Drones are a thing of today and very much part of the digital revolution the industry is experiencing. They are beginning to play an important role in the construction industry, with their ability to survey and monitor sites, whilst creating substantial cost-savings for clients’ and redefining how we operate.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can map out the bigger picture from above to significantly improve upon safety and efficiency on a project, drones are leading the way to making sure construction projects are delivered efficiently and effectively.

For the construction industry, drones offer many uses and benefits, which bring together traditional methods of surveying, Waldeck discuss what they believe to be the top five most important uses of drones in the industry:

SURVEYING

Machinery, expensive surveying tools and human resource are now a thing of the past, drones are now able to get the job done in a vastly reduced period of time, producing the same digital data which can be integrated seamlessly into 3D authoring and design processes, whilst saving money and valuable resources in the process.

Although digital is taking the construction industry forward, there will always be a place for traditional surveying methods, but having said that, embracing the latest drone technology, allows large and sometimes inaccessible site areas to be covered, keeping the project on schedule by speeding up the inspection and capture process.

INSPECTING STRUCTURES

Traditional structure inspections can be expensive and time consuming, but now with the ability to deploy drones to digitally capture the external condition of structures in high resolution imagery, clients can actually feel part of the process without actually being there.

With time-saving being a huge priority for construction companies, utilising drones makes a real difference providing evidence for time reductions on a project.

DATA CAPTURE AND ANALYSIS

A huge part of drone surveying is the data that is captured and how this can be leveraged by the project team and their clients.

Drones have the ability to capture data on site to progressively collate, analyse and validate site construction which can be used to compare against the 3D design model, allowing measurement of compliance throughout the assets lifecycle, including:

  • Design phase
  • Construction phase
  • Commissioning phase
  • Operations and maintenance phase
  • Decommissioning and demolition phase

Through the use of advanced digital technologies, such as; 3D Point Cloud, photogrammetry and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), drones outputs which can be displayed in real-time and also through offline sync.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

  • Surveying

In construction, health and safety standards are a top priority on a site. Deploying drone based technology, a site can be captured and monitored from a birds eye view, facilitating close surveillance and reaching those inaccessible areas, helping companies to ensure work is being carried out in compliance with health and safety regulations.

  • Site monitoring

In the situation of a dangerous site, for example; a nuclear power plant, drones can be used to survey an area, which prevents endangering human health in any way. Drones can be used for consistent aerial site monitoring, ensuring the site is operating at the highest standard possible and maintaining a safe working environment.

Having the complete picture of the worksite and project progress at every stage is fundamental to running an efficient construction operation. Drone technology enables the efficient identification of site based issues, allowing resolution of issues to be determined before it can impact wider project activities, effectively DE risking the construction phase.

SHOWCASING ON SITE PROGRESS FOR CLIENTS

An added perspective for our clients who simply don’t have the time to visit site over and over again to view the progress of their project, drones are an innovative way to show clients on-site progress of a project.

CONCLUSION

With this discussion, Waldeck believe that the future of the construction industry is through the use of drones, and as part of our digital offering to clients’, we will continue to showcase our UAV surveying capability, creating added value, cost savings and time efficiencies for existing and prospective client projects.