Screenshots of Site Technologies’ commercial real estate risk assessment tool.
Courtesy of Site Technology
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The first hurricanes of the 2025 Atlantic season are spun from the East Coast. As postseason seasons create more intense storms and more costly damage, commercial property facility managers have made property resilience a priority.
One way to do that is to use technology. We have already made progress in combating the risk of wildfires. Companies such as PanoAI, Sethertics and Aidash incorporate satellite technology into artificial intelligence to identify specific fire hazards and identify major electrical companies as clients.
Similar advancements are working to reduce the risk of hurricane damage. Site Technology uses drones to help commercial property managers check and address vulnerabilities before the storm hits them. The site was originally a construction company.
“We teamed up with a team of experts and engineers in pavement, roof, facade and landscaping. We began to find ways to capture data from the facility and do an engineering job and review current conditions.”
The site doesn’t have its own drones, but it uses freelancers from all over the country. Rabine said the company surveys around 13,000 properties in 15 different countries and deploys drones each year for large clients with hundreds or even thousands of facilities.
Captured images will be fed to the site’s artificial intelligence platform, which incorporates expertise from our own staff, providing external conditions and risk reports for each facility.
“We will also identify if we should spend the money over the next three to five years to ensure that the facility is in good condition,” Rabine said. “So there are many dashboard features that allow you to use AI to scope your work and state reports and sort by worst or highest risk properties, so you can focus your attention on the best needs.”
This predictive maintenance allows property and facility managers to see the issue before they become liable. It’s everything from clogged drains to overgrown trees to weak roofs.
For existing customers, the site offers to fly the drone on the property after any kind of destructive event has occurred. Images can be used before and after the insurance claim evaluation.
Site customers include Prologis, major warehouse real estate investment trusts, Link Logistics and large national retailers. Most clients have at least 100 real estate because companies with smaller real estate footprints make it easier to use human surveyors.
“If you have hundreds or thousands of properties, up to these technologies, allowing you to take a snapshot of your facility each year has never been a viable option,” Rabine said.
