In the wake of Industry 4.0, many companies have tried to utilise automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. This is especially prevalent in the construction industry where the need for increased efficiency and delivering a quality product both physically and digitally has now become a necessity rather than an indulgence. Many technologies have sprung up to meet the challenge, such as artificial intelligence and drones.
Call it a drone, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) or Remote Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS), it usually involves a flying platform that is remotely controlled by a pilot assisted by a flight software, onboard sensors and GPS/ GLONASS. It has a payload which is usually a camera system, but could also be technologies such as LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and thermal cameras. There is shared telemetry between the drone and the ground control station which enables the pilot to fly in a stable manner.
The numbers
DroneDeploy has compiled statistics on drone usage based on 100 million aerial images from 400,000 job sites in 180 countries in the year 2018. Below are some of the findings :
- The construction industry has seen an increase of 239% in the adoption of drone technology. The other 2 industries directly related to construction, namely surveying and real estate, have an increase of more than 100% for each industry.
- There are many benefits that are associated with use of drones in construction, namely increased safety, cost saving and better data collection and usage.
- Drones are primarily used for:
- Progress tracking and communication
- Preconstruction and site planning
- Quality control and assurance
- Bid process preparation
- Job site risk mitigation. 55% of DroneDeploy customers report increased safety as a result of implementing drones.
The why
Accenture indicated in their article titled, “A business approach for the use of drones in the Engineering & Construction industries” that drones :
- “Optimize project and maintenance costs”
In the current business climate, being able to optimize project cost and maintenance costs is crucial for the viability of a business. A drone allows for tasks to be automated and conducted in parallel with operations. Inspection can now be done while the construction is being undertaken. Various drone platforms now allow for automated drone operations that provide vital information for construction, such as cut and fill parameters, volumetric analysis of stock piles, comparison against design data and conducting accurate and repeatable topographical surveys.
- “Reduce workers exposure”
Health and safety are a crucial element on all construction sites. Drones allow access to dangerous areas (working at height, chemical exposure, heat exposure) which were previously deemed as high risk to personnel and cost intensive. For example, an inspection of a rooftop would utilise scaffolding and harnesses, which take time and effort to setup, whilst a drone could capture a wealth of data in a fraction of the time and cost.
- “Enable best decisions to improve quality”
The key element in the progression of technology is the ability to provide humans better information to be able to make better decisions. A bird’s eye view of a live construction site allows for accurate decision making based on real-time information as opposed to relying on narratives and benchmarks. Another element that drones bring is that data collected can be reviewed for lessons learnt, comparison for benchmarking and general archiving.
The what
Drones come in many shapes and sizes with varying uses based on the task at hand. The 3 main types are:
- Multi rotor
This type of drone is able to hover in place, thus providing a flight platform to capture images and data. It is the most common type of drone available in the market today. It however has a limited range of flight.
- Fixed wing
Based on the design of aeroplanes, it has long range surveillance capabilities, being able to cover vast distances such as the development of rail projects and townships. A key tool in large area surveying, the data is critical in topographic mapping and progress monitoring of large areas of construction and development. Its Achilles heel is that it requires a take off and landing strip which is not always easily available in all areas.
- Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL)
VTOLs offer all the benefits of fixed wing long range flights whilst allowing it to take off like a multi rotor aircraft. Becoming more and more commonplace, it allows for take off and landing vertically in an area as small as 3m x 3m. It is important to note that VTOLs operate more like a fixed wing and cannot operate effectively as a multi rotor drone.
The how
Drone deployment generally varies based on the systems and equipment used, but primarily covers these 3 key steps.
- Preparation of flight
Preparation of flight involves selecting the right equipment for the task at hand and doing enough research to make sure that the equipment selected, paired with the right pilot, can collect the data that is required for the next step. Permits to operate need to be obtained in line with local regulations.
- Data Collection
Safety is paramount in all drone flights. It is also critical that the drone flight is performed in line with the type of output required. Certain types of outputs require specific methods of flying. Weather is a general concern which can be easily mitigated with prudent planning and training. The data collected can be in multiple formats from standard photographs, videos, LIDAR point cloud, NDVI images and thermal images.
- Data Processing
Data processing is where the magic happens. The data collected can be analysed and converted into a variety of formats such as orthomosaic images and 3D models. These formats allow for better manual analysis of the construction site as a whole. The new wave of data analyses now uses artificial intelligence to identify construction defects with minimal human supervision. This saves on labour whilst increasing the level of visibility a construction site has on its progress and potential issues before they become a problem.
The who and where
Many construction companies around the world have started using drones as a vital tool in their projects. International companies such as Kier, Balfour Beatty, Vinci Construction and Mitie have started to use drones as a tool on site. On the Malaysian front, projects like TRX and the various rail projects such as the MRT extension extensively use drones for project monitoring and various land use analysis. It is becoming more and more commonplace in Malaysia for drone operation for data collection and analyses.
Drones are perfect for all manner of construction, engineering and inspection projects as they provide the ability to work in an automated manner and collect data that allows for better decision making.
The when
Now is the time for companies to make the shift towards the many benefits that come with responsible drone operations. There are 2 ways to achieve this. The first is to hire a professional drone company that complies with the various regulatory requirements in Malaysia. Some discussion is usually required at the start to ensure the deliverables are in line with the need of the construction project. The second option is to develop drone capabilities in-house to the company. The best way to achieve this is to hire an external consultant that could guide you through the process, thus speeding up the time to setup a competent drone team. The consultant will guide you through the process including purchasing, operation manual setup, audits, maintenance plan, training and software selection.
The next step
Drones will continue to improve and become commonplace in many industries. With artificial intelligence starting to move into the drone space, the amalgamation of these 2 cutting edge technologies will produce a quantum leap in useable data that will help reduce cost, increase safety and maximise performance. The construction industry has to maintain a view of the future which will certainly include the use of drones, so as to ensure that it remains relevant and competitive in this ever-changing world.
There are growing awareness of other industries in relation to the application of drone technologies. Plantation sector is a great example which see increased drone usage in recent years, mainly to map plantation areas and terrains to better improve the utilization of plantation land.
In view of the growing significance of drone adoption in construction and plantation industries, 27Group in collaboration with Aerial Ascent – a drone specialist company, have jointly organized a Drone Introductory workshop to help the industry players better understand how to use drone to achieve greater value in their businesses.
Workshop Outline:
- What are Drones?
- How will drones help the Construction Industry? (session 1)
- How will drones help the Plantation Industry? (session 2)
- How do drones save time and money?
- What to expect in the current and future operations of drones?
Who should attend this workshop?
- Cohort
1: Developer, Contractor, Project
Manager, Construction Health & Safety Officer,
Site Engineers, Construction Authority
- Cohort 2: Plantation owners, Plantation Managers, Plantation Executives, Service Providers to The Plantation Sector
Interested parties or individuals can register your interest here.
