book

Drone Technology in Architecture, Engineering and Construction

by Daniel Tal, Jon Altschuld

February 2021

Intermediate to advanced

176 pages

5h 1m

English

Wiley

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Drones for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC)The Method Behind This BookWho Can Use This Book?The Book Road MapAbout the Authors
The Breadth of Drone Applications Is Just Beginning to Be DiscoveredThe Risks of Drone TechnologyWhy Use Drones?The Bottom Line on Drones
AdvantagesDefining Drone Data and Visualization
Return on Investment (ROI)Rate of Return (ROR)Value Added ServicesTraining CostsPermissions Costs

AEC Drone Standard FeaturesDrone PackagesApplications and SoftwareDesktop SoftwareComputer Hardware
Professional Etiquette for Professional PracticeThe Legal RulesPart 107Permissions – LAANCPermissions – State, Agency, County, and City RegulationsPermissions – DJI FlySafe and Geo ZonesInsuranceDocumentation
The Flying MindsetDrone Flying AppsAutomated Flying
Photo and Video QualityUsing DJI Standard AppsImage GeotagLitchi Flight Planning SoftwareWorking with Drone PhotosWorking with Drone Videos
What Is Photogrammetry?Drones and PhotogrammetryPhotogrammetry Accuracy and PrecisionGround Control PointsCollecting DataRTK Drones, Ground Control PadsProcessing the DataProcessing StepsPhotogrammetry Project ComparisonsPhotogrammetry HardwarePhotogrammetry Software
Point Cloud versus 3D MeshWorking with Point Clouds and 3D MeshesWorking with and Manipulating the 3D Mesh
Final Word and Looking Ahead

Content preview from Drone Technology in Architecture, Engineering and Construction

CHAPTER 4Buy In

Most new technology is met with caution by business owners, principals, and managers. There are specific business questions that need to be addressed and understood before an investment should be made. Drones are no exception. The intent of this chapter is to provide information on how to best pitch the costs, benefits, and return on investment to implement drones into a firm or practice.

Return on Investment (ROI)

When discussing technology, computers, hardware, software, and apps with a business owner, it's sometimes accompanied by a sigh of resignation. For management, those responsible for the firm's budget and finance, investing into a technology like drones, in particular when it's being requested by staff, comes with loads of questions.

Most managers and owners want the answers to the questions listed below. These represent the typical rate of investment versus rate of return.

How much does the hardware/software cost?
How long will it take to make it profitable? How much can we charge for the service?
Which staff should learn to use the technology?
How much is training to get up and running?
What resources and expertise are available in and out of the office to aid in implementation?
Does it fit within our current technology culture and methods/workflows?

Below are systematic answers to the above questions. Starting with a general but accurate cost estimate, each section below further elaborates on the items found in the cost sheet.