat-difference signatures can be captured across an entire facility, rooftop, or corridor in a single flight — at a scale that would take ground crews days to achieve. The result is a comprehensive thermal dataset you can use to prioritize maintenance, document conditions, and demonstrate compliance.
IAS uses the DJI Zenmuse H20N — a dual-sensor payload that captures both calibrated radiometric thermal and high-resolution 20MP visible imagery simultaneously. Every thermal anomaly is documented with a co-registered visible reference image, ensuring your inspection reports are unambiguous and defensible.
Every pixel carries a calibrated absolute temperature value — not just a heat map image. Enables quantitative analysis and anomaly thresholding.
H20N records thermal and 20MP visible simultaneously. Co-registered pairs eliminate ambiguity in report interpretation.
Thermal imaging works in complete darkness — often preferable for accurate emissivity readings after solar loading has dissipated.
Every anomaly location is georeferenced with RTK-quality GPS coordinates — your maintenance team knows exactly where to go.
02 / Applications
Aerial thermal imaging accelerates inspection cycles and surfaces defects that traditional visual inspection misses entirely. These are the applications where BC and Alberta clients see the most immediate ROI.
Solar Energy
Identify underperforming, failed, or damaged solar cells across an entire array in a single drone flight. Thermal imaging detects hot-spot defects, bypass diode failures, and delamination — conditions that reduce output but are invisible to the eye. Produce a defect map with panel-level GPS coordinates for your maintenance team.
Commercial & Industrial Buildings
Detect missing or degraded insulation, moisture infiltration, air leakage pathways, and thermal bridging from the exterior. Drone-based capture covers an entire commercial or industrial building envelope in a single session — far faster than ground-level IR guns or lift-assisted inspections. Essential for LEED audits and energy retrofit planning.
Utilities & Power
Loose connections, overloaded components, and failing equipment produce characteristic heat signatures before they fail. Aerial thermography of switchyards, substations, overhead distribution lines, and transformers identifies overheating assets before an outage occurs — enabling scheduled maintenance instead of emergency response.
Roofing
Water trapped beneath flat roofing membranes retains heat longer than dry insulation, creating a detectable thermal signature at dusk after a clear day. Drone thermal capture pinpoints moisture-affected zones before a full replacement is scheduled — helping owners and contractors confirm scope and validate repairs.
Oil, Gas & Industrial
Identify heat loss from uninsulated pipe sections, scan for tank level detection via thermal gradients, and document external equipment temperatures across process facilities. Thermal baseline flights establish normal operating temperatures for comparison during future inspections.
Search & Rescue Support
The H20N's thermal sensor detects the heat signature of humans and animals in complete darkness and through light vegetation cover. IAS supports search and rescue coordination in BC and Alberta — contact us for rapid-response availability and operational protocols.
Thermal imaging accuracy depends heavily on mission timing. Building envelope and roofing flights are most effective at dawn or dusk when thermal contrast between interior and exterior is highest. Solar panel inspections require peak irradiance — typically 10am–2pm on clear days with panels at full production load. Electrical inspections should occur when systems are under load. Night-time operations are optimal for structural thermal analysis after solar loading has dissipated. We schedule every thermal mission to the optimal window for your inspection type.
03 / What You Receive
Thermal inspection deliverables are formatted for your team — maintenance managers, engineers, and asset owners. Every anomaly is documented with location, temperature, and severity classification.
04 / The Hardware
The Zenmuse H20N is a dual-sensor payload purpose-built for professional inspection. It's not a consumer thermal camera bolted to a recreational drone — it's an enterprise imaging system designed for demanding industrial environments.
05 / FAQ
It depends on your inspection type. Building envelope work is most effective at dawn or dusk — after overnight cooling creates strong thermal contrast between interior heat and exterior cold. Solar panel inspections require clear skies, full irradiance, and panels operating at production load — typically between 10 AM and 2 PM. Flat roof moisture flights are best performed at dusk after a clear day when retained moisture creates a detectable temperature differential. Night operations eliminate solar loading and are preferred for electrical and structural thermal baseline missions. We schedule every mission to the optimal window for your specific application.
The M350 RTK is IP55-rated and can operate in light rain. However, wet conditions and heavy overcast significantly reduce thermal inspection accuracy — rainwater equalizes surface temperatures and overcast skies reduce solar loading effects. For most thermal inspection types, we require clear or partly cloudy skies at the time of flight. We monitor weather carefully and communicate rescheduling options proactively. The H20N performs well in cool, clear conditions — which describes a large portion of the BC and Alberta climate.
We classify anomalies by temperature differential (ΔT) from the surrounding baseline, using IEC 62446-3 guidelines for solar and industry-standard thermography classification for buildings and electrical infrastructure. Classification typically follows a three-tier severity framework: low priority (monitor), medium priority (schedule for maintenance), and high priority (immediate action recommended). Every classified anomaly includes GPS coordinates, temperature data, visible reference image, and a brief description. Classification is based on observed data — we do not provide engineering certification of the findings; your engineering team or qualified thermographer reviews and validates findings as appropriate for your application.
Yes — this is one of the most cost-effective thermal inspection applications. Water trapped beneath a roofing membrane retains heat longer than dry insulation, creating a detectable thermal signature at dusk on a clear day as the rest of the roof cools. Drone thermal capture can identify the extent of moisture-affected zones across an entire flat roof in a single flight. This data supports repair scope planning, contractor accountability after new roofing installation, and insurance documentation. Confirmation testing (core sampling) is typically used to validate significant anomalies before committing to full remediation.
Yes. The H20N is a dedicated night-capable thermal sensor and the M350 RTK has full night operation capability. We work with search and rescue coordinators in BC and Alberta. Night operations in most areas require Advanced RPAS certification — which we hold. For emergency SAR requests, contact us through ARIA at (236) 244-8384 to confirm availability and operational requirements. We do not substitute for official SAR organization coordination — we support coordinated operations.
Ready When You Are
Schedule a thermal inspection across BC or Alberta. Contact us with your site details and we'll recommend the optimal mission window and scope for your application.
Serving BC and Alberta · Based in Abbotsford · Transport Canada Advanced RPAS Certified
