While not every value that Scopito brings can be put into numbers, this is an attempt to do so for the time saved using Scopito for analysis and reporting.
Benefits that are not accounted for in this article include, but are not limited to:
- Data safety
- Visual proof
- Machine Learning algorithms for fault detection
- Ease of reporting
- Cloud-based sharing
- Historical comparisons
- Organized data storage
About the calculations.
This data was acquired as part of a Proof of Concept-project completed by Altitude Imaging for an electric cooperative.
These calculations are meant to outline the difference between:
- Flying distribution poles with a drone, while a lineman does on-site analysis of the pole from the drone-feed.
and - Flying distribution poles with a drone, uploading data to, and completing the analysis in Scopito.
The difference is calculated in time spent and dollars spent per pole.
The costs for drone service provider and lineman are based on hourly rates and represent only this specific scenario.
Flight.
The time spent flying poles & hourly cost.
Pilot & linemen costs are calculated from an industry average.
With lineman
| Number of poles | Hours spent | Price per pole |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 70 | $18.20 |
| 10,000 | 700 | $16.80 |
| 100,000 | 7,000 | $8.40 |
Without lineman
| Number of poles | Hours spent | Price per pole |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 50 | $13 |
| 10,000 | 500 | $12 |
| 100,000 | 5,000 | $6 |
Analysis cost per pole.
Lineman analysis is completed in the field during the flight.
Scopito analysis is completed by subject-matter experts post-flight. The decreasing price is a reflection of volume-discount.
| Number of poles | Lineman | Scopito |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $7.43 | $12 |
| 10,000 | $7.43 | $7 |
| 100,000 | $7.43 | $5.50 |
Total cost per pole.
Costs of flight & analysis.
| Number of poles | Pilot & Lineman | Pilot & Scopito |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $26.70 | $25.90 |
| 10,000 | $25.30 | $19.80 |
| 100,000 | $19.30 | $14 |
ROI with Scopito
1,000 poles | $800 | 2.99%
10,000 poles | $5,500 | 21.74%
100,000 poles | $53,000 | 27.46%
*After 10,000 poles, AI will assist in the fault detection which reduces analysis-cost further.
**Numbers used in this case are a reflection of the specific project, and can vary depending on type of inspection and number of images.
Contact Scopito for a quote on your project.
The background behind this data.
This Proof of Concept-project grew from the ashes of a several years old transmission-inspection project, where the electric cooperative client in question, decided to try their luck with a Drone Service Provider delivering their results in Excel.
This year, Altitude Imaging and Scopito were hired for transmission, but the client was hesitant about using drones for distribution-lines. To prove the return on investment from drones and visual data management software, Altitude Imaging completed a 5-day proof on concept project on a stretch of the line.
The setup for the experiment was as follows:
Day 1
The pilot flew poles with one lineman looking at each pole in drone feed and filling in the inspection document.
Result: 11.6 poles inspected/hour.
Day 2
The pilot flew poles with two linemen; one looking at every pole in drone feed and one filling in the inspection document.
Result: 7.42 poles inspected/hour.
Day 3
The pilot flew poles and alerted the lineman of issues. Lineman looking at drone feed when issues identified.
Result: 16.5 poles inspected/hour.
Day 4
The pilot flew poles alone and performed the analysis in Scopito post-inspection.
Result: 18 poles inspected/hour.
Day 5
The pilot flew poles alone and uploaded data to Scopito for post-inspection by a lineman.
Result: 17.1 poles inspected/hour.
The number of poles inspected per hour is the basis of the calculations in this article.
The pilot took 3-5 photos of each pole.
When serious issues were detected, documentation was more thorough.
To get the most comparable data, the pilot diverted from his usual pricing model of per-pole payment and was paid per hour, the same way the clients’ lineman was. It quickly became apparent, that having a pilot complete the inspection alone, was more cost-efficient for the client.
The price per pole in the above calculations is calculated by dividing the pilot’s hourly rate by the number of poles inspected per hour.[/passster]
