The same GPS satellite that helps you navigate your car can also help manage your roof.
How? Well, first you need a basic understanding of GPS.
The Global Positioning System is a navigation system made up of satellites that were placed into orbit 12,000 miles above the Earth by the US Department of Defense. Originally intended for military applications, the government decided to make GPS available for civilian use in the 1980′s. Currently about 24 satellites circle the earth twice a day, traveling roughly 7,000 mph, and transmit signal information to Earth. GPS receivers collect this information and are able to calculate a user’s exact location and display it on the unit’s electronic map. As you are probably aware, GPS units in vehicles are replacing our familiar, well-worn fold out road maps. GPS works in any weather condition, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. This technology has not only become a worldwide aid to navigation but also a useful tool for map-making, land surveying, tracking, surveillance and yes, roofing. Roofers are now using state-of-the-art GPS equipment to inspect and diagnose your roof.
Recent patented GPS technology now allows for digital data to be collected, accurately documented, and stored off-site with a web-based program. Roof data can be organized and useful reports generated, not back at the office but while the inspector is still on the roof. A roofer with a mobile GPS sensor and a hand-held computer can document and present what a roof looks like in the beginning of a service contract, keep electronic records of every inspection and repair and combine this information with photos, scale roof maps and infrared images to create a comprehensive survey of the roof. All this information can then be stored on a website for easy access, 24-7, for both the roofer and the customer.
Because data is collected as part of the task of performing roof inspections and maintenance, it requires no additional work to keep the database current. This is a feature that was critical to the structural engineers at the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command. By the time traditional roof inspections and resulting data were completed and compiled for the over 18 million square feet of roofing on 1,600 facilities at ACC, some of the information in their database was already obsolete. That’s when ACC looked to a firm employing GPS technology. All of ACC’s roof information was now easily accessible to all levels of personnel, the database could be kept current without ongoing, additional effort, and ACC was now able to get comprehensive roof surveys and data management in time to allow for optimal decision making and immediate implementation of critical projects. Timely information was needed — and delivered.
In the Louisville area, Commonwealth Roofing Corp. has been utilizing GPS technology for some years now. Owner Michael Sasse uses this technology as the cornerstone of Commonwealth’s 1-2-3 Inspection and Maintenance Program. GPS allows our customers to get the most from their roofing investment. The information we gather on a roof lets us take our clients on a ‘virtual tour’ of their roof — but — from the comfort of their office. It helps them pinpoint, document, and address problems in their roofing system and adequately maintain that roof.
The GPS product we use is Roof Express. It permanently documents and stores a scale map of the roof or section with all features and rooftop equipment precisely located and inventoried. All potential or real problems (defects) are also located and a dated record of all corrective actions creates a historical timeline of work on the roof and its costs. Another nice feature is its Roof Condition Scoring. For each section of roof we inspect, we answer a bank of yes/no questions on our PDA and a score is automatically generated. The score then appears on the website and is “color coded” in green, yellow, or red to give a quick visual assessment of each roof’s condition. Roof sections in good shape are green; sections needing attention in order to avoid an emergency down the road are yellow; and sections needing to be replaced or refurbished immediately are red. This makes planning and allocating roof expenses quick and accurate. Understandable and timely information is vital to get the most out of a roof system. It’s all about minimizing costly repairs & maintenance, and of course, staying dry.
For more information contact Michael Sasse, (502) 459-2216
Commonwealth Roofing Corp.
