From Nadir to Oblique

In construction site monitoring, here are two solutions that require, in one case, no drone, and in another, a drone that requires no FAA-Part 107 certified operator.

PIX4D’s CraneCamera: The company describes the product as “an innovative reality capture solution that delivers daily as-built data to track, verify, and document construction progress.” The CraneCamera is designed to provide accurate, drone-like data daily sans human involvement and is ideal for crowded city construction environments where the use of a UAV would be problematic.

Typical applications for the CraneCamera include site progress monitoring, daily as-built verification, operational planning, quality control, jobsite documentation, and reporting and communication tasks.

A CraneCamera, as the name suggests, mounts on a crane to achieve its “eye-in-the-sky” capability. A modular system, the unit is weatherproof and designed to resist crane vibrations so that crane movements do not affect the system accuracy or the quality of the images captured. Equipped with RTK GPS and IMU sensors, the system can be set up to collect site images every day automatically or on demand.

In construction environments where UAVs are not an option, CraneCamera looks like a great way to leverage geospatial data collection.

Fotokite’s Sigma: This aerial monitoring system uses an active tethered drone system that eliminates the need for a Part-107 licensed pilot. The Sigma is a two-part system. The first is a hexacopter UAV equipped with a radiometric thermal camera, a wide-angle color camera, and a zoom color camera mounted on a three-axis gimbal. The Sigma’s second component is its container which is available as a transport case or a rooftop box configuration for vehicle mounting.

Besides eliminating the need for a FAA-certified pilot, and therefore the expense and time associated with that training, Sigma affords several other features. The UAV is powered via a tether, this making extremely long duration flights routine. Operations taking days, weeks, and more are common. Additionally, unlike free-flying UAVs, Sigma’s active tethering system stabilizes the UAV and allows it to operate in rain, snow, and windy conditions, where conventional UAVs are grounded.

On the con side, from a construction site monitoring viewpoint, Sigma’s functions are limited to on-demand image capture. This is consistent with the unit’s primary application–providing public safety teams (generally fire, rescue, and law enforcement) with “mission-critical situational awareness from elevated perspectives.” The system is, at present, not geared to the geospatial data collection market.

Yet one of its use cases listed is “infrastructure security,” including site inspection and monitoring applications. It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine a survey vehicle equipped with a Sigma rooftop box configuration visiting a construction site, driving the site and sending the tethered drone up to capture imagery at designated control points and then processing the data to create geospatial deliverables. No Part 107 required. Mind you, they are not offering this (yet), but it seems like a distinct possibility down the road as the system evolves.