Drone technology is becoming increasingly popular in the construction industry. By providing real-time views from the sky, drones can help you manage your projects with ease. This cost-effective solution inspires better planning, cost estimation and coordination across project teams.
In just one year, drone use in construction increased by over 200%. Buildingpoint Southeast can help you stay on top of the trend and learn how this technology works and the benefits it can provide for your company.
What Is Drone Construction Monitoring?
Construction drone monitoring refers to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs track activities on construction sites, providing real-time insights with cameras and sensors. With high-definition images, videos, and even live feeds, project managers can gather data from different heights and angles.
Drone monitoring improves site efficiency by surveying large areas of land to collect information and ensure projects advance as planned. The technology helps detect project issues quickly, enabling timely corrections to prevent delays before they occur. Drones can also be utilized to enhance workplace safety by providing remote inspections in areas that may be too dangerous for an employee to inspect. After project completion, data from drone monitoring can also help create accurate as-built 3D models of the completed building.
How Does Drone Monitoring Work?
Use drone monitoring to track progress, monitor site logistics and inspect infrastructure. Before deploying, your operators can plan a flight path, considering factors like the area to be covered, the length of the flight and specific points of interest. The drone will then launch into the air, operated by a trained pilot or pre-programmed to follow a specific flight path.
Drone monitoring includes the following services throughout a project's life cycle:
- Observation: Drone technology safely observes construction sites to monitor the level of completion. It also identifies any potential issues to prevent obstacles and downtime.
- Assessment: Drones assess projects, work quality and tool supplies. This ensures adherence to your construction schedule.
- Identification: Drones identify changes in construction and any potential or pending schedule changes.
- Analysis: After a flight, you'll have access to the footage. The software can be converted into 3D models or point clouds to help you analyze your site.
Depending on the updates you want and the pace of construction, you might use drones daily, weekly or monthly. At the end, you'll receive a progress report that compiles all data into one document. This ensures better organization, decision-making and communication with stakeholders.
Benefits of Drone Monitoring
Construction drones impact workflows at all stages of a project cycle. They help save you time and money and promote collaboration and safety. Here are a few reasons you might utilize drone monitoring for your next project:
Save Time
Traditional on-foot surveys can take hours or multiple workdays by multiple employees for a thorough assessment. Some sites might also not even be accessible by foot because they are dangerous, out of reach, or heavily forested. Through rapid surveys and analyzing large areas, drones free your workers' time. With reduced workload, they can focus on more high-value tasks. Faster completion also gives you a competitive edge, helping you stand out.
Get faster and more accurate data collection by using drones. You'll appreciate better project planning, decision-making and coordination across your teams.
Reduce Costs
Drones help save your business a significant amount of money in various ways:
- Reduces manual inspections: Drones are low in cost, and quickly survey large areas, allowing you to do more with less. Without the need for multiple days of surveying, you save on labor costs. Drones can also help you with maintenance and infrastructure updates while conducting preventative maintenance at a lower price than traditional survey methods.
- Prevents costly delays: Drones catch errors in real time, preventing delay costs. Having updated views on a site can help you track progress and save you from delays and reworks.
- Create Data History: Storing drone data creates historical, empirical data in case a question arises regarding the original site condition or during a time of construction. Users can quickly revisit past data to accurately assess areas of concern.
Ensure Accuracy
Drones capture high-solution pictures, videos and sensor data. They then yield detailed reports, making them more accurate than traditional surveys. Aerial footage allows access to hard-to-reach places. This leads to more precise assessments and reduced human error. Get data from varying heights and angles and receive better insights for all tasks.
Having more accurate aerial data and 3D modeling is good for project planning. It reduces errors and helps you make adjustments to stay within budget. You can detect issues early on and avoid delays with accurate drone monitoring.
Streamline Communication
Drones also allow you to streamline communication with stakeholders. Share accurate data with project managers or investors keeping tabs on the project. Anyone with permission can access instant construction site data through the cloud so contractors and owners can conveniently access information from anywhere. The process saves time and travel costs.
All parties can then validate site data, make decisions and approve the next steps. Ultimately, streamlined communication helps speed up overall project times.
Improve Safety
Without question, Drones improve the safety of your workers. They facilitate the inspection of hazardous areas remotely. This reduces the risk to workers and prevents injury-related project costs. In fact, worker injuries cost the industry an estimated $167 billion in 2021 alone. These costs can increase your insurance prices and reduce profit margins.
Drones capture views with accuracy, preventing the need to survey on foot. The technology prevents riskier activities like being suspended by ropes or climbing poles. All you need is to plan a flight, gather your data and analyze it for planning, inspection and maintenance. Drone data also secures views of perimeters, identifying breaches much faster.
With drones, you will improve workplace safety and reduce the risk of injuries and costs.
Track Progress
Drones are reliable, making it easier to compare project progress over time. You'll get consistent viewpoints with each inspection at consistent altitudes. This promotes efficiency while reducing costs. You might use your drone images monthly, weekly or daily, depending on the needs and speed of your project. Appreciate less complex or costly changes in the future. With drone monitoring, you create higher-quality projects.
You can use the progress you track for better quality control. You can also ensure documentation for reporting purposes and compliance. With data-driven insights, drones promote smarter decision-making throughout a project's lifecycle.
Start Innovating With Drones and BuildingPoint SouthEast
Make the most of construction drones for your workflow and environment. BuildingPoint SouthEast is a trusted partner for contractors across the southeast United States. We offer innovation and technology for your company and will help you at each stage of implementation. Whether your goal is efficiency, safety, or accuracy, we have the ideal solution for you.
Our DJI Drones are reliable and durable, offering high-res cameras, GPS stabilization, intuitive controls, object avoidance, and more. Integrate with your existing software and quick, accurate data reports, whatever your task.
Partner with us today and see how our drones can transform your workflow.