Kier, Belfour Beatty, Costain and Interserve are a few of the many leading construction companies taking advantage of drone technology in the UK
Recent research suggests that the UK is set to spend £2.4bn on commercial drones between 2017-2021.
The USA will invest the most globally with a predicted spend of £12.2bn over the next three years.
Drones are being used throughout the industry to provide easy access to large or difficult sites as well as complex or tall structures.
The SUA’s (Small Unmanned Aircraft’s) can gather aerial data, mapping information and images used for land surveys, building inspections, creating visual material for clients and staff, monitoring on site activities, security surveillance and data mapping.
The data collected by the drones provides valuable information used to determine BIM (building information modelling) through the following methods:
3D Modelling: Data collected by drones can create clear visuals of land and objects.
Progress Monitoring: Drone footage is one of the best and easiest ways to track the progress of a project. Data from the site can be sent to managers to track workflow, manage resources better, and reduce downtime to ensure that deadlines are met.
Orthomosaics – Drones can be used to easily capture aerial images of an entire site. These images can then be turned into a seamless mosaic to gauge accurate measurements.
BIM follows the creation and management of information throughout the entire lifecycle of a construction project.
The UK is currently at the forefront of BIM methodology which has been praised as a digital revolution for the construction industry.
