Why Drones are the Newest Innovation in Construction

When you think of a drone, you might think of a high-powered toy or gadget that’s just for fun or entertainment. You may think of sports, or even the police and/or military. Drones are used for a lot of different things these days, and everyone from government entities to average, everyday people can own and operate drones of varying sizes and types. They range from the small and easily accessible to large, expensive pieces of equipment.

One area that most people don’t think of when they think of drones is the construction industry. Drone technology has infiltrated and benefited many different industries, and construction is no exception. In recent years, the construction industry has seen drone technology assist in myriad ways.

So how do drones help? One very obvious way in which drones can assist in construction jobs is by conducting flyovers to take pictures of videos of ongoing or completed construction, giving a view of the entire project that workers on the ground would be unable to obtain. This can help with all sorts of areas – planning, design, budget requirements, estimations of completion, and so on. Being able to see the project from this unique angle can also help contractors spot problems early on that they might not have been able to detect previously. These real-time updates that drones can provide can make a huge difference in a project by providing data that would not otherwise be obtained.

Drones can do mapping of entire sites and projects, and the data they provide can then be analyzed, allowing for easier surveying, planning and design, safety protocols, problem solutions, measurements, 3D imaging, inspection, and more. Drones can also be utilized to provide security for an entire job-site. Utilizing a drone for your construction project will save much time and money in a wide variety of areas.

Drones are also a good option for when you’d rather not put a construction worker in harm’s way. Rather than risk injury, let a drone scale those heights and tackle the harder jobs. This frees up your workers to do other tasks while keeping them safe.

There are three main drone types that most construction companies choose to use, for their efficiency and precision. These are Phantom 4 RTK, a complete drone that is good at mapping; the Mavic 2 Enterprise, a compact, foldable drone that can be deployed quickly; and the Matrice 210/300 RTK, drones that are especially suited for aiding in construction jobs. These drones are all heavy-duty, compact, fast, precise, and especially well suited for construction jobs that need efficient and accurate data, fast.

For an example of just how much time using a drone can save, here’s one idea: mapping a construction site can take the average surveyor at least half a day – longer if it’s a larger site. The same mapping job will generally take a drone around 15 minutes. Not to mention, the data collected by the drone will be more detailed, accurate, and pick up any details that a human eye might have missed. The data collected via drone is also more easily adapted or exported to a computer or program for further planning and analysis. All in all, this saves a great deal of time and you’re guaranteed that the data collected is going to be 100% accurate, up to date and precise.

That isn’t to say that surveyors should be out of a job, but when used in conjunction with a person’s knowledgeable expertise, drones can make a huge difference in the overall implementation of plans, making everything more efficient, productive and cost-saving. While many contractors may initially balk at the expense of a drone, if you look at the hard numbers, having a drone will actually save you money most of the time since projects are being completed before the deadline and under budget.

More and more construction companies are investing in drones and utilizing them on job sites, working in conjunction with contractors and workers to ensure a precise and efficient project every single time. Drones can save you so much time and money and stakeholders will be thrilled with the results, as will your team. Drones can aid in so many different aspects of a project – everything from security to mapping, problem-solving to 3D imaging – there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t use one! Studies predict that in the future, most construction jobs, if not all, will utilize drones for their major projects.