Radiometric thermal imaging of commercial roofs, building envelopes, electrical equipment and solar arrays. Flown across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach by an FAA Part 107 certified pilot. Annotated condition report, findings labelled by confidence.
Every surface warmer than absolute zero emits infrared energy. A radiometric thermal camera records that energy and converts it to a temperature value for each pixel, which means the resulting image is data rather than a picture that happens to look orange.
That distinction matters in practice. Water trapped inside roof insulation has a much higher heat capacity than the dry material around it. Through the day both areas absorb solar energy. After sunset the dry areas shed that heat quickly while the saturated areas hold it, and for a few hours the wet zones stand out clearly as warm anomalies against a cooling roof.
The same principle applies elsewhere. A loose electrical connection dissipates energy as heat. A cracked or bypassed photovoltaic cell runs hotter than its neighbours. A gap in insulation lets conditioned air escape through the envelope. None of these are visible in an ordinary photograph. All of them are visible thermally.
What infrared does not do
Thermal imaging shows you where a temperature anomaly is. It does not confirm on its own what is causing it. A warm area on a roof is strong evidence of trapped moisture, but a solar reflection, a recently serviced mechanical unit or a difference in surface material can produce a similar signature. Every anomaly in our reports carries a confidence label, and findings that matter commercially are flagged for verification by core sample or moisture meter. We would rather hand you a defensible report than a confident one.
Four applications account for most infrared work in South Florida.
Flat and low-slope roofs on warehouses, retail, schools, condominium towers and industrial buildings. A post-sunset thermal pass maps suspected saturation across the whole roof area, which lets a roofing contractor or property manager scope a repair instead of replacing a roof that is mostly sound.
Typically paired with a daylight orthomosaic so anomalies can be located precisely on a scaled map.
Module-level thermal scanning of rooftop and ground-mount solar following IEC 62446 methodology. Identifies hotspots, bypass diode activation, string outages, cell cracking and soiling patterns, with each anomaly located on an array map.
A single flight covers what would take hours of manual IV curve tracing.
Thermal survey of exterior walls, window systems, parapets and balcony junctions to locate insulation gaps, thermal bridging, air leakage and water intrusion pathways. Useful alongside structured facade imagery for milestone and recertification documentation.
Captured to the specification of the engineer or architect of record.
Aerial thermal observation of rooftop mechanical units, transformers, switchgear enclosures and overhead conductors, identifying components running hotter than comparable equipment under similar load.
Observation and documentation only. Diagnosis and any corrective work is performed by your licensed electrical contractor.
Thermal work is unforgiving of shortcuts. The conditions during capture determine whether the data is usable at all.
We confirm roof area, access, obstructions and airspace class. Most of Miami-Dade and Broward sits under controlled airspace around MIA, FLL, OPF and TMB, which requires LAANC authorisation before the flight. That is handled in advance, not on the day.
A visual mapping pass builds a scaled orthomosaic of the roof or array. This becomes the base layer that every thermal anomaly is referenced against, so a finding can be described by location rather than by pointing at an image.
The radiometric flight runs in the window after sunset when thermal contrast is highest. Every frame is captured as a radiometric file that retains per-pixel temperature data, along with emissivity, ambient conditions and reflected temperature. Night operations are conducted under Part 107 with the required anti-collision lighting.
Thermal data is analysed against the recorded capture conditions, anomalies are delineated and classified, and each is assigned a confidence level. The report states what was observed, what it likely indicates, and what verification is recommended. Where a finding is inconclusive, we say so.
Surveys are flown with radiometric infrared sensors that record a temperature value for every pixel, alongside high-resolution visual cameras on the same airframe. Mapping passes use RTK positioning for scale and repeatability.
Radiometric data is processed against recorded emissivity and ambient conditions, and every finding is reviewed by the pilot in command before it reaches your report.
An infrared drone survey is a thermographic condition assessment. It documents observed thermal conditions of a structure, array or equipment at the time of capture.
It is not a boundary, topographic or as-built survey, and it does not establish property lines, elevations or legal descriptions. Work of that kind must be performed or certified by a Florida licensed Professional Surveyor and Mapper. Where a project requires a signed and sealed survey product, we capture data in support of the licensed professional rather than in place of one.
Likewise, our reports document what was observed. Structural determinations remain with the engineer of record, and electrical diagnosis and repair remain with your licensed contractor.
Module-level thermal inspection of a commercial array with an anomaly map. Quoted by array size and site access.
Daylight orthomosaic plus post-sunset radiometric thermal survey. Quoted by roof area and deliverable scope.
Every survey is quoted by scope: roof area, building count, site access, airspace, and deliverables. Send the address and we return a scoped number, usually the same business day. Multi-building portfolios are quoted per site.
Infrared drone surveys across the South Florida tri-county area, including:
Miami-Dade • Broward • Palm Beach counties.
No. An infrared drone survey is a thermographic condition assessment of a building, array or equipment. It does not establish property boundaries, elevations or legal descriptions, and it is not a substitute for work performed by a Florida licensed Professional Surveyor and Mapper.
For roof moisture, the two to four hours after sunset. Daytime solar loading heats the whole roof fairly evenly and masks the differences we are looking for. Humidity, recent rainfall and cloud cover all affect the window, so surveys are scheduled around conditions rather than convenience.
Suspected moisture in roof insulation, saturation around penetrations and drains, ponding, seam and flashing defects, and thermal bridging at parapets. Infrared shows where the anomaly is. Confirming the cause generally requires a core sample or moisture meter reading, which we recommend on findings that carry commercial weight.
Every survey is quoted by scope rather than from a rate card. Roof area, number of buildings, site access, airspace, and whether a mapped deliverable is required alongside the thermal report all shape the quote. Send the property address and we return a scoped number, usually the same business day.
Visual work within 24 hours of the flight. Radiometric thermal analysis within 48 to 72 hours, since the raw thermal data requires processing. Emergency and post-storm turnaround is available. Reports are delivered in English or Spanish.
No. The entire survey is flown from a safe launch point at ground level, which is one of the reasons infrared drone work has largely replaced walking a roof with a handheld camera. We do need a legal launch area and permission from the property owner or manager.
Tell us the property type and approximate roof or array size and we will come back with a quote and an available thermal window.