In today’s fast-paced ecosystem, where technology is evolving like never before, you can’t afford to rely on traditional methods to monitor your site’s progress. Gone are the days when you had to rely on written reports and photos taken from your eyes. Construction progress monitoring level. Let the drone do the work! A PwC report says that deploying drones in construction operations can make a big difference in controlling costs, managing risks, improving safety and impacting outcomes.
What’s Happening in the Construction Sector?
“The construction industry is ripe for disruption” – says the opening statement of the McKinsey research paper. Why? Large projects are reportedly completed by him 20% longer than planned and up to 80% over budget. Perhaps you are thinking “why” in this context. In today’s fast-paced ecosystem where technology is advancing like never before, we can no longer afford to rely on traditional methods. Gone are the days when you had to rely on written reports or eye-level photos to monitor site progress.
Construction progress monitoring drone
Clearly, there is a need for greater visibility and proper communication between stakeholders. A report published by AutoDesk & FMI reports that 52% of rework on construction sites is due to poor project data and misunderstandings. Apparently, comprehensive real-time surveillance is needed, and drone-based solutions are currently the only way to achieve this.
With that said, let’s talk about a PwC report discussing the impact of drones in the construction sector. Drones in construction work will make a big difference in controlling costs, managing risks, improving safety and impacting outcomes, he said. Drone-based solutions are particularly advantageous for the construction sector. Drone-based solutions make operations safer, faster, cost-effective and efficient.
No matter what the obstacles – rain, dust, extreme temperatures – you don’t have to worry. The drone acquires data unhindered. Drones can fly around easily and acquire high-definition data in minutes. A single drone flight generates over 44 million data points per square kilometer, which can be represented in a variety of formats including orthomosaics, point clouds, DTMs, DSMs, and 3D models.
Application of drones in construction projects
Planning and design: Getting started is half done. Even before a construction project is carried out, a topographical survey of the site can provide a complete understanding of the environment in which the project will proceed. For example, you can gain insight into possible drainage points, elevation changes, space for storing materials, and more. It can be used as a base for designers, architects, municipalities and engineers to work on. 2D and 3D maps generated by drones can be overlaid on their environment. This will give you a complete understanding of what the new building will look like in relation to the existing surrounding area. In addition, this practice also helps evaluate buildings from a practical and aesthetic point of view.
Execution: Of course! Drones already offer unparalleled advantages from the planning stage, but the biggest or most popular value in the construction sector clearly lies in the actual execution stage. Drones can create 3D virtual reconstructions, commonly known as digital twins. Digital twins are leveraged from drone data to provide real-time, end-to-end visibility across construction sites, even from the comfort of your office. Investors and key stakeholders can keep track of construction site progress without site visits or endless physical meetings. Additionally, all the data captured by the drones can be used to create a georeferenced model of the project area. This allows you to extract information such as precise distances, volume measurements, etc. Likewise, this data helps monitor material availability and ensure that inventory is replenished appropriately to avoid further delays. Blueprints can be overlaid to provide a very accurate comparison of a project as finished and as designed.
Maintenance and Asset Inspections: Maintenance and asset inspections should be given equal importance. Drone-assisted inspections can even pave the way for predictive maintenance. What’s stopping us? Drones can fly literally anywhere! Leverage this tool to visually inspect large, hard-to-reach assets faster and more effectively. Rapid assessment and response are two of the many advantages of drone-based maintenance/asset inspections. This is accomplished using drone software that is highly compatible with desktop or mobile devices. In addition, drones can be equipped not only with HD sensors, but also with advanced technologies such as LiDAR, temperature sensors, and gas sensors. After all, these drone images can be utilized by their owners for marketing purposes.
Construction progress monitoring by FEDS
Team FEDS (feds.ae) – The first and only drone service provider in the Middle East with ISO 21384-3:2019 certification, clients using drone services for construction progress monitoring average 25 reported turnarounds increase rate; 32% less snag list completion rate and 25% less rework cost. Save 5 hours of unnecessary meetings a week.
Here’s an article about how Team FEDS used Phantom 4RTK to effectively eliminate construction rework. With this incredible tool, it only took about 30 minutes to set up and a couple of flights to collect data to monitor progress.
Also want to know how drones can help speed up the construction of the world’s largest solar farm? Read it here. Team FEDS conducted monthly flights to keep track of construction progress. They achieved a GSD (Ground Sampling Distance) of 5 cm, a vertical accuracy of 7 cm, and a horizontal accuracy of 7 cm. We captured 105,000 high-resolution images to create 17 orthomosaic maps with an accuracy of up to 5 cm.
Are you interested in construction? Again, all you need is a drone-powered solution. Still convinced? Let’s talk!
