Swindon Borough Council, GB deploys drones for streamlined roofing inspections in social housing
The borough's emerging tech team coordinated a drone inspection pilot across multiple departments. A drone equipped with multi-direction obstacle sensing and geofencing completed inspections in an average of 17 minutes. Drone inspections also identified hazardous materials and structural issues before they became costly issues. The now-permanent drone program achieved a 100% rate of first-time repairs and annual savings of £80,265 during the pilot.
Swindon Borough Council, GB
United Kingdom
Stockholm, SE provides transparency into restaurant inspections with interactive map
The Food Inspections Map uses green, yellow, and red icons to indicate recent inspection results for eateries. This color scheme indicates inspections without issues, issues not requiring follow-up, and issues requiring follow-up, respectively. Map users click icons for the three most recent results, dates, and inspection types. The map is searchable by the user's location, restaurant name, address, or by neighborhood and saves user favorites.
Stockholm, SE
Sweden
Canterbury Regional Council, NZ pilots AI-supported identification of invasive plant species
Council officials identified an outbreak of an invasive grass species called Nassella tussock. Project partner Lynker Analytics trained an AI platform to differentiate the species from non-invasive vegetation in South Canterbury. The platform also predicted growth patterns based on areas of existing coverage. Biosecurity officers tasked with time-intensive inspections of local properties focused more resources on eradication efforts during the pilot.
Canterbury Regional Council, NZ
New Zealand
Worcestershire County Council, GB experiments with drone technology for bridge inspections
County officials sought a cost-effective method for inspecting 1,500 bridges across Worcestershire. The county's partnership with Jacobs and Ringway resulted in a fleet of inspection drones. Each drone is flown by a licensed pilot with camera operation by a county inspector. Drones record structural conditions in hard-to-reach and narrow spaces thanks to high-quality cameras. The pilot supports long-term evaluations of bridge conditions without time-intensive manual inspections.
Worcestershire County Council, GB
United Kingdom
Fairfax County, VA simplifies search for retail food inspection reports with new mapping tool
The interactive map tracks health inspections of more than 3,500 permitted eateries. Users can search by restaurant name or open pinpoints from the map interface. The Retail Food Inspection Report app presents the last two years of reports for each location as downloadable PDFs. Fairfax County leveraged existing GIS tools for increased transparency of work done by the Environmental Health team. This map also improves customer service by eliminating FOIA requests for inspection records.
Fairfax County, VA
United States
Westminster City Council, GB upgrades inspection records management with smart tags in council homes
City engineers are placing RFID tags on electrical and gas meters in 13,331 council homes during a two-month installation. Coin-sized tags will be scanned by contractors when they conduct safety inspections and repairs. Each scan sends location, date, and time information to the unit's digital record. Westminster City Council can track contractor visits and update housing records without additional visits once smart tags are installed.
Westminster City Council, GB
United Kingdom
Des Moines, IA streamlines new home construction with its residential combination inspection pilot
The city's Permit and Development Center (PDC) selected 18 inspectors for additional certification. This training allows each inspector to evaluate a new home's structural, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing features in a single visit. Local officials found that PDC resources were limited by multiple inspectors visiting a new home at the same time. The program started as a pilot for new single-family homes and expanded to all residential building projects.
Des Moines, IA
United States
Corona, CA simplifies building code compliance with Virtual Interactive Inspection Program
The Planning and Development Department adopted the Camino platform for virtual inspections. Contractors schedule appointments with at least one day's notice for 20 inspection types including bathroom remodels and underground electrical work. A smartphone or tablet allows the building inspector to confirm the project's location and review completed work. The program makes better use of inspectors' time and ensures timely inspections.
Corona, CA
United States
Essex County Council, GB gains useful data on infrastructure needs with drone inspections
Essex Highways and project partner Ringway Jacobs pursued a more efficient method for inspecting the county's 1,500 bridges and culverts. An October 2021 demonstration in Chelmsford showed how inspectors will use drones for remote monitoring of road structures. High-quality imagery gathered during inspection flights shape maintenance schedules and road project proposals. The drone fleet can be adapted for narrow culverts and underwater inspections of bridge foundations.
Essex County Council, GB
United Kingdom
Tweed, NSW deploys QYSEA FIFISH V6 drone for improved inspections of local water reservoirs
The underwater drone collects high-quality imagery of reservoir conditions in place of manual inspections. The FIFISH V6's 4K UHD camera and LED lights produce clear visuals of low-light underwater environments. Council officers conduct operations with an included smart controller and edit videos using the FIFISH app. The shire's Water and Wastewater Operations team assesses water quality, structural integrity, and maintenance needs at 40 local reservoirs using drone footage.
Tweed, NSW
Australia
Mississauga, ON Apartment Rental Compliance pilot raises maintenance levels of rental units
Mississauga approved the five-year MARC pilot with a starting date of July 4, 2022. Building owners with at least six rental units and a shared common area pay annual registration fees of CAD 18.25 per unit. By-law officers conduct regular evaluations of registered properties for cleanliness, pest management, legal compliance, and state of repair. Residents of registered buildings use an online complaint form for expedited responses to non-compliant landlords.
Mississauga, ON
Canada
Adur & Worthing Councils, GB integrate Aspire software into property inspection processes
The Councils previously used an in-house system reliant on physical documentation and weekly updates. The Aspire system maximizes personnel time and minimizes fuel costs through efficient scheduling of residential and commercial inspections. Property inspectors document additions and other impacts on valuations on their smartphones. Discounts, exemptions, and other forms of tax relief are automatically confirmed by Aspire during annual tax calculations.
Adur & Worthing Councils, GB
United Kingdom