Construction Industry

1. Topographic Mapping and Land Surveys

Consulting topographic maps is essential when planning complex, large-scale construction projects. They can reveal costly blunders in designs ill-suited for certain terrain. Although topographic maps are helpful, they are expensive and take a lot of time to produce. Because of this, maps are not always updated during the start of a job.

Due to their ability to map vast quantities of land, drones can exponentially cut down on time spent visualizing a site’s topography. This helps to keep the project on schedule and on budget and ensures accuracy before the project is initiated. Gathering this information can help determine feasibility and assist with design.

Furthermore, the high-resolution images produced by drones can be manipulated into 3D models, allowing the construction crew to pinpoint challenges during pre-construction and spot mistakes in the scope, saving time and money in the long run.

2. Equipment Tracking

It’s a problem nearly every project manager has faced — losing track of where equipment is located at each job site. There are usually a ton of lengthy spreadsheets involved that can quickly turn into an Excel nightmare (unless you have rental management technology).

With a drone, that same manager can do a flyover and quickly assess whether the equipment is where it needs to be. They can also quickly recognize if a piece of equipment that should be terminated is still on-site, preventing expensive accidental extension charges.

Equipment malfunctions are another common issue. Drones’ recording functionality could be used to identify issues remotely and provide visual representations that aid in communicating those issues. Operators can easily send recorded data to repair technicians at equipment rental companies for quicker and more accurate diagnostics before they even make it to the worksite.

3. Remote Monitoring and Progress Reports

Another valuable feature of construction drones is the visibility they can provide for clients. Drones can produce impressive aerial views and give clients a grasp of the project’s progression, especially when they cannot be physically present on a site. This helps assure clients that their spend is being utilized efficiently.

In addition to client communications, drones can improve internal collaboration for teams by sending information to connected software during flyovers. Design teams, engineers, construction managers, workers and owners can access the data simultaneously, follow the project and catch any mistakes that may have occurred. Drones can also create a valuable trail of documents that teams can access later.

4. Security Surveillance

If you’ve ever had a piece of equipment stolen from a site, you know how devastating it can be. Having a boom lift or excavator stolen can leave you out tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to the National Equipment Register, over $300 million worth of construction equipment is stolen from job sites every year, with less than 25% of it recovered. Equipment security is thus a very important component of managing a job.

A drone operator can conduct a flyover to quickly see if a piece of equipment is in a secure enough location. They can also use the surveillance camera to see if unauthorized individuals are on the site. This can help prevent damage or theft and identify any trespassers.

5. Personnel Safety

Worker safety is one of the top priorities of most construction companies. Falls in particular account for 34% of worker fatalities. Workers often have to climb to unsteady platforms and navigate around hazardous conditions when taking manual measurements. Drones can replace workers in these situations and mitigate the risk construction workers face on the field.

Construction managers can also use drone video cameras to monitor the job site for safety concerns, ensuring workers are properly balanced and that no structures or equipment are loose or unstable.

6. Structure Inspection and Photography

Replacing heavy machinery and bulky scaffolding, drones can provide a crucial inspection. They can be flown around structures to check stability and fine details, and take high-resolution imagery for analysis. Thermal sensors can detect heat leaks, cold spots, and any electrical issues. This level of quality assurance helps with client relationships in the long run.

Drones can also be used for planned maintenance of larger-scale structures like bridges, towers, roofs, and scaffolding. A task that would take an entire team of surveyors to do would only take a few hours with a drone operator.

Types of Construction Drones

While there are many types of drones, commercial drones are the standard used in construction. Some models are fixed-wing, while other models have rotating blades. The main differences between them are their design and usage.