Drones for Telecom: Pix4D and SAP Partner on 3D Inspection of Transmission Masts

Drones for telecom are already an important industry segment, and new applications to serve the telecom sector are rapidly appearing.  Now, photogrammetry software solution leader Pix4D has partnered with SAP® “to open up the market for drone-based, digital 3D inspections for telecommunications companies,” says a Pix4D press release.

“SAP, a global leader in ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, has included Pix4D in an SAP Accelerator Program for innovative companies that support the digital transformation of B2B businesses with their software solutions.”

Experts are already utilizing drones for telecom in applications like inspection and monitoring.  Now, capabilities are getting more sophisticated and integrated into existing workflows.  New Pix4D technology for the inspection of transmission masts with the help of drones, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is being implemented in the SAP S/4HANA platform and was integrated into the SAP Asset Management.

Thanks to the Pix4Dscan and Pix4Dcatch mobile apps, companies using this integrated technology can securely collect data from drones and from the ground in order to automatically create accurate 3D models of transmission masts and telecommunications systems. The digital copies can be examined in a virtual environment using Pix4Dinspect, with machine learning algorithms helping to automatically measure the sizes and orientations of the antennas. The Pix4D online platform synchronizes the data with SAP S / 4HANA. In combination with existing company data, this information aids in valuable decision-making for business processes such as to calculate profitability or to evaluate the system’s condition.

 “There is a paradigm shift in the inspection industry,” says Pablo Santos, Business Strategy Manager for the inspection industry at Pix4D, “3D representations of reality are becoming information platforms. In cooperation with SAP, we are developing automated and agile processes into a new standard for operational and financial decisions in asset management “.

Pix4D plans to expand its collaboration with SAP to develop applications for digital asset management and digital inventory in utilities, mining and construction.