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Building Drone Fleets for the Construction Industry

Both pilots and companies are navigating a thin line between security and innovation. Host Grant Guillot talks with leaders, influencers, and experts across the drone industry to guide us through the complex web of technology and policy in the United States.   The use case for drones is a long list, and the construction industry is driving…

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Both pilots and companies are navigating a thin line between security and innovation. Host Grant Guillot talks with leaders, influencers, and experts across the drone industry to guide us through the complex web of technology and policy in the United States.

The use case for drones is a long list, and the construction industry is driving demand, as the data they can collect is changing how they work, track, assess, and more. Offering an inside look at how construction companies use drones, Drones in America host Grant Guillot spoke with JP Giometti, Executive Director Global Strategy and Corporate Development at HCSS Aerial.

HCSS Aerial is a new product in the HCSS portfolio launched in 2020. Giometti explained how it works, “Drones process images to generate 3D models with high accuracy. The power of this data makes a difference in many uses cases.”

A drone program supports construction companies in many ways. For example, they often use them to document change orders and inspections. “There’s been an increase in use since the pandemic for surveying and progress tracking since fewer people can be on site. The main use case is bringing this data that different areas of the business consume and use,” Giometti said.

“The most important use case for drones in construction is the data it collects, which different parts of the company can consume.”- JP Giometti

The company helps construction organizations develop a drone program, including those just starting out or those with a mature program. “For those with no experience, we want to know about business goals and ask questions to then put a program in place that’s one site to start and can scale,” Giometti noted.

Giometti expects drones in construction only to grow, and that innovation will continue to result from this. If construction companies don’t adopt the technology, they could lose out on a competitive advantage. “We’re seeing more demand for drones and 3D models from the project owner side, so they are requesting to bid that this be part of the tech stack.”

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