{"id":35304,"date":"2020-04-29T13:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T13:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ageagle.com\/?post_type=blog&p=35304"},"modified":"2022-12-27T12:27:53","modified_gmt":"2022-12-27T12:27:53","slug":"drones-for-construction-monitoring-the-guide","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/ageagle.com\/blog\/drones-for-construction-monitoring-the-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Drones for construction monitoring – The Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Drones for use in the construction industry have boomed since their adoption by civil and commercial groups in 2016. And we expect to see that trend continue in the coming years. According to Goldman Sachs, drones in construction<\/a> present the largest opportunity for new jobs – nearly doubling the opportunity for the next closest industry — agriculture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source:\u00a0Goldman Sachs<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s easy to see why. Drones have become a valuable asset to construction and engineering firms looking to increase employee safety, streamline operations, and connect remote teams virtually to job progress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we explore the various ways drones are used for construction monitoring and how they can provide value to your business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How drones are used for construction monitoring\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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1. Pre-Construction Planning <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Drones have become a key element in pre-construction planning. Many of our civil engineering and construction companies still use Google maps to get initial insights on-site data. But Google map data can be months or even years out of date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where drones provide a critical site-planning advantage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drones allow you to map complex, unsafe, or poorly documented areas in just minutes. Use your drone camera to obtain high-resolution imagery<\/strong> of specific areas. These images can be distributed to investors or key stakeholders to understand the scope of the work involved. Integrating with a drone mapping software can help your team create Contour Maps<\/strong> to understand the site\u2019s current topography. Or, fly your drone on a prefixed grid to create Digital Surface Models<\/strong> of your entire site. Orthomosiac mapping<\/strong> can increase the accuracy and realism of your construction plans by using your own orthomosaic imagery as the backdrop<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, leverage a cloud platform to ensure everyone has secure access to the critical planning data they need — from anywhere in the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Equipment Location, Inventory, and Safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Drones provide the unique advantage of enabling construction equipment and asset inventory at regular intervals. Flyovers and mapping can ensure your stakeholders have a handle on how and where construction equipment is being used. Use drones to quickly identify the location of your equipment on-site for safety monitoring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. Employee Safety and Inspections<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As regulations for employee safety and wellbeing<\/strong> increase, drones can streamline site inspection processes for safety, saving hours – or even days<\/a> – compared to on-foot inspections. A drone flyover can provide regular imaging for site inspection documentation, which can be stored for legal purposes. Alternatively, drones can provide on-demand inspections for employee concerns – like after a big storm or a site accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imaging from drones has also streamlined documentation processes for insurance needs<\/strong>, providing the data needed for underwriting, loss control, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, drones can inspect potentially unsafe or unstable structures<\/strong> – such as a rooftop or aging structure – removing the need to have an employee physically scale a structure. Not only does this help keep your employees safe, but it can help reduce overall risk for your insurance adjusters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. Connecting Remote Employees to the Job Site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted many businesses\u2019 willingness or ability to approve employee travel directly to the job site. Now, many construction companies are relying on drone imagery to help remote stakeholders<\/strong> stay on top of job progress without having to leave their home or office. Whether it\u2019s regular mapping, time-lapsing, or quick checks on building progress, drones and drone software can collect and send critical information in just minutes through the cloud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enabling remote access to drone imagery<\/strong> not only prevents personnel from traveling or exposing themselves to risk but reduces the bottom line cost of the project. With drones, your stakeholders don\u2019t even have to be in the same country to get on-site updates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. Investment and Legal Documentation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, drones can ensure investors have insight<\/strong> into job progress at regular intervals. In pre-planning, 3D-modeling allows designers to showcase plans overlaid on the actual job site. Providing high resolution imagery during the construction phase and videos can help showcase efficiency, accuracy, and job quality. With accurate imagery, investors can identify discrepancies in plans down to the centimeter and verify the accuracy of contractor reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to mention, there are legal benefits<\/strong> of having regular job documentation in the event of a disagreement that leads to court for settlement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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6. Structural Review and Surveying<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With a pilot on-site, you can send a drone to inspect tall or potentially unsafe areas<\/strong> and structures. Sending employees to climb or scale structures is not only time consuming but it puts your company at risk. Drones can also provide quick-checks on new site developments eliminating the time required to travel across large sites by foot or vehicle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. Best Practices for Drones in Surveying <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In order to create rigorous and defensible quantitative measurement results with your drone, controlling for accuracy is required. When using drones for surveying purposes, many construction companies adhere to the following best practices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n