The construction industry has already begun to use drones to assist efficiency in many areas such as tracking site progress and monitoring safety standards where substantial cost savings can be achieved over traditional methods.
Even before a project is begun, drones can play a part in providing accurate 2D and 3D maps of the environment that allow architects and project managers to develop plans that maximise opportunities and minimise problems from the very start.
Even relatively small scale construction projects offer a complex set of logistical challenges and require detailed project planning and monitoring if budgets and targets are going to be adhered to. Drone flights at key stages can allow the project manager to assess progress and planned the next stage based on accurate real time information. Stakeholders and contractors can all be kept informed and be confident that they have the very latest information on which to base the next stage of development and to monitor their investment.
Safety procedures can be easily monitored with regular UAV flights, and potential problems (and even security issues) can be spotted early and dealt with before they have the chance to develop into more serious issues. Experts in various fields can offer their input based on the drone flight images / video without having to carry out site visits for themselves – offering both time and cost savings that can be vital in ensuring that the project is completed to the highest safety standards and on budget.
Regular flights and the resulting high resolution imagery can provide an invaluable aid to those in charge of maintaining the property once the construction phase is completed as infrastructure can be clearly seen and plans drawn up for efficient maintenance routines. The usefulness of drones doesn’t stop there – regular non-invasive drone inspection of hard to reach areas such as roof spaces can mean that potential problems can be spotted early and dealt with before they become more serious and costly issues.
