The Great Eagle Company honoured with 2 wins in HKB Technology Excellence Awards

The firm pilots drone tech for real estate inspection, as well as a residential app for its clients.

AI and analytics in construction have largely been unheard of in Hong Kong, until The Great Eagle Company engaged a local startup to launch façade and infrared inspections using drones at the construction of its popular residential project, ONTOLO. With a 360-degree view of all the buildings’ nooks and crannies, the startup’s drone technology leveraged its AI and analytics capabilities to identify defects to address these as soon as possible.

Using drones, inspection becomes safer and reduces the need for usual hazardous equipment such as gondolas or temporary scaffolding. The drone operator does not need to be inside the construction site, making the entire process non-intrusive, safe, and efficient.

Once the drones have captured enough images, AI and analytics software is used, which according to the local startup helps identify defects which are visible and even hidden to the human eye with 95%+ accuracy, thus significantly reducing the cost for inspection. So far, the initiative has been successful and The Great Eagle Company is working to see what other projects can utilize such technologies.

The Great Eagle Company plans to continue pioneering innovative technologies, and partnering with startups to explore various proofs of concept. ONTOLO started offering its units in July 2019 and was very well received for its understated luxury designs and accentuating the surrounding nature. ONTOLO offers 723 units ranging in size from 357 sq ft to 3,098 sq ft.

The project dubbed as “Drone and AI-Driven Analytics Technology for Façade and Infrared Inspection” won under the AI - Real Estate Category at the recently held Hong Kong Business (HKB) Technology Excellence Awards, where it was recognised for using technology to optimize inspection times and make it possible to inspect areas of the buildings that are not easily accessible by manual inspection methods.

Its residential app for ONTOLO residents, ONTOLO App, has also received the Digital - Real Estate Category in the same programme for its innovative functions which aims to replace some of the traditional customer services methods for quicker response and help.

The application includes handover appointment making, replacing the need to manually make appointments with each homeowner to arrange for the handover event. Videos via QR code encourage ONTOLO residents to make their appointments via the App.

Its defect checking function also includes a pre-assigned floor plan of each homeowner’s unit and homeowners can mark down defects on the floor plan, including details and photos of such defects. Once the defects have been recorded, the property management team will be notified and will schedule an appointment with the homeowner via the App to confirm whether the defects recorded are considered actual defects or just natural marks on the marble or wood. Once confirmed, property management will arrange for the defects to be remedied. Completion statuses are automatically updated on the App for the homeowner to accept.

On top of having direct contact details with the property management team, the App also has a 24/7 chatbot, available in English and Simplified/Traditional Chinese, enabling ONTOLO residents to ask questions related to living at ONTOLO. This streamlines the property management service for both ONTOLO residents and the property management team, thereby making everything more efficient, convenient, and accessible.

The HKB Technology Excellence Awards, presented by Hong Kong Business, was held via video conferencing throughout the month of September.

This year’s nominations were judged by a panel consisting of Gilles Alexandre Salansy, Partner, Accounting and Outsourcing at Mazars Hong Kong; Jason Yau, Partner, Technology and Management Consulting at RSM Hong Kong; Douglas Kwan, Partner, Assurance and Advisory Services at SHINEWING (HK) CPA Limited; Steve Lo, Partner and Asia-Pacific Chief Innovation Officer at Ernst & Young; and Loretta Fong, Partner and Telecommunications Leader at PwC Hong Kong.

If you would like to join the 2021 awards and be acclaimed for your company’s exceptional technological innovations, please email Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected]