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Advantages of Drone Surveying: How companies are using the data

 Being able to capture precise and accurate visual representations of a worksite quickly and efficiently is really a major advantage of using drones for surveying. But there are other advantages aswell. Take the guesswork out of pre-bids and progress tracking Bills of quantities in construction enable quick and easy comparison of contractor proposals. Since all bidders are quoting exactly the same quantity of work, it? Browse this site to identify differences in cost. Bills of quantities are also used to clearly define the scope of focus on a project. Since quantities and amounts are provided, there?s no room for misinterpretation and less chance of mathematical errors. Utilizing a drone to survey materials on a prospective jobsite helps to ensure that the contractor pricing you submit is accurate, and you also?ll be compensated for the task you complete. Comparing your initial site survey to the original ground file provided allows you to request a change-order upfront to secure more income for the project if you spot an unfavorable variance between the two. Avoid rework According to the Construction Industry Institute, rework is estimated to represent 2%-20% of total costs. It impacts project timelines, costs, schedules, machine resources, and person hours. Which erode profitability. A significant cause for rework is a lack of information or using outdated information in decision making. Technology, like the Propeller Platform, makes solving this problem easier with an increase of accurate and timely data. Drone surveying enables site supervisors and superintendents to receive up-to-date maps with accurate specs approximately one day after requesting them, which contributes to better decision making and ultimately less rework. Improve site-to-office communications Survey data captured by drones and processed by software platforms like Propeller help centralize project documentation and increase collaboration with surveyors, engineers, foremen, and site managers. Collaboration challenges span the complete life of any project and it?s important that all stakeholders at each stage have the info they need to understand if a project is on track, on budget, and on schedule. Platforms like Propeller centralize all of your information in one place including present and past surveys, designs and iterations, and all of your notes, reports and files. Minimize change orders Based on the Independent Project Analysis Group, typically 35% of most construction projects will incur a significant change. One study indicated that change orders resulted in project cost overruns of 11-15% typically and delayed projects just as much as 20% beyond scheduled completion dates Avoid disputes A 2022 study found that 87% of more than 500 respondents from architecture, engineering, and construction firms had handled disputes in past times 12 months, a substantial increase from 63% in 2021. Within their annual Global Construction Disputes Report (2022), Arcadis discovered that the leading reason behind disputes in North America was poor record keeping and documentation. Resolving disputes takes a clear communication and documentation plan. Drone surveys conducted in the beginning of a project and at regular intervals through the entire course of the task provide a historical record and a frequent (and reliable) record of progress over time. Should a dispute arise, contractors can revisit the relevant site survey to handle any concerns. Accurate records established with drone data also enable contractors to quickly identify and address project errors or concerns and offer clear, accurate, unbiased, and easy-to-understand documentation of each stage in the project. Save money and time Measuring quantities and progress manually takes time, resources, and frequently a full-time dedicated person. And in remote areas, a large chunk of time is spent just accessing a site. When survey data can be captured and processed in hours, not days or weeks, projects go smoother with less rework, added expense, and overhead. Using cloud-based processing also eliminates the need for server and computer costs and is much more scalable. Site balancing One of the major costs in earthworks is importing or exporting dirt from the website. A way to save money because of this operation is determining if the project can be achieved by only utilizing the dirt that?s currently on site, referred to as site balancing. When developing a grade design for a civil construction or earthworks project, an integral goal is to ensure the dirt face to face site balances whenever you can. Because of this the cuts and fills are relatively equal, so that contractors don?t have to import or export dirt in trucks to finish a job, and this can be costly. Moving the existing earth around on site with excavation machinery is less expensive. When you survey your worksite with a drone, the info you obtain allows you to track your dirt quantities more accurately and balance your site. Reduce safety risks Flying a drone enables surveyors to stay on stable ground while safely navigating dangerous terrains and slopes or avoid close contact with busy highways. Drone surveying keeps crews onsite for less time than traditional survey methods, reducing the risk for an injury that occurs. Mapping a niche site becomes as simple as programming a flight path and piloting the drone, also it yields just as accurate results.

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