Overcoming the Challenges of Capturing and Using Drone Data in Construction

AUVSI Webinar Recap: Overcoming Challenges of Capturing and Using Drone Data in Construction

Even today, construction managers, architects, and engineers are still limited by a lack of project intelligence on the jobsite.

In a recent webcast, Adam Monk, ARC’s National Director of BIM Services, explained that this doesn’t have to be the case. The ever-improving capabilities and affordability of drones make it possible to reduce delays, reworks, and safety issues to drive better project performance.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges associated with capturing and using drone data in construction.

Fortunately, in the webcast, which was hosted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI), Monk walked attendees through these challenges. He showed the audience how any one of them could leverage drones on any jobsite in North America.

You can register to watch the webcast here, or simply keep reading for a full recap.

Jobsite Challenges Addressed with Drone Data

Adam Monk kicked the webcast off by introducing several of the most important jobsite challenges and how drones are helping project managers overcome them. Those challenges included:

      1. Safety Challenges

According to data from OSHA, 971 construction workers died on the job and 39.2% of those deaths were caused by a fall. Monk explained that drones, by removing the need for ground-based assessments, help PMs avoid putting their workers in unnecessary danger.

      2. Project Delays

Traditional methods of estimation, bidding, and progress tracking are time and resource-intensive. Even worse, they’re often inaccurate. Drones help construction teams minimize delays and speed up traditionally time-consuming tasks.

      3. Difficulty/Danger of Mapping and Surveying

Construction projects are often hard or dangerous to access for a traditional survey. That means a traditional survey can drag on for days while data is collected and processed. Drones make this process far easier, capturing data in 60 to 70% less time than traditional methods while also putting survey crews in less danger.  

Client Applications with Drone Deliverables

Monk went on to show exactly how drones solve so many problems with a review of the most common drone use cases in the AEC industry. He talked through the ways project managers, engineers, architects, and even facility managers could use drones to:

1. Obtain detailed imagery and measurement of roofs.
2. Track and report on daily progress and productivity.
3. Monitor jobsites with aerial mapping of equipment and materials.
4. Calculate cut-fill and liquids volumes.
5. Measure the elevation and shape of jobsite terrain.
6. Inspect, classify and monitor assets.
7. Integrate data directly into BIM models to gain greater insight compared to traditional surveys.
8. Detect and identify anomalies hidden beneath surfaces.

Implementing Drones on the Jobsite

For all the promise of drone technology, there are still obstacles to unlocking this technology. Adam Monk reviewed a few of those obstacles, but specifically focused on the difficulty of finding vetted, licensed, certified, and insured pilots. However, he also presented a solution: ARC’s Drone Services.

He explained how ARC’s trained drone pilots help ensure that every drone flight ARC runs is safe, effective, and compliant with all government regulations. He also highlighted how easy and quick ARC’s drone services are thanks to a national network of pilots that can deploy to jobsites all over the country on 48-hour notice.

Ready to Take Flight?

For the AEC industry, where margins are constantly under pressure, any product or service that eases that burden is worth a look. And ARC’s Drone Services help you tackle some of the most persistent issues in AEC including project delays, reworks, and safety risks.

Moreover, as Monk showed in the webcast, ARC’s services come in a variety of flexible pricing options for one-time flights, monthly flights, weekly flights, and special projects. This makes it easy and risk-free to start using drone data to overcome jobsite challenges.

Learn more about ARC’s Drone Services today or watch the on-demand webcast for even more insight from Adam Monk.

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