CASE C33 · JP · 2024
Chiba City: joint drone inspection of gas, power and telecom lines attached to bridges by three utilities
Tokyo Gas Network, TEPCO Power Grid and NTT-ME trialled joint drone inspection of gas pipes and cables attached to bridges in Chiba City. Each utility previously inspected separately with its own permits, and sharing flights aims to cut effort and cost. No quantitative results were published.
| Owner | Tokyo Gas Network; TEPCO Power Grid; NTT-ME (bridges managed by Chiba City) |
| Provider | NTT-ME (lead) |
| Location | Chiba, Japan (Kashiwai, Yamato and Amado-ohashi bridges) |
| Aircraft | Not stated |
| Sensors | camera (not specified) |
Before
Each utility inspected only its own attachments, applying for road-use permits every time; boat-based inspection left some parts unseen.
With drones
From December 2024 to February 2025, single drone flights imaged all three utilities' attachments for a shared inspection.
Outcomes
| Metric | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| time / cost | reductions targeted but no measured values published | Target |
Caveats & limits
- Announcement of a trial; no quantitative result was reported.
- Aircraft and sensors were not disclosed.
Sources
- 東京ガスネットワーク・東京電力PG・NTT-ME、橋梁添架設備のドローン共同点検を実証（DRONE）DRONE (drone.jp) Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22