ATON DRONE BY ITE

Drone inspections for ports

Six inspection types for documenting marine aids to navigation and port infrastructure. Daytime inspections of marks and buoys focus on their physical features; light inspections focus on the signal emitted at night. PEL sector lights and lighthouses are presented separately because they require specific observation methods.
PEL
Marks and buoys · Daytime
Marks and buoys · Lights
Lighthouses
Infrastructure
Surveying
Synthetic illustration of a PEL sector light installation beside a port channel
01
Computer-generated illustration of a PEL sector light installation
LIGHTED AIDS TO NAVIGATION

PEL sector lights

Defining navigational sector boundaries
Sector transitions are recorded to calculate their angular boundaries and compare them with the installation reference data. The inspection focuses on defining the sectors that guide mariners.
Sector transitions · Angular boundaries · Installation reference data
Buoy marking the entrance alignment at the Port of Málaga during ATON inspection trials
02
Daytime inspection of a buoy’s physical features
PHYSICAL FEATURES

Marks and buoys: daytime inspection

Colour, shape, topmark and visible condition
Observation of colour, shape, topmark and visible external condition. Images document physical features and support comparison with the asset inventory. Both lighted and unlighted aids are included.
Visual identification · External condition · Photographic record
Entrance to the Port of Avilés at night, with the lighthouse and navigation lights
03
Night-time observation of navigational lights
LIGHT SIGNALS

Marks and buoys: light inspection

Light colour, rhythm and period
Night-time observation of lighted aids to check their colour, rhythm, period and any obstructions to visibility. Where sectors are provided, these are checked as an additional task.
Night-time observation · Light characteristics · Obstructions to visibility
Software analysis of a lighthouse light period and sector transitions, with annotations
04
Analysis of a lighthouse light’s period and sector transitions
LIGHTED AIDS TO NAVIGATION

Lighthouses

Observing the lighthouse light signal
Recording and analysis of the lighthouse light signal, including its period and sector transitions where applicable, using flights adapted to the observation conditions.
Light signal · Period · Sector transitions
Drone view of a quay surface at the Port of Málaga, showing rust stains beside the water
05
Aerial record of a quay’s surface condition
PORT ASSETS

Infrastructure inspections

Documenting visible condition
Images of quays, breakwaters, cranes, buildings and other assets document their visible condition and support technical review and change monitoring.

Photographic record · Technical review · Change monitoring

3D model of a quay at the Port of Málaga
06
Photogrammetric 3D model of port infrastructure
PORT AREA SURVEYS

Topographic surveying and mapping

Orthophotos, point clouds and 3D models
Photogrammetric image capture to generate orthophotos, point clouds and 3D models of terrain and infrastructure, according to the survey scope and requirements.
Photogrammetry · Georeferenced information · 3D models