Side-scanning is an inspection technique utilized in the sewer industry to assess pipe condition. Side-scanning cameras have ultra-wide “fish-eye” lenses that capture 360-degrees of a pipe’s wall, running the entire length of the pipe. 

Side scan technology for sewer inspection crawlers can speed up the surveillance process while capturing more detail, but to get the most out of this approach, an understanding of the particularities is crucial.

Like many industries, sewer inspection benefits from technologies developed elsewhere—typically for consumer goods (microcameras, digital video, digital control networks), or for larger industrial sectors (XYZ probes, profiling, laser distance measurement). There's certainly been no shortage of technological innovation in the past two decades. Ultimately, manufacturers must place bets on which specific technologies offer true benefits to sewer inspection professionals and develop products that leverage them. Generally, they succeed when the technology offers new efficiency (demanding less time, lower cost or fewer resources), improved safety or enhanced data. Side-scanning technology is unique in that it offers a multitude of efficiency gains and a better quality deliverable—and that's one reason why so many manufacturers have recognized it as part of sewer inspection's future.

DigiSewer side-scanning add-on for ROVVER X gives inspection crews the ability to capture superior resolutions at speeds up to 70 feet/minute, without the need to stop to pan, tilt or zoom. Side-scanning uses a fish-eye digital camera to capture side wall detail, which is then digitally processed frame-by-frame to create a flat scan of the pipe whose length represents the full length of the pipe, and whose height represents the pipe’s full circumference. These flat scans give engineers a comprehensive unfolded view of the pipe for quicker and more accurate assessment with smaller size files for easier data collection.