Ryan Holmes
Multivista Program Director – UAS
For those in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry, adapting newer technologies into your processes can take time and trial and error to see what works best.
One such technology currently gaining traction in construction is the integration of UAV/Drones. Since their introduction, UAV/Drones have grown from being seen primarily as a hobby into a now-vital tool for construction projects. With the emergence of technology such as 3D Laser Scanning, Augmented Reality and AI, UAV/Drones can be retrofitted with the latest tech to serve the varying needs of any site.
For AEC groups, having consistent and accurate data from start to finish of a project’s development is vital. With UAVs, you’ll unlock another means of documenting important site data that could only be captured from the sky.
EARTHWORK AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
UAV/Drone mapping with overlaying architectural plans can enable planning teams to better preserve and conserve the existing vegetation. Having an accurate view of where everything is located on a site or subdivision with respect to architectural plans enables design teams to adjust foundation locations and utilities before excavation begins. Often, this helps reduce the number of established trees needing to be removed.
Contours can illustrate and highlight run off zones and elevations which can help as part of analyzing the entire project area before any work starts.
DIGITAL TWIN
UAV/Drones can capture unreachable or hard to access areas of a site and provide high quality reality capture that can be integrated within a project’s BIM model to better reflect as-built conditions.
In addition, aerial vantage points provide planning teams with an additional perspective of the site that may not have been previously available and provides even greater coverage of the conditions.
SITE MANAGEMENT
Having a birds-eye view of the site can help immensely with logistics coordination, materials storing and overall site workflow.
Identify where potential safety hazards are, bottlenecks for vehicle and heavy equipment paths, and optimize onsite workstations.
COLLABORATION & DECISION MAKING
Adding UAV/Drone reality data capture as part of weekly meetings, sub-trades coordination efforts and plan adjustments can help provide planning teams with even more information of current conditions and progress.
UAV/Drone images can help designers specifically understand where key components of the project will be placed, and how they interact with the surrounding space or even provide opportunities for optimizations to the structure based on real-world conditions.
In addition, having a good understanding of material usage and burn-rate can require a large amount of dedicated time and resourcing to track properly. With the addition of UAV/Drone reality data capture, leverage the power of aerial viewpoints to quickly assess how milestones are progressing and address potential delays before they become a bigger issue by prioritizing onsite resources accordingly.
UAV/DRONE VIDEO USES
The most obvious use case for UAV video is for marketing purposes. However, UAV video is also regularly used for broad overviews of progress and for inspections.
Site perimeters can be flown much quicker and safer than doing a full walkaround and can capture a lot more detail over what can be seen from the ground. The resulting product can then be viewed by multiple people for more clarity of the condition and progress or provide value for multiple teams with different checklists in mind.
No matter the requirement, including UAV/Drone reality data capture as part of your planning, monitoring and construction processes will benefit you and your teams greatly.
*BONUS* UAV/DRONE WORLDWIDE TERMINOLOGY
For those not familiar with UAV/Drone terminology used outside of the USA, here are some words to consider when you’re searching for UAV/Drone support on your next project.
Places like Canada, Europe and Australia recognize RPAS universally. What does RPAS stand for? It is Remotely Piloted Aircraft System. This is the most formal and internationally accepted term for UAV/Drone.
As well, RPA is Remotely Piloted Aircraft. Keep these terms in mind should you be searching outside of the USA.
Multivista offers a full suite of professional construction UAV/Drone services, including photo, video, panoramas, UAV mapping services, and more. Our Multivista Documentation Specialists are certified UAV/Drone pilots who have completed extensive training. As well, our local Multivista teams handle the responsibilities around acquiring flying permits and completing flying operational requirements as another layer for streamlining your site documentation needs.
What can UAV/Drone services do for your construction business? Request a demo here.
