Optimizing Construction with Drones and Maps

Enhancing Efficiency: The Game-Changing Impact of Drone Surveying in Construction

Embarking on manual surveys for construction sites is no easy task, demanding time, a specialized workforce, financial resources, and the willingness to redo the survey if errors occur. Traditional methods allow for the surveying of approximately half a hectare per hour. In stark contrast, drone surveying revolutionizes this process, empowering even novice surveyors to cover 50 hectares per hour, marking a 60x improvement in surveying efficiency.

Consider a scenario where a company aims to survey 10 different 50 hectares sites five times a year. Traditional surveying for each site would necessitate 24 hours of work, accumulating 120 hours per site annually, resulting in a staggering 1,200 hours of work across all sites each year. The comparison with drone surveying is striking, as it completes each of the five annual site surveys in just one hour each, requiring only five hours per site. Across all ten sites, this amounts to a mere 50 total hours invested to complete these surveys.

Beyond the significant time savings, drone surveying offers a crucial advantage in managing construction sites where work is distributed across multiple areas. Traditional surveys, often spanning multiple work days, risk overlooking changes that may have occurred during the survey. This uncertainty can lead to the need for re-surveying, causing potential delays in commencing new work.

In the dynamic construction industry, where deviations from plans are commonplace, the inefficiencies of traditional surveying can compound, resulting in further challenges. Drone surveying not only streamlines the survey process but also introduces heightened accuracy and adaptability. These advantages ensure that construction companies can successfully deliver projects on time and within budget, even in the face of unexpected delays and complications.

Cost Savings: A Paradigm Shift in Construction Surveying

Traditional site surveying demands a significant investment in time and manpower, leading to substantial expenses in salaries, equipment, and associated construction costs. To illustrate the potential savings, let's consider the hourly rates—assuming a traditional surveyor charges $100/hour and a drone surveyor $120/hour.

Even with the higher hourly rate, a drone surveyor, requiring only 50 total hours of billable work per calendar year, incurs an annual surveying fee of $6,000. In stark contrast, a traditional surveyor, necessitating 1,200 hours of work, results in a total surveying cost of $2,400 per survey and a staggering $120,000 in total annual surveying fees.

In essence, drone surveying has the potential to save $114,000 in surveying fees for a smaller company conducting 50 surveys annually. This estimate assumes smooth surveying operations without the need for rework. For larger companies, the savings are expected to be even more significant. Despite various assumptions in project calculations, a comprehensive analysis of drone surveying versus traditional methods underscores its remarkable effectiveness in minimizing time and reducing variable expenses for construction companies.

Precision Through Drone Photogrammetry: Elevating Data Accuracy in Construction

Drone surveying employs a technique known as drone photogrammetry, involving the measurement of real-life distances from overlapping photos, capturing various angles and perspectives. While the process might seem complex, drones execute it swiftly, achieving a level of accuracy challenging for traditional surveying methods to match.

In a single surveying flight, drone data, processed using surveying software like Spacesium, can generate a comprehensive map of the surveyed site. This map includes precise measurements of distances, surfaces, elevations, volumes, and GPS points represented in either two or three dimensions.

The efficiency and accuracy of drone surveying enable frequent data analysis through cloud-based platforms like Spacesium. This accessibility ensures that project stakeholders, from subcontractors to off-site teams, can easily access data in a comprehensible format, facilitating timely progress and adherence to design specifications.

Timely and accurate drone surveying mitigates issues like rework, conflict resolution, and the search for elusive project data, which collectively cost construction companies a staggering $177 billion annually. Implementing Spacesium’s drone surveying program assures correct and swift processing of surveying data, fostering accountability, communication, and collaboration. This results in the highest level of performance, contributing to projects being completed on time and within budget.

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