From Nadir to Oblique

Micro-drones, those that weigh less than 250 grams, are popular with recreational UAV flyers for several reasons. They are relatively inexpensive, with models starting at under $500. Additionally, the 249-gram-and-under category requires no FAA registration, nor do they fall under the remote ID (RID) regulation.

Now, with the aid of sophisticated flight planning and automated control software, micro-drones are tackling commercial operations such as construction monitoring.

One such example is Magil Construction, a general contractor with projects across Canada. Using Dronelink’s flight planning and mission control app, the company developed an internal drone program which flies weekly progress monitoring missions on active sites to improve project management processes and quality control. Captured data is processed in Pix4D into high-resolution maps, and 3D models, and shared online between all team members.

Magil Construction’s experience has shown that automating micro-drones allowed the program to expand easily and offers less regulations, lower costs, and safer operations on active sites. Personnel on site simply execute pre-planned missions on a weekly basis.

One of the challenges of construction monitoring is the fact that these sites are generally occupied with construction personnel during daylight hours and thus pose a safety concern for drone overflights, what the FAA calls “operations over people” (OPP). This is another advantage of using a micro-drone for this task. In the U.S., the FAA classifies micro-drones as Category 1, which means they can fly OPP missions without needing additional documentation from the manufacturer.

For lower cost, easier deployment, safer overflights, and reduced regulation, micro-drones could be a cost-effective solution for a variety of construction monitoring applications.