“If you are a property owner in Sweden today- you need to work data-driven!” Those are the words of Ludvig Emgård, CEO and founder of the Linköping startup Spotscale.
Spotscale creates digital 3D models of buildings using drone images. The models make it possible to inspect and analyze the whole building in an easily accessible way. The company has been active since 2013 and is world-leading in its technology that combines 3D, Infrared imaging (IR), and RGB imaging (red, green and blue).
As we all know, buildings can come with several unexpected, and not always pleasant, surprises. Leaks, cracks and lack of documentation are just some of them. What Spotscale is offering is a digital twin of buildings that will expose both exterior issues and energy thieves, such as badly isolated windows.
– The property owners of today are taking great risks every minute they stay unaware of the state of their buildings. At Spotscale we encourage both sellers and buyers of property to be more aware of the buildings they are dealing with. We believe that huge profits are to be made, both financially and environmentally, says Ludvig.
One of the newer additions to Spotscales’ service is the function with IR imagery, where they work with cameras from the American company FLIR. Using drones to capture buildings with IR cameras, Spotscale can add an extra layer to their 3D models to reveal heat leaks and damp areas..
– By adding the IR layer to our models we catch things that the human eye can’t see. This will help property owners act in a more financially and environmentally smart way, and prevent big damages before they even happen.
And Spotscale is steadily working on improving their processes and developing their technology.
– Today we use AI solutions to identify cracks and for measuring surfaces. But ahead, we see even more automated applications, in the end I believe that our solution will be completely AI driven.
According to Ludvig, the property business is generally speaking on a low level of digitalisation.
I see digitalisation as key to making the business sustainable. Digital tools will support documentation and follow-ups of how the buildings live and breathe. Among other things, it can help us understand how different building materials age and predict maintenance needs.
But there are definitely some property owners taking the lead in exploring new technologies.
– We are very happy to have worked with companies such as Corem, COOR and Riksbyggen who have been open to try our ideas and now are fully onboard with our vision. It is a brave thing to do since the Return of Investment of a digital 3D model isn’t going to come the next day. These are long term investments that will pay back over time.
A local example of the Spotscale technology applied is in their cooperation with Tekniska verken in Linköping. Tekniska verken has since a year back been offering the Spotscale service to their customers. Watch how it works here!
– Our vision is that we are building the world’s most resource efficient region, and this is something that permeates everything we do. The partnership with Spotscale is one of many initiatives that is bringing us closer to this. We have a great dialogue with Spotscale who has been very accommodating and made great efforts to understand the needs of our customers, says Johanna Wittenfeldt, Business Developer at Tekniska verken.
Johanna shares that energy efficiency is increasingly important to their customers. Both for environmental reasons and the fluctuating energy prices.
– Energy efficiency and finding more sustainable options are very close to our hearts at Spotscale. Therefore we are very happy to be working with Tekniska verken, says Ludvig Emgård.
