By: Austin Yager
Overview
Drones. You have heard of and seen them all over the internet. You may even own one yourself. However, are you using them to the fullest potential?
Have you ever thought "What if I could get a bird's eye view to my project but airplanes and helicopters are unreasonable"? In the past few years drones have proven to be a highly profitable tool for construction companies to implement. The construction industry has seen a growth of 239% year after year making it one of the most compelling trends. As the industry grows and projects become more complex, drones' benefits will continue to skyrocket.
I've heard statements like "What's my return?", "Is this really worth it?", or "I don't see how this can improve safety." so they're all answered below.
What are drones used for?
Drones, otherwise known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), have a multitude of uses from bidding on a job to post completion inspections. Listed below are some of the top uses for drones in the construction industry.
Topographic & Survey Mapping
Equipment Tracking
Remote Monitoring & Progress Reports
Site Security
Worker Safety
Structure Inspections
In all construction projects a few things are common, lots of leg work, stamina, missed details, and safety. Recent data shows that half of construction projects finish late and/or over budget. However, whenever the project is done it is all well worth it. So, if I told you that you could deploy new technology to make these areas easier, safer, and more efficient, would you?
Topographic & Survey Mapping
Surveying a site before construction begins can be an essential step to visualizing what you want a project to turn out like. With traditional methods these surveys can take weeks turnaround time and add up to huge costs. Most of the time surveys completed do not give you an orthomosaic map and are un-colorized point clouds. Because of this I do not blame you for not using them. With a skilled pilot who knows how to collect this data these maps and point clouds can be provided to you within 24 hours, depending on project size. Also, for secure locations, this data can be processed all in-house ensuring no one has access to your projects. All this data can be processed to produce high resolution 2D maps, densified point clouds, and 3D models. Giving you the ability to take measurements, find areas, calculate cut/fills, and estimate haul costs without putting a worker at risk. This data can then be transferred over to Auto CAD, Civil 3D, and other software you may use.
Equipment Tracking
Keeping track of equipment can be a struggle for any project manager. Using drones, a project manager can easily look at a daily project pictures and access where equipment is, if equipment is on site that could be terminated, or if any equipment has been stolen. The National Equipment Register estimates that $300 million to $1 billion dollar's worth of equipment is stolen from construction sites each year. Getting daily reports of where your equipment is located can be crucial to it's security and help locating it if it is stolen.
Remote Monitoring & Progress Reports
Have you ever been tasked with giving clients that are not able to visit a site constant updates on the projects so they can ensure their money is being used properly? This is a huge job for managers to do, along with organizing everything else going on throughout the site. An aerial photo sent to a client can give them a bird's eye view throughout the project giving you and them a greater understanding of what is going on. Recent data shows that half of typical construction projects finish late and/or over budget. Drone data has been proven to reduce time to achieve data insights by 52% and improve communication with clients and workers by 65%. This real time data can be critical to tell what is happening on a project and catching problems early on before the costs add up in your checkbook. Aerial data is a tremendous help if you ever have subcontractors working on your site as well. This data helps you maintain accountability, preserve relationships, and negotiate timely solutions that minimize downtime all from the comfort of your desk while receiving a total site overview. As well as, creating a valuable trail of documentation in case a situation arises where you need it.
Site Security
Maintaining a secure site is a huge factor when it comes to safety. Many traditional methods like safety cones, caution tape, and border fencing help prevent non-participating personnel understand the boundaries they are limited to and signs describing why. These methods work great whenever people obey them or do not have negative intentions. As stated above hundreds of millions of dollars of equipment are stolen from job sites each year with less than 25% of it recovered. Ground cameras do help however are limited as a suspect can step out the field of view. A drone operator can conduct 24/7 aerial surveillance of a site, ensuring all safety methods are in place and, with the application of thermal cameras, spotting any unauthorized personnel on site. Being able to spot and track these personnel you will not have to put someone at risk apprehending them until the situation is reported and being over viewed by law enforcement.
Worker Safety
What is the top priority among every construction company these days? Safety. The safety of your workers and the community around your job sites need to be first thing in mind. Everyone wants to return home to their families the same way they came. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports falls as the leading cause of worker death on construction sites, at 39.2%. These falls can occur when having to take measurements in hard to reach areas, on ladders, or when erecting scaffolding to do inspections. Drones can eliminate the need for putting workers in these situations by having experienced drone pilots fly and take pictures in specific locations, otherwise known as photogrammetry. This is the science of turning 2D photos into measurable high definition 3D models. Which has proven to be 61% more accurate than manual measurements. The ability to view a 3D model of your project will not only save workers lives when climbing but also, let you spot any locations or equipment that is loose/unstable.
Post-Construction Inspections
Drones do not only have advantages before and during construction, they also have great uses after. When a structure has flaws or begins to deteriorate, you will see the value do the same. Typical ways to inspect projects include using bulky equipment and erecting scaffolding. Deploying a drone to do these inspections will take a fraction of the time and price. Professional pilots have the ability to easily maneuver around structures to take high resolution pictures and video. This will provide you with the ability to safely inspect the find details of a structure. When pairing a drone with a thermal camera you can spot heat loss, electrical issues, and overheating parts before they fail. In large scale projects like bridges, tall buildings, roofs, and scaffolding require routine inspection. What once took a survey or inspection crew days or even weeks to do these inspections can be turned around in an average of 24 hours with drones.
Here at Dark Bend Aerial Services, we are committed to providing you with professional drone services to help ensure an efficient and safe workflow. We are FAA Part 107 compliant, as well as, insured. Contact us today at (618) 554-0052 or yagerdroneproductions@gmail.com. We would be happy to assist with any questions you may have. Have a great day! As always, God Bless.