SPE Helped German-based Surveying Agency with Stitched Wind Mill Images for Inspection

Our Client - Germany-based Drone Surveying Company

Based in Germany, our client is a leading industrial drone-inspection service provider. Their main focus is on the maintenance of wind turbines and photovoltaic systems, as well as the facilitation of building inspections, development of vegetation and terrain maps, and the inspection of high-voltage lines.

Our client relies on thermography, to pinpoint unusually high temperatures on solar panels. Infrared cameras fitted with high-speed telephoto lenses for extreme close-ups are mounted on technologically advanced drones to provide wobble-free imaging, offering one of the most sought-after surveying services in the industry. Additionally, 3D models are created through photogrammetry to assist with the recovery of the exact positions of surface points, using specialized software to acquire accurate measurements from still images.

Requirements for Image Stitching Project

Our experience in quality image stitching made us the ideal outsourcing partner for the client’s project, which involved the stitching of a sequence of images of a windmill into a single picture. A fairly large structure, featuring a single turbine and three blades, it required a large batch of 84 images to be stitched smoothly to produce a high-resolution picture.

Challenges Faced by SPE’s Expert Image Stitching Team

Our team experienced two main challenges in completing the task. The images were out of sequence and didn’t offer the accurate alignment needed for the automated tool to work. The images had to be stitched manually which greatly increased the time spent on this project.

SPE’s Detailed Image Stitching Process

Our team employed our tried and tested step-wise process from the very first contact with the client. Once the initial meetings and clarifying the requirements, our team began to sort out the images manually.

• The client supplied the input images to be stitched.
• Each image was carefully aligned and prepared.
• Each image was manually stitched into one final output.
• The final deliverable was sent to the client for review, and any changes were carried out rapidly.
• The team made extensive use of Photoshop to deliver a high-quality final image.

End Benefits for the Client

The client received a high-quality single image stitched from multiple pictures. Their in-house workforce was able to focus on more pressing matters while our team completed the task. Flat World Solutions gained a client for life and overcame the large manual stitching challenge.