How drone mapping can support site management and collaboration

Drones are building efficiencies at worksites around the world. With the right drone, ground control points, and a drone data processing solution, you gain access to highly accurate 3-D renderings of your Jobsite as it stands at all stages in a project’s lifecycle. And with a drone mapping app, you can share survey data with every member of your team, from workers on the ground to executives in the boardroom.

How does the Propeller Aero platform enable better communication and better site management for construction teams? There are several benefits to using Propeller’s cloud-based drone data processing platform to turn data into photorealistic renderings of conditions on the ground. Here are the key ways construction teams are using drones to manage projects from start to finish.

Surveying your construction site

After you’ve flown your drone and documented your site, Propeller’s processing platform turns data into 3-D renderings you can share with all parties involved with a project. How does the platform process your data? Using the science of photogrammetry, the platform pins images collected in-flight to ground control positions. Computers and data experts locate overlaps and common points in images and use that information to create 3-D reconstructions of terrain, creating an accurate reflection of conditions on the ground.

Monitoring progress

Drone surveys are faster and cheaper than traditional surveys, which makes frequently surveying your job site possible. By regularly flying your job site, you can check progress against design in a matter of hours, rather than days or weeks. Drone surveys also allow you to check site volumes quickly, then with Propeller’s timeline features, you can track all changes made over time.

Need to get volume measurements of the earth at your job site? It’s easy when you partner with Propeller. Take advantage of built-in volume calculators, so you can get accurate measurements of earthwork volumes. You can always check how much dirt has been moved and how much still needs to be moved, so you can keep projects on track and allocate resources where needed.

Avoiding rework

As a construction professional, you know that your main goal is knowing how your project looks against design. In the Propeller platform, you can upload all design surfaces and linework, creating an overlay on the 3-D site survey. You can instantly see how work is progressing and whether it’s following specifications. By frequently flying your site, you can check progress and spot problems before they become expensive and time-consuming. By planning, rather than reacting after a problem has already occurred, you avoid costly rework that not jeopardizes your revenues but also slows down project timelines for projects.

Enabling collaboration

Propeller’s cloud-based solutions enable seamless collaboration across all teams working on a project, from boots on the ground to executives in the boardroom. At all stages of a project, the right parties need to have all the information they need to complete their work on time, on budget, and according to spec.

With Propeller’s browser-based tools, anyone with internet access can see the same information and share measurements and notes with any party working on the project. And because Propeller is cloud-based you have access to all the information you need in one place, including past and present surveys, designs and iterations, notes, reports, and files in the right formats. When your team has access to up-to-date information on real-world conditions on the ground, you’re not only able to track progress, but also support safety and sustainability at the Jobsite.

Managing access

While collaboration and communication are key to the success of any construction project, not every person working on a site should have access to all the information about a project. With Propeller, it’s easy to set permissions for individuals or teams, so you have control over who accesses what information.

Simplifying reports

Another benefit of the Propeller Platform is its reporting capability. Whether you need a CSV or PDF file to send to your supervisor, Propeller does all the work for you. By simplifying reporting, you can avoid delays due to accidents, bad estimates, bad weather, and other conditions outside your control. Propeller helps you close the information gap between you and your site, enabling better, faster decision-making that keeps projects on time and on budget.

Propeller streamlines collaboration

Every construction project has countless moving parts, and streamlined collaboration is key when it comes to keeping projects on time and on budget. By taking to the skies with a drone and relying on Propeller’s cloud-based processing platform to consolidate in-flight data into accurate 3-D renderings of your job site, you can get all hands involved in a project working together.