The introduction of drones in your daily workflows is all about working smarter: gathering data that would otherwise be out of reach, and doing so in a manner that’s safe, cost-effective, and fast.
Few working environments embody those requirements more than the world of construction, where drones are already offering all kinds of benefits to projects big and small.
Construction represents one of the fastest-growing industry in terms of drone adoption. Construction companies are using drones for their practical, safety, and operational benefits. Our Enterprise Guide to Drones in Construction has all the details...
Smarter Decisions throughout Project Lifetime
From mapping out land as part of the planning process to gathering shots for progress reports once construction is underway, the ways in which drones can be used in construction are ever growing.
Because drone technology is relatively cheap to adopt and apply, a range of specialized applications are now within reach for construction companies of all sizes. These include progress tracking, infrastructure inspections, and site mapping.
The common thread running through all of these solutions is the depth of data that’s now available. High-resolution aerial RGB and thermal images are now the foundation for orthomosaic maps and intelligent inspection tasks. Not to mention the creative videos that provide updates of project progress to key stakeholders.
The result is smarter, data-driven decisions at every stage of a construction project.
High-quality Data and Streamlined Collaboration
In some cases, the data gathered by drones is only half of the solution. With the rise of UAVs has come a huge growth in image analysis tools and drone data platforms. All of these come together to simplify the process of gleaning insights from data, bring teams closer together, and make collaboration easier.
Construction projects often include multiple areas of focus, disparate teams, and a range of priorities running parallel over time. The ability to gather information at scale and share insights with a range of stakeholders is invaluable.
A great example of that concept in action is the JobSight solution DroneBase provides to customers in the construction industry. The platform spans timeline views, annotations, measurements, and data sharing to bring the power of visual intelligence to dynamic working environments.
Speed, Safety & Efficiency
Three of the most common drivers of drone adoption are present in many industries, from search and rescue to industrial inspections to construction: Speed, safety, and efficiency.
These benefits come into their own on construction sites, where the sky’s the limit in terms of a drone’s potential applications.
The speed with which drones can perform data gathering tasks is far faster than many conventional manual methods. From mapping measurements and stockpile reports to infrastructure inspections, a drone can capture in a few minutes what could otherwise take hours or days. Handily, many missions of these types can be precisely planned and repeated on a regular basis, giving site managers an easy way to track project progress over time.
Arguably the single biggest driver of drones in construction is safety. By nature, worksites are dangerous places. Hazardous materials, heavy goods vehicles, machinery, heights, and all manner of risks to staff are ever-present. The adoption of drone technology is reducing and, in many cases, completely removing the need to put workers in harm’s way during day to day operations.
That can be as simple as removing the need to climb a ladder onto a roof, or as complex as analyzing and measuring stockpiles from a safe distance.
Drone technology has found a welcome home in the construction business. In the coming years, as advances in hardware and software continue, their role will become increasingly central to construction operations. The work sites of the future are set to benefit from greater autonomy, improved safety, enhanced connectedness, and efficient data gathering. Click here to find out more about DroneBase’s construction services.
