Since the release of SpatialVideo back in June, which allows you to collect GPS-tracked video from Fulcrum on iOS and Android, we’ve heard dozens of different ways that users are recording video for various projects. For covering large work areas quickly, video is great as it saves time, and allows field staff to capture large volumes of reference data for review and assessment in the back office.
Asset inventory projects covering entire municipal areas or county boundaries can contain thousands or tens of thousands of asset points to visit. A thorough site visit to each takes minutes or longer. Depending on the needs of the project, total re-inspection of assets may not be necessary — video documentation could serve the purpose just fine to revisit and get a visual overview of its condition, and provide more context than still photos.
Because SpatialVideo also records GPS tracks as it’s capturing the footage, street-side assets can be surveyed using dashboard- or windshield-mounted devices from a vehicle.
Conducting an inventory of street-side assets like telephone poles and attached electric utilities can now be done with a drive-by, and doesn’t require a surveyor to stop and visit each site individually.
Let’s look at sign inventory as an example. Using the web-based video playback tool (shown in the above video), a manager back in the office can review the video and conduct a spot-check on assets visible in the images. With the side-by-side video and map interface, it’s easy to correlate the asset in the video to its location on the map. The map will automatically track with the location as the video plays. Scrubbing through the video progress will pan to that spot on the map, and clicking at a specific place on the track line will shift to the proper place in the video. With this setup, a data manager can make quick updates to asset databases. Missing assets are easily spotted, damage extent surveyed, and maintenance crews dispatched to repair or replace signs.
To see more about asset inventory with Fulcrum, check out our case study looking at the work done by Rodriguez Consulting for the City of Philadelphia. They surveyed over 1000 fire hydrants around the city using Fulcrum, and are currently looking at how to incorporate video into their processes.