This document discusses the application of drone technology in the construction industry. It begins with an introduction on how drones can provide aerial views and data to optimize construction operations. The main objectives, scope and benefits of using drones are then outlined, such as enabling fast site surveying, progress monitoring, and safety inspections. Examples of drone applications in planning, execution and maintenance are provided. Risks like regulatory compliance and insurance are also covered. The document concludes that drones have the potential to revolutionize the construction sector through improved efficiency if technological and regulatory challenges can be addressed.

1. INTRODUCTION TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
CASE STUDY OF DRONE TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION IN CONSTRUCTION
Report submitted to the
Institute of Real Estate and Finance
BY
Group B
Dilip Mehta
Rajlaxmi Pardeshi
Sachin Kumar Rai
Vikrant Wagh
Parag Jagtap
PGP (real estate construction finance management)
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
Mr. Chetan More Sir

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our special thanks of gratitude to our
director Mr. Abhay Kumar for all support and guidance
throughout and giving us the opportunity to work on this report
which helped me to understand the main aspects of new
technology in construction which can help us in many ways in
future, and we came to know about so many things. secondly, I
would like to show my gratitude towards our mentor Chetan
More sir for giving an opportunity to work on such a report. this
opportunity led me to the pathway of deep knowledge of the
construction technique.

3. Table of Content
1. Introduction
2. Objective
3. Scope
4. Benefit
5. Application
6. Risk of Drone in Construction
7. Drone Buying Guide
8. Conclusion
9. References

4. Introduction:
At one point in time when we thought construction, we thought
of nuts and bolts, two-by-fours and steel beams. Construction
has never been overtly forward-thinking or technologically
progressive, but the industry is evolving right before us as we roll
into the digital era. 2017 was huge for innovation in construction
introducing resourceful technology to the industry.
Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have found their
way into the construction industry and they are drastically
changing the landscape. Advanced data analytics and imagery
captured by drones have allowed construction companies to
reinforce infrastructure and optimize daily operations.
Drones have the capability to capture images from untapped
angles, creating a holistic picture of the operation. We receive
revolutionary perspectives, dissolving the dissonance between
contractors, architects, and clients, as they all receive a uniform
report of the daily happenings. These images have the power to
resolve industry pain points that have haunted the construction
industry from the dawn of time.

5. Objective:
The construction industry struggles with a great deal of
inefficiency. Large construction projects typically take 20%
longer than expected to complete and are up to 80% over
budget.
Compared to other sectors, the industry has been slow in
embracing new digital technologies, even though the long-term
benefits are significant. It is time for disruption. And according
to the study, commercial drones—or unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs)—are key to this.
There are two simple reasons why drones are so popular
in construction – they can save developers time and money.
Builders love drones because they can provide an aerial view of
either sites or potential sites with simple and affordable ease.
Previously, you had to pay for a manned aircraft to get such an
aerial view.

6. Scope:
Drones are enabling construction professionals to access more data
and detailed insights to create the reliable, sophisticated design models
that are needed to stay ahead of the competition.
It’s no secret that ensuring construction projects remain on time
and in budget is crucially important for all stakeholders and
demand continues to grow for faster, more readily available up-
to-date information.
The construction sector is the fastest-growing adopter of
commercial drones and is likely to require 2.5 lakh people with
UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operating skills. The success of
drone technology in complementing the construction sector lies
in it’s innovative applications:
• Site surveying for project planning: Simplifying the most complex
component of construction projects, aerial 3D modelling and
mapping by drones assists project planners to provide accurate
surveys.
• Project progress monitoring: Real-time images and video of
construction sites assists in resource optimization. Furthermore,
it allows matching available resources with the needs of the
organization to achieve the established goals.
• Asset inspection: The inspection of every component on the
construction site to ensure proper functioning is facilitated by
drones. As it reduces the needed time and labor, drones have
also minimized costs by 50%.

7. Benefits of Drone in Construction Industry:
Most obvious benefit of drones in the construction industry is
the ability to obtain precise visual data of a site faster and
cheaper than with terrestrial techniques or manned aircrafts.
However, that’s only one of the many benefits drones can bring
to construction companies.
1. Fast, reproducible, on-demand image acquisition:
On a construction site, there is always a contractor, an
engineering company, an earthmoving company and a number
of subcontractors to execute specialized work. In addition to
involving a lot of teams, deadlines are tight and require
frequently-updated records to drive decisions and align multiple
stakeholders.
This is where a major advantage of drones lies for construction
site managers. Drones provide a complete picture of the
construction site on-demand and within a few hours.
The sharp, detailed images produced by drones enable site
managers to track work progress and make accurate decisions
based on up-to-date data and comprehensive reconstructed site
maps instead of relying on plans or incomplete data that may not
reflect reality.

8. 2. Accurate and comprehensive data
In addition to having detailed aerial photographs, the same data
collected by a drone in a single flight provides a complete map
of the site with GPS points, in 2D and 3D.
These maps allow accurate measurements of distances,
surfaces, elevations and volumes. From there, photogrammetry
software also generates elevation models such as digital terrain
models (DTMs) and digital surface models (DSMs).
3. Cost and time saving
Drones significantly reduce time-intensive data collection in the
field and its associated labor costs. Hades Geodesic, a 30-year-
old surveying company is using drones to provide
accurate survey data for the construction of a major highway in
Estonia: “It doesn’t make sense to go outside and walk for three
to four hours and get about 500 points and make calculations.”
4. Better documentation and faster reconciliation
with subcontractors
Easy and repeated surveying means that the site will have more
complete documentation throughout its life cycle.
In cases where a project progresses on top of faulty construction,
it’s difficult if not impossible to trace where the mistake was
made or who made it. Drone data provides clear, accurate and

9. retrievable documentation at frequent points in the
construction process.
5. Remote access to current status of the site
BIM managers, surveyors and managers in head offices
currently have to either travel physically or rely on workers on
site to get information about construction progress. By having
somebody on site flying the drone and capturing images, you will
be able to see the progress of projects directly on your
computer, to evaluate it and discuss it with site managers as if
you were on site.
6. Increased safety
Being able to monitor and inspect hard-to-reach places or areas
in the middle of machinery without entering them obviously
reduces workers’ exposure to accidents.
Add to this that safety on a construction site is also about
securing the work area as accessible only to qualified personnel.
So, drone imagery can help to locate a breach in the perimeter
of a site more quickly, preventing civilian entry and potential
accidents.

10. Application of drone in Construction:
1. Planning and design:
The very same images collected by drones can then be used as
part of the planning process, providing the foundation for the
work of others, such as architects, local authorities and
engineers.
With drone orthophotos and 3D models, you can overlay
buildings onto their environment to get a clear sense of how a
new building might look next to an existing one. You can assess
how the new project will impact the area from both a practical
and an aesthetic viewpoint. 3D models also allow analysis and
visualization of cast shadows and outlooks/views. You can also
extract precise data such as curbs or manholes measurements
and import them into your CAD or GIS software to enrich existing
data.
2. Execution
While it already offers multiple advantages in the planning
phase, the greatest value of drone use might come when
projects enter the construction phase.
• Earthworks
From drone images, you can generate a point cloud consisting
of thousands of points, each containing geospatial (X, Y, Z) and

11. color information. Then, with a photogrammetry software, you
can get precise volume measurements and run a cut/fill analysis.
• As-built vs. as-design
One of the most striking advantages of accurate site
visualization is the ability to overlay the CAD on the orthophoto.
This allows you to compare what was actually built with the plan
and make sure that they fit together. Site managers can then
identify differences between planned and real-time progress
and steer projects accordingly.
• Site progress monitoring
During the construction phase, site managers have to control
and validate completed work in order to permit continued work.
The faster you are able to check and validate a task, the faster
you can move on to the next task, saving time along the overall
construction process.
Given the relatively low cost of using a drone to collect visual
data on a construction site, it’s possible to carry out surveys on
a regular basis and build up a record of progress.
• Communication tool
On construction projects, there are often several stakeholders in
several locations who are all eager to know how things are
progressing.
For this to be possible, stakeholders should visit the site, or hire
a prohibitively expensive helicopter to collect aerial photos. And
even if they did this, the pictures collected could be out of date
by the next business day.

12. The visual data from regular drone surveys assists in on-demand
(could be daily, weekly) operational planning
3. Maintenance and asset inspection
Maintenance is often not a priority because it costs time and
money and doesn’t bring much value to operations … at least not
when they are running as usual. But as soon as you are faced
with a serious problem due to lack of maintenance, you can be
held responsible and lose a lot of money.
That said, ensuring quality maintenance of assets is not always
easy to do at a reasonable cost. By sending drones in the air,
companies can visually inspect large assets or those located in
hard-to-reach areas more quickly and cost-effectively.
Risk of Drone in Construction:
Companies will need to ensure their drones comply with the Civil
Aviation Authority’s requirements, this includes strict airspace
restrictions. If they do not comply with these requirements, risks
include large fines, and in some cases, a possible prison
sentence.
Construction companies also need to be aware of violating the
Data Protection Act:

13. “A business may purchase an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to
monitor inaccessible areas, such as a roof to check for damage.
Its use should be limited to that specific function and recording
should not occur when flying over other areas that may capture
images of individuals.”
The need for insurance
The aerial reach of drones also brings with it the possibility of
collisions with people, buildings and other aircraft, leading to
property damage, personal injury, and loss of life in extreme
cases. Construction companies using drones will need to ensure
that their insurance cover these risks.
With the above in mind, businesses within the construction
sector who are considering using Drones, should look to
purchase more extensive insurance to protect themselves and
operators from things such as public liability, professional
indemnity and cyber cover.
Risks will become clearer as technology develops. However, to
ensure you are protected, construction firms and insurers should
start thinking about different types of exposure in largely
unchartered areas.

14. Drone Buying Guide:
Determine Your Needs
The first step to purchasing your drone is determining how
you’re going to use it. To get a better understanding of what you
want to do with your drone.
Choose Your Software
Putting your data to work is all about choosing the right
software. After all, a gorgeous site survey is only useful if you can
edit and share the information. The same is true of cinematic
videos shot in 4k. Yet, these two cases require different
software.
Choose Your Drone!
Once you've picked your software, it's time to move onto
hardware. Drones are loaded with gadgets and there are several
important factors to consider when choosing what's right for
you. You might be asking
Drone Insurance Policies & Providers
Like any other vehicle, you'll want insurance when flying drones.
There are three kinds of coverage: Liability, Hull, and Payload
Insurance.
For commercial needs, you'll want a policy that includes all three.

15. Because you need protection against theft, we recommend
annual plans over "on-demand" coverage that charges per flight
hour.
The Best Drones By Price
Cutting edge drone technology is more affordable than ever.
With a price spectrum ranging from $40 - $40,000, it's useful to
have an overview of market prices.
Avoid Common Drone Buying Mistakes
1. Don’t only consider buying the newest, most expensive drone.
2. Don’t try and get by with a hobbyist drone.
3. Don’t spring for a fixed-wing drone.
4. Don’t buy a drone that doesn’t automatically insert
geolocation data into each photo.
Conclusion:
As policies change in India, drones will set new standards in
adding value to the economy. The safety, competence and cost
benefits of drones, which the military has utilized till now, also
draw variety of businesses, and construction is one of these.
While the impact of drones in the construction industry is still in
process, they are already revolutionizing the sector and altering

16. the approach towards handling of construction projects.
Providing the technology is capable of passing centralized
aviation and zoning hurdles, it is safe to say that the commercial
drone is here to stay. As the industry develops and construction
projects become more intricate, the use of drones in
construction will continue to escalate.
Refferances:
1. https://www.propelleraero.com/blog/using-drones-in-
construction-the-beginners-guide/
2. https://unearthlabs.com/blog/construction-tech/drone-
buying-guide/
3. https://thompsontractor.com/about/resources-
(1)/drone-technology
4. https://wingtra.com/drone-mapping-
applications/drones-in-construction-and-infrastructure/