Jovan Tanasijevic shows off the drone that was used recently to help assess snow accumulation on rooftops throughout the city. — Photo by Douglas Yu

By Douglas Yu

A once cool gadget for cinematographers to shoot impeccable 360-degree birds-eye views of natural landscapes now has been put into use to identify at-risk collapsing rooftops in Somerville due to excessive snow.

Somerville-native aerial photography start up, Above Summit, successfully pitched the idea to the city to measure the snow on 33 public properties’ rooftops, including Somerville High School and the Public Library. They did it through flying their drone up in the air with a GoPro camera.

Co-founder of Above Summit, Jovan Tanasijevic, a veteran architect who had worked at various architectural firms for over 10 years, said he did not have a vision of using drones for community services when he first launched the company about a year and half ago.

“Above Summit is focused on aerial cinematography, mainly providing dynamic shots. I think what drove our company to be where we are today is being able to do shots that have never been done before,” Tanasijevic said.

Director of Communications of Above Summit, David Avery, said the company called the City of Somerville to see if they were interested in the idea of using drones to inspect the buildings.

“I think the idea sort of got in there [City Hall]. And we got a call from the city on Thursday after the mayor’s meeting, because someone brought the idea up,” Avery said. “Curtatone is a big fan of innovation, local businesses and technologies. He’s all about safety for his workers.”

The view from above: Somerville on ice.
— Photo courtesy of Above Summit

Above Summit was given a list of 33 public properties selected by the city to inspect. However, the photography company was not the one who made the decision on which rooftop was at risk and needed to clean up.

“We just provided the content,” Tanasijevic said. “We covered a property from multiple vantage points and let civil engineers from the city decide which building is good to go, or is in a critical site.”

On Monday, Feb.23, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) announced that they had received 153 reports of collapsed or damaged buildings due to excessive snow and ice on roofs since Feb.9.

Prior to this weekend’s storm, Somerville residents are encouraged to have snow and ice cleared from roofs, according to the city.

Earlier this month, Mayor Joe Curtatone announced the closure public schools in Somerville in order to protect the students’ safety for two weeks. “We understand the past couple weeks have been incredibly inconvenient and frustrating. It’s been difficult for us too. Rest assured the public’s health and safety for our school children and staff is at the center of everything we do,” Curtatone said during an interview with CBS news.

Other local politicians also resonated with the city, praising the approach of using technology to ensure public safety.

“I’m very pleased to see the city being proactive and using the drone technology. I know some adjusters, who are in insurance business, are doing the same thing,” Alderman, Jack Connolly told The Somerville Times.

Connolly mentioned that the advantage of using drones instead of letting engineers assess the buildings by themselves is not putting them in physical jeopardy. “And the engineers can see so much more. I think for the three hours that cost $1,500 to see all the city’s public buildings, that was terrific,” he said.

For the staff of Above Summit, an increasing hub for start-ups and small businesses like Somerville means a lot to them.

“Somerville has been growing rapidly for the last five to 10 years. It’s great to be part of that ecosystem. We’re proud to be able to contribute to the city,” Tanasijevic said, adding that Somerville has been his home for over seven years now.

In responding to how Somerville families cleaned up the snow on their own rooftops, one local Twitter user, @mem_somerville, told The Somerville Times that they “used the old-fashioned method of looking out the attic window, then sending housemates out with shovels.”

But now, Somervillians may have a safer and more technologically savvy choice in a sever winter like this in the future.