Drones in Construction
Meaningful Data to Inform Projects
Volumetric Measurements
Drones offer precise measurements of on-site materials, informing purchasing, progress and haul-away decisions.
Site Optimization
Drones can be used over time to identify workflow deficiencies, safety concerns and more.
3D Modeling
Drones capture data used to create detailed records to inspect and analyze for existing and even predicted defects.
Meet the Team
Success Stories
Idaho
- Expanded a section of highway from three lanes to a four-lane divided highway with frontage roads
- Required more than 1.2 million cubic yards of earthwork
- Conducted drone flights to capture construction/earthwork progress and assist with public outreach
California
- Raised the main and auxiliary dams by 16 feet, modifying the service spillway and creating a new emergency spillway
- Oversaw earthwork for the massive 2.8 million cubic yards of rock material used
- Drone pilots captured high-resolution imagery of the site’s 450 acres; produced custom earthworks of the site’s stockpiles
New York
- Reconstructed the last mile of a 15-mile segment between the Bronx and Connecticut — a full-depth rebuild of 6 lanes and shoulders
- Drones helped monitor the amount of earthwork on the site
- Objects were photographed from multiple known positions, and then triangulated to develop a point cloud (3D shape) of earth material
Stowe Water Resource Recovery Facility
North Carolina
- Building a new state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility, spanning more than 200 acres
- Deployed a drone to capture comprehensive data points within three hours
- Developed a facility model with photogrammetry software
Project Manager Shares Experience With Drone Technology
Ty Bardwell, P.E., a project manager for design and construction management, answers questions about drone technology helping quantify actual conditions and costs at any given point in time.