Remote Inspection

Digital technology now enables inspections to be conducted remotely e.g. via video collaboration, drone, mobile devices or other digital sensors, delivering greater safety as well as having the potential to reduce overall time and cost. But while there are many remote inspection techniques, tools and suppliers in the market, it is still a relatively new application of technology. So how do customers choose the techniques that are best fit for purpose? How do they choose the right supplier, one who operates safely and provides quality results?

And while visual inspection data is exploding in volume due to the proliferation of data capture devices, many customers are struggling to manage that data and make the best use of the information it contains. Data is often captured manually, in different formats, on different systems and in different places, making it hard to connect, organise, interpret and share, or to make practical use of that data at any scale.

LRQA helps customers use remote inspection techniques effectively - from choosing and assuring the right tools and technologies for the job, planning and executing the inspection efficiently and safely, right through to managing and extracting value from the data. And, as an independent certification body, we're helping to set the standards for industrial UAS inspection.

But that's only part of the story. How do customers unlock additional value and generate insights from large amounts of inspection data to enable a more predictive and targeted approach to maintenance?

While gathering data can be faster and safer using remote inspection methods, its ultimate value lies in how the data is managed, interpreted and understood in order to draw out actionable insights. Many of the tools currently in the market are not designed to effectively support visual inspection data and the visual data is not well managed. Identifying this challenge, LRQA is exploring latest technology trends including visual analytics and machine learning to help transform the way companies inspect and understand an asset's condition using remote technologies, enabling them to gather data more quantitatively with an efficient way of providing quality insights towards informed decisions.

LRQA has developed a software solution, specifically dedicated to managing digital inspection data collected remotely including via UAS. Capable of storing vast amounts of visual data in a secure manner, our cloud-based platform incorporates data management, visualisation and reporting. Advanced analytics can then be applied to make searching information easier and provide benchmarking and insight into asset and fleet condition, performance optimisation and maintenance planning.

LRQA takes an agile and collaborative approach to innovation, leveraging our core inspection expertise, Software products and best in class technology partners bundled with AI/Data Science expertise to deliver inspection services in new ways. We work with our customers to understand their specific challenges and needs and create a proof of concept, to ensure the right outcome for our customers.