Singapore's Virtual Site Inspections: Record Each Area Before It's Covered Up
Picture the week your checklist reaches the space above the false ceiling on Level 9. The agencies want a photo of the fire protection up there with its measurement, but the boards went up in August and the engineer who watched the services go in has moved to another project. If your record can't answer the clarification, you rescan or send more images, and in the end the agency may ask for a physical inspection of that area, which is the trip the virtual route was meant to save you. The guidebook now spells out what the agencies want to see, but when to record each piece is still up to you, and that timing is most of the work.
To prepare for a virtual site inspection in Singapore, agree a Virtual Inspection Plan with BCA, then record each area as it is finished: a 360° walk tied to the building plan, photos of the measurements on the checklist, and photos of anything the walk cannot see. Submit area by area if the agencies agree.
What changed for TOP and CSC inspections in September 2026?
On 7 September 2026, BCA and the other participating agencies issued a circular (APPBCA-2026-17) that opened the Whole-of-Government Virtual Inspection (WOG VI) process for TOP and CSC inspections with immediate effect. You submit one set of 360° scans to the eight agencies involved (BCA, IMDA, LTA, NEA, NParks, PUB, SCDF and URA), each one reviews it against its own requirements, and you can submit area by area as works finish if the agencies agree when you apply. The route is optional, and BCA's WOG VI page, last updated on 20 October 2026, holds the guidebook, the plan template, the checklist and the data standards for capture platforms.
The scans cover visual and dimensional checks, whereas functional checks, such as a fire alarm's audio cue, are still done in person on the dates in your plan.
What do the agencies ask you to record?
Under the WOG VI guidebook, your Virtual Inspection Plan lists the proposed scan areas, the agencies involved in each scan, the expected submission dates, the proposed physical inspection dates, the marked-up areas and any waiver items. BCA's 360° Capture guidebook sets the coverage: every non-typical area, including landscape and common spaces, at least three typical floors in each building (one for every ten floors), and any roof with maintenance access.
Every capture has to sit on an uploaded building plan, and officers tag their comments directly on the scan. Because a 360° capture may not carry dimensions an officer can check, the QP attaches close-up photos of measurements, such as a barrier at least 1.0 m high or a stair riser no taller than 175 mm, and anything the walk can't see, like services above false ceilings or under the finished floor, needs its own photos or videos. The same guidebook sets minimum specifications for the camera and the platform, so check yours against it before you book the pre-consultation.
123When should you record each part?
Most of the trouble comes from timing, because the evidence for some checks only exists for a few weeks of the programme.
| When | What to record | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Before ceilings, raised floors and service doors close | Photos or short videos of the services and fire protection behind them, with measurements where the checklist asks | The finished walk can't see behind the boards, and hidden items need their own evidence |
| As each area is finished and clean | The 360° walk of that area on the building plan, with measurement photos pinned to it | Agencies check each submission within 7 working days, so comments arrive while there is time to fix them |
| About a month before the planned physical inspection | The documents NEA and PUB ask QPs to submit | Both agencies need them one month ahead |
| Within three months of submitting | The scans themselves | A scan can be no more than three months old when you submit it |
| At least three working days before the inspection | The QP declaration and the certificate of supervision | BCA needs both before the booked date |
| After each comment | A photo of the rectification, then the closure report | The closure report goes in with the other TOP/CSC documents |
The first row is the easiest to miss, because nobody reads the TOP checklist in the month the ceilings close, and the habit pays off after handover too, as our guide to what to capture before the walls close explains.
How do you keep the virtual route from costing extra trips?
Both pilots in the guidebook, a public housing block and a private condominium, found that going virtual doesn't remove the need for site readiness. Unopened access panels or unfinished services show up in the scan and may mean rework, so scan an area only when it is complete, accessible, clean and well lit.
The condominium team found that marking up photos took longer than the scanning itself. They kept walks short, with one walk per unit and separate spot walks for toilets and household shelters, and they limited administrator access to people who knew the platform, because deleted images and footage could not be recovered. A rehearsal run, and your own review of the scans before you tell BCA they are ready, catches most of what would otherwise come back as a comment.
Where SpatialSense fits
Whether a camera and platform suit a WOG VI submission is for you to settle with BCA before you capture, against the 360° Capture guidebook and the data standards in Annex C, and if your team has already agreed a set-up with BCA, keep it for the submission itself.
Where SpatialSense helps is the record your own team keeps while the building closes up. Every survey is dated, each 360° walk sits on the floor plan, and any two dates open side by side from one locked viewpoint, so August's walk, taken before the ceiling went up, opens next to October's finished ceiling. You can pin an issue to the spot with photos, an owner and a due date, and team members whose WhatsApp numbers are set up get an alert with its location, which keeps quality assurance on a dated walk through the months before inspection. The issues export as a PDF report, and when a consultant or the developer wants a look before anyone books a visit, you can share the walk as a link that opens without a login and can be revoked.
Capture. Understand. Take Action.
See SpatialSense on your project
Start a 30-day free trial of the full platform on your own site, with no card. Upload the 360° panoramas you already have for a floor that is about to close, open two dates side by side, and see how quickly you find the evidence for the checklist item that worries you most. If anything gets in the way, support is one to one with a person at Kodifly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
FAQ
Is the virtual TOP inspection mandatory in Singapore?
No. The WOG VI process is an alternative to the conventional TOP/CSC inspection, and project teams choose between the two. It is open to different building types as long as the participating agencies' requirements for virtual inspection can be met.
Does a virtual inspection replace the physical one?
Partly. Visual and dimensional checks can be done from the scans and measurement photos, whereas functional checks such as fire alarm audio or water pressure are still carried out on site. Depending on the project type, BCA and SCDF may also pick areas for a focused physical check.
How old can a 360° scan be when you submit it?
BCA's 360° Capture guidebook says a scan can be done no more than three months before you submit it, and if your plan splits the work into several submissions, all of them have to fall within three months.
What happens if an agency says the scan isn't enough?
You may be asked to rescan the area or send more scans or images. If those still don't give the agency enough to assess, it may ask for a physical inspection of that area, so complete coverage and good light on the first pass save you the most time.