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HARD HITTERS COMMENT APRIL AUGUS 2021T 2019
EYE IN THE SKY
DRONE TECHNOLOGY HAS IMPROVED IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS RECENTLY IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR, WITH THE MACHINE NOW AN INVALUABLE PIECE OF EQUIPMENT TO COLLECT REAL TIME DATA ABOUT PROJECTS TO HELP MANAGERS UNDERSTAND WHAT IS HAPPENING ON SITE, SAYS LUIS CLEMENTE, NEW TECHNOLOGIES MANAGER AT ACCIONA MIDDLE EAST
D
rone technology, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is used for various reasons in the construction industry. As a tool that improves communication and safety, the use of drones in construction can offer many advantages, capturing real-time images from the field. In the last few years, drones have helped make several improvements in construction, from increased accuracy in reporting and improving safety conditions to cutting costs and increasing efficiency. While drones are not used in the actual labour phase of construction, they play a huge role in the planning and analysis process because they can provide an aerial view of a job-site at a cost that is comparatively small in the project outlay. We are
currently using drone technology for various activities in the construction sector, such as photogrammetric flights and photographic reports, both for drafting new bids and works in progress; as well as for volume calculations, structural inspections, monitoring work progress, assessing the environmental impacts associated with a project’s construction, or taking soundings on mountainsides. The use of this technology, which has already been implemented on various company projects in several countries, such as Spain, as part of Acciona’s commitment to innovation and the digital transformation, aims to leverage the benefits of mass data capture to digitise and optimise existing construction processes. The countries where Acciona has already implemented the use of jobsite drones also include Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark and Panama. We love to be one step ahead and have used drones during the tunnel construction phase to
obtain digital models. This technology, which can be used on tunnel projects excavated by conventional methods (explosives, hammers or cutters) as well as on underground mining projects, can be supplemented with photographic resources to regularly monitor a project. In use currently is tripod-based laser scanner systems, supplemented with conventional topography, to obtain digital models of the inside of tunnels under construction. Unfortunately, these methods are time-consuming and not very versatile, which is not very compatible with the production performance of these works, reducing their effectiveness. However, by using drones in tunnels, a regular digital record of the works can be created to analyse any variations against the project’s specifications, such as the volume of material excavated, the consumption of inputs, execution deadlines, incidents, etc.
