Thermal surveys with drones: what you need beyond the aircraft

A reliable thermal survey depends on four things: the thermal sensor (resolution, sensitivity, radiometry), the platform that carries and stabilises it, the software used to analyse the thermograms and the skills of whoever plans the flight and reads the data. The thermal payloads in this category are for users who need more flexibility or measurement performance than an integrated thermal drone: interchangeable lenses, temperature ranges up to 1,500 °C, RGB cameras with optical zoom and open data interfaces.

Drone thermal cameras compared

Data from the manufacturers' datasheets and DroneBase product pages.

Product pages: Workswell Wiris Pro, Workswell Wiris Enterprise, MicaSense Altum-PT.

Radiometric vs non-radiometric thermal cameras

A radiometric thermal camera stores a temperature value for every pixel (radiometric JPEG and TIFF, full-frame radiometric recording), so after the flight you can measure, compare and report temperatures. A non-radiometric camera produces a thermal image that shows a hotspot but cannot measure it. Electrical, solar and industrial inspections with quantitative reports need radiometry. All sensors in this category are radiometric; Workswell states an accuracy of ±2 °C or ±2% of reading for the Wiris cameras.

Measurements are still affected by emissivity, reflected temperature, distance and atmosphere: these parameters must be set correctly, which is where training matters.

Thermal resolution and GSD: how much detail you need

At the same altitude, more thermal pixels mean a smaller GSD (ground sample distance) and smaller detectable defects. A 640×512 sensor is the standard for plant and solar inspections; the Wiris Super Resolution mode processes several frames into final thermograms of up to 1,266×1,010 pixels. A 320×256 sensor like the Altum-PT's is suitable for thermal maps of agricultural and natural areas, where thermal data are combined with multispectral indices.

Optics matter too: on the Wiris a narrow FOV (18°-32°) suits detailed inspection from a distance, a wide FOV (45°-69°) suits mapping large surfaces.

How to choose a drone thermal camera

• Application: electrical and industrial inspection (Wiris Pro or Enterprise), long-range inspection with strong visual identification (Wiris Enterprise, 30× optical zoom), precision agriculture and environmental research (Altum-PT).
• Temperature range: furnaces, process plants and hot components need extended ranges, available as Wiris options up to +1,500 °C.
• Platform: the Wiris cameras fit DJI Matrice drones via dedicated gimbals and custom platforms via CAN bus, UART/MAVLink and Ethernet; the Altum-PT works with DJI Matrice 350 and 400 with the appropriate integration hardware.
• Software: WIRIS OS and Thermolab for thermogram analysis, SDKs for integration; data can be processed in Pix4D and Agisoft Metashape for thermal orthomosaics and models.
• Operating environment: for flights in rain or dust check the available protection (optional IP66 on the Wiris Enterprise).

Integrated thermal drone or thermal payload?

For many inspections the most efficient option is a ready-to-fly thermal drone with an integrated camera: DJI Mavic 3 Thermal (compact, radiometric 640×512), DJI Matrice 30T (IP55, laser rangefinder), also as a solar inspection combo, and DJI Matrice 4T. For the highest native thermal resolution in the DJI ecosystem there is the DJI Zenmuse H30T payload (1,280×1,024) for Matrice 350 RTK and Matrice 400. Ready-made kits are in Combo Thermography & Inspection.

A third-party payload is the right choice when you need extended temperature ranges, interchangeable optics, combined thermal and multispectral data or integration on non-DJI platforms.

Drones with thermal sensors for inspections: applications

• Solar plants: faulty cells and strings, hotspots, connections.
• Power networks and switchgear: overheating joints, terminals, insulators and transformers.
• Industry and process: furnaces, refractories, pipes, motors and bearings.
• Buildings: heat loss, thermal bridges, moisture and insulation defects.
• Agriculture and environment: crop water stress, irrigation, ecosystem monitoring.
• Public safety: search and rescue, night surveillance.

Drone thermal camera FAQ

Planning a thermal inspection or survey? Tell us the application, the drone you fly and the report you need: we will propose the right configuration.

Talk to a DroneBase technician