Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Accuracy of your Survey?
The resolution of our imagery is approximately 1mm/pixel. The relative accuracy of the 3D Models we produce is about +/-3mm, provided optimal conditions. Lighting and GPS connectivity may impact the relative accuracy.
The absolute accuracy (Positioning within global position) is approximately +/- 3cm in the horizontal space and +/- 5cm in the vertical space and is based on the DJI M300 RTK positioning system. Similarly, GPS connectivity may impact the absolute accuracy of the survey.
What is the Density of the Soundings with your UAV-based Concrete-Sounding Equipment?
The density of soundings depends on the accuracy and quantities that the client is interested in for mapping delamination.
How does Niricson Automate Crack Mapping?
Over time, Niricson has collected millions of images of concrete cracks and spalls from structures around the world. Niricson uses its proprietary machine learning algorithm to automate the crack and spall mapping on the structure, and has a robust quality control procedure to ensure that each crack is captured.
What is Niricson's Final Deliverable?
Niricson typically provides four deliverables to clients. The first deliverable is a report detailing how the data was collected, the results, as well as some of the challenges and limitations of the data.
The second deliverable is a 3D Model in a .3SM File Format. This model format is flexible, if clients prefer other formats such as .LAZ, etc.
The third deliverable is login-access to Niricson’s Web-Based AUTOSPEX Platform to interact with defect maps and automatically filter changes between multiple surveys.
The fourth deliverable is the raw defect maps in .TIF Format, which clients can use to overlay on engineering drawings, or bring into GIS platforms such as ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and QGIS. This means that clients are not reliant on Niricson’s web-based platform to interact and derive value from the defect maps and can ensure data-longevity.
What is the Cost for a Survey?
Niricson’s prices are calculated on a per-square-foot basis and are dependent on the type of asset. Niricson’s prices include a per-mobilization cost, data processing cost, and an annual fee to host and store data on the AUTOSPEX™ Platform.
How do we Procure your Services?
If you are a state, municipal, or investor-owned utility, Niricson’s solution is often sole-sourced through traditional procurement methods. If you are a Canadian Federal entity, you can sole source up to a cap of $8,000,000 CAD through a unique Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED) Canada Pathways to Commercialization program through Public Services Procurement Canada. Details on the procurement procedure can be found here: Pathway to commercialization (canada.ca).
If you are an American federal entity, Niricson can be purchased via task orders on IDIQ contracts. Please contact us if you would like to take advantage of this IDIQ capacity.
What is Niricson's Data File Output Type and can the Data be Integrated into other Programs?
For crack, spall, and delamination maps, Niricson’s file output is a geo-referenced .TIF file. These .TIF files can be draped over .DWG AUTOCADD files with Vector Information, and can also be integrated into any GIS platform (QGIS, ESRI, ARCGIS, etc.).
What type of Drone and Camera do you Use?
That said, Niricson typically standardizes 1mm GSD (Ground Sampling Distance) image capture. While this means that any type of drone can capture 1mm imagery provided the distance from structure and quality of the camera sensor, Niricson prefers the following UAV platforms: DJI M300 with a P1 Camera sensor as well as the Skydio X2E for bridge projects.
For clients that ban the use of DJI products for security purposes, Niricson prefers UAVs such as the Freefly Astro, the Skydio X2E, and the BFD SE-8.
How Can I use the Defect Maps that Niricson Generates to Make Decisions?
The data that Niricson generates can be used for multiple applications. Firstly, the data can be brought into CAD, and the defect maps can be draped over engineering drawings for Maintenance estimates (Crack injection estimates in linear feet, estimates on concrete volume for spalls). Furthermore, the data can also be used for Structural Analysis and Finite Element Analysis. For spillway structures, the condition assessment data can also be used for computational fluid dyanmic (CFD) analysis.
The data can also be used as a general digital twin. Civil engineers and asset managers can use the digital twin/3D Model generated to integrate other data such as for Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Instrumentation Data (pizometer, environmental data, etc).
Finally, and most importantly, data is collected from multiple structures, asset owners can start to identify trends in deterioration of their assets over time. This data can be helpful for asset managers to build and improve asset deterioration models on a per-defect basis. As a result, this information can provide objective information for capital planning in assisting where to allocate repair, maintenance, and rehabilitation funding across multiple assets.
The data can also help with regulatory compliance for state, provincial, local, and federal regulators.