According to data from drone software company it was found the biggest rise in the use of drone technology will be in the construction industry. Research estimates that by the year 2027, drones in the construction industry will be worth around $11 billion. The benefits of drones in the construction industry are numerous and significant, from acquiring surveying data faster to reducing health and safety risks at the worksite, drone technology is starting to play a vital role in the way a construction site is managed.
Drones, or UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), are starting to see rapid adoption in the heavy civil construction industry. Innovative companies use construction drone mapping and reporting software to transform how they perform and deliver surveying, planning, and worksite data.
Drones allow vital stakeholders to visualize and analyze the progress of construction phases to keep projects on track so that there are fewer inconsistencies between model renders of a job site and actual work completed.
Why Are Drones Used In Construction?
Drones are used in construction projects for a variety of reasons, from initial mapping and surveying of the construction site to volumetric measurements for cut and fill jobs, tracking progress, inspection, surveillance and site security.
The benefits of drones in construction are numerous, with drone’s, companies can collect aerial data quickly without compromising and accuracy and share this data with all interested parties, thus improving communication as well. Drones provide a safer way to inspect unstable buildings, survey areas of a construction site that are hard to access by land and improve productivity.
Drone software comes in a variety of types, from simple data collection to more complex offerings. To fly your drone, you need to use a flight planning app that runs on a mobile device. This type of app allows companies to set up a fully automated flight plan over the length of a construction project for more accurate job site mapping, data visualization, and safety insights. Once you have planned the flight and captured data, you need to process it. The best drone data processing software provides features below:
- Capture volume measurements
- Perform visual inspections
- Perform progress analytics
- Provide digital documentation
- Capture real-time data with visuals to generate reports in hours, not weeks
- Control multiple jobsites on one platform
- Detect image duplication
- Support Real-Time Kinematic Flights for GPS info and geotag image capture
5 Benefits of Using Drones in Construction
1. More Accurate Mapping Measurements
Between collecting and processing the data, traditional mapping (surveying) methods take time, and they require human labor. Beginning with high-res photo and video capture, a drone can do the job far more quickly at a much lower cost than traditional methods. Moreover, if a construction site is dangerous or difficult to survey, drones can do the job, eliminating any risk to people.
Since LiDAR works by transmitting a laser beam and measuring the return reflection and it’s situated on the drone—which is airborne—topography that would’ve been difficult to navigate on foot becomes a non-issue. Mapping (surveying) has been made much easier by making data collection simple and made available for 3D modeling and analysis.
2. Improved Safety, Minimal risk
Construction sites are a busy environment, and they can be dangerous with scaffolding, unsafe buildings, heavy machinery, and hazardous materials lying around. Sending in staff around dangerous areas for tasks like inspection and monitoring are a risk to health is not a viable option and may violate health and safety regulations. Drones provide a safer and more efficient option as drone pilots will be a safe distance away and can complete any kind of inspection or monitoring job without putting risking their health and safety.
3. Manage large-scale construction projects more efficiently
Large-scale construction projects require efficient processes to ensure that each stage is completed in a timely manner and that risk is mitigated throughout the project. Drone programs compile crucial data to effectively manage and automate complex construction workflows. From the start of a project, drones capture aerial images and help to gather data for pre-construction surveys, topographical maps, and 2D and 3D models. By leveraging drones to measure progress, you can achieve real-time insights to quickly identify potential issues. See how a drone program can increase efficiency:
- Improving design accuracy,
- land surveying,
- building inspections, and
- monitoring on-site activities
4. Enhance Planning and Business Profitability
By providing a single source of up-to-date data through the entire lifecycle of assets, drone software empowers stakeholders to manage construction sites from planning through execution and maintenance efficiently. Digitizing and automating monitoring, data analysis and reporting processes reduce direct professional costs by 20%, save up to 5% of overall project execution costs, and double project profitability. Drone technology is a great way to report the progress of construction projects to current clients or investors by using aerial photography; images of construction progress can also be used to promote the company’s brand.
5. Inspections
When it comes to inspecting any kind of construction work, whether it be high-rise buildings, bridges, rooftops, cable lines, etc., drones offer a much safer and quicker method than the usual method of having workers physically inspect these sites. Drones are equipped with professional-grade cameras that can capture high-resolution images and come with zooming technology.
Using drones for inspection will help detect any issues with regards to any repairs that may need to be carried out and quickly fix the problem before it gets worse. Another useful feature of inspecting with drones is that many of them are compatible with infrared cameras which can help detect any abnormal heat signatures and quickly find out what is causing it and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Conclusion
The use of drones in the construction industry is growing, however, as it is a relatively new technology, companies that are looking to invest in drones will have to make a decision on whether to start their own internal drone program or outsource it to a drone service provider. What is clear though is those companies that are using drones to survey and map their construction sites have seen significant improvement to their operational efficiency and also helped improve worksite safety and reduce costs. It made the process of capturing aerial data much easier and faster which allows for improved decision making, rectify issues as soon as they are identified, and help keep projects on schedule.
