Drones in Construction: Beyond Pictures Capturing and Exploring Actionable Data

Transcription

1 Drones in Construction: Beyond Pictures Capturing and Exploring Actionable Data Hunter Cole & Jesse Creech Virtual Design + Construction Brasfield & Gorrie General Contractors Join the conversation #AU2016

2 Class summary Understand how the use of drones to generate models is impacting construction and BIM workflows, and what is necessary to get started at your organization.

3 Key learning objectives At the end of this class, you will be able to: Help their organization develop a compliant strategy to begin operating drones commercially Become familiar with the various outputs possible via drones beyond aerial photography Plan a safe and automated flight mission resulting in an accurate 3D map & model Incorporate 3D drone data into existing BIM workflows and software to enhance construction

4 About Virtual Design + Construction at Brasfield & Gorrie

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7 Virtual Design + Construction BIM Building Information Modeling Our Process Marketing Preconstruction Scheduling Safety Field Ops & Construction Our Technology 3D Modeling Virtual Reality Laser Scanning 4D Scheduling Unmanned Aircraft Systems `

8 Virtual Design + Construction Virtual Environment Physical Jobsite Generate engaging marketing content Estimate quantities quickly Find design problems virtually early Place items in field with greater accuracy Deeper insight into assets of building The 3D model of the jobsite becomes a valuable source for information during construction Drones help bring the physical jobsite to the virtual jobsite

9 Intro to UAS & Photogrammetry

10 UAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems Not just a children s toy but a serious tool, with real value for construction. Brasfield & Gorrie is seeing an increased demand for UAS services from our project teams Over the next 3 years, the UAS industry is estimated to create 70,000 jobs and create a $13.6B economic impact ($80B by 2025). As of late December, B&G is officially licensed for commercial use of drones by the FAA

11 How do UAS add value to B&G projects? Instant R-O-I Aerial progress images & video Time-lapse videos Quick site familiarization Inspection of hazardous areas Deeper project insight Capture 3D model of site Take measurements Daily monitoring of progress Generate topographical drawings Estimate earthwork quantities Quality Control inspection

12 Intro to Photogrammetry How does it work? Stitches together overlapping geo-tagged still images into a 3D point cloud Algorithms register the points based on known variables from the image sensor, drone position & altitude What does the drone do? Drone flies autonomously over jobsite capturing hundreds of geo-tagged images Modern software automates this flight operation What are the outputs? Stitched ortho-mosaic images, digital surface models, 3D point clouds and meshes

13 B&G s History with UAS Operations

14 First B&G UAS Flight April 24, 2014 Birmingham, AL 1 million sq ft Brasfield & Gorrie Auburn University Leica Geosystems

15 Exterior Facade Inspection Generated hundreds of high-res images of mullions and panes Linked photos to BIM model for location access Excellent proof of concept for value of UAS to construction However, newly released FAA regulations temporarily grounded any further jobsite use

16 Testing and Challenges It wasn t as easy as it looked Lacked a pilot Lacked a secure area to practice flying Creating 3D models was difficult Getting proper photos and overlap is critical, and requires great precision Needed serious computers and software Needed an easier way to share data throughout company Wished for an autonomous solution Kespry, DroneDeploy, SkyCatch, Pix4D? Needed to remove the high-skill barriers

17 Regulatory Overview and B&G s Path to Compliant Operation

18 B&G s Path to Compliant Operations N215BG FAA released comprehens -ive UAS guidelines Filed for FAA Section 333 Exemption Executive team issued companywide C&D Developed internal safety standards for UAS use First initial draft of internal policy for UAS use Received 333 Exemption & Registered UAS Conducted 1 st Flight on B&G Jobsite Feb Jul Sept Oct Oct Dec Jan. 2016

19 How can we operate commercially today? Navigating the FAA regulations regarding what we can and cant do is still very complex Sites may be more difficult to fly if near an airport, not impossible. (5nm radius) ALL commercial operations require a licensed pilot for any drone operation New FAA rules were put in place in late August and allow more flexible operations

20 Regulatory Overview What is a commercial use of UAS? Selling photos or videos taken from a UAS Provide contract services, such as industrial equipment or factory inspection Provide professional services, such as security or telecommunications Monitor the progress of work your company is performing What are some examples of commercial uses of UAS? Professional real estate or wedding photography Professional cinema photography for a film or television production Providing contract services for mapping or land surveys

21 What requirements do I need to meet to fly commercially? Remote Pilot requirements: Must be at least 16 years of age Must hold a remote pilot airman certificate with a small UAS rating or be under the direct supervision of someone holding a remote pilot airman certificate Must pass the applicable Transportation Security Administration (TSA) vetting UAS requirements: Must weigh less than 55 lbs.* Must undergo pre-flight check by remote pilot in command (a.k.a. you or the person supervising the operation) Location requirements: Operations in Class B, C, D and E airspace are allowed with the required Air Traffic Controller (ATC) permission Operations in Class G airspace are allowed without ATC permission

22 What are the operating rules? Under 400 feet above ground level (AGL) Must keep the UAS in sight (i.e. visual line of sight) Daylight ONLY <100mph Must fly during daylight hours Must fly at or below 100 mph <400 AGL Must yield right of way to manned aircraft Must not fly over people Must not fly from a moving vehicle unless you are in a sparsely populated area

23 What s Possible Today?

24 Various Outputs from UAS Today Aerial images & video Time-lapse videos Inspection of hazardous areas Capturing a 3D model of the site/structure Take advanced measurements Daily monitoring of progress Generate topographical drawings Quality Control inspection

25 High-Res Aerial Progress Photos

26 High-Res (4K) Flyover Video

27 High-Res Orthomosaic Map End Product of Flight

28 Elevation Digital Surface Model

29 Point Cloud Fly-Through

30 Point Cloud aligned to Federated Model

31 Lessons Learned & Case Studies

32 Planning Flight Mission w/ DroneDeploy

33 Final Interactive Map Result

34 What is B&G Flying With? Hardware recommended for industrial use: DJI Inspire 1 4K Video / 12MP Photos 360 Stabilized Gimbal ~20min flight time ~50mph top speed Zenmuse X3 Camera (2x) LightBridge RCs (6x) LiOn Batteries (2x) Apple ipad Tablets Waterproof TSA Approved Pelican Case

35 Best Practices for Mapping Missions The more imagery, the better Fly at the lowest possible altitude Increase overlap as much as feasible High photo overlap can assist the software in registering the model Supplement Areas of Particular Interest with Angled Photos Bring necessary amount of batteries Field verify data before leaving site Check that the UAS obtained a reasonable amount of photos It s not the end-all, be-all, UAS data has great value in supplement to traditional survey techniques

36 Best Practices for Flying Commercially Always do the following as a minimum: Secure permission from project team and property owner preferably a week in advance Verify airspace is not restricted (>5nm airport, >2nm heliport) Verify weather for desired date (clear conditions. <10mph winds) Schedule flight on day and time where minimal personnel will be present Ensure licensed pilot will be present to operate UAS with a dedicated visual observer Ensure aircraft is registered with FAA Identify potential safety hazards (overhead utilities, vertical structures, blind spots) Plan flight mission with all relevant data Perform hardware inspection on UAS before flying

37 Case Study: Aerial Site Survey Assisting our field operations by using UAS to survey active construction project at Florida Hospital in Apopka, FL. Survey requested to determine progress of site work (earthmoving). Traditional method would take weeks, come with great cost, and only yield a few hundred points of resolution Opportunity to use aerial method to get results faster with greater resolution of data

38 Case Study: Aerial Site Survey Aerial Survey Post Flight Workflow: What was involved after the flight? Registration Generate point cloud and contour map with assigned elevations Analysis Compared engineer s design intent CAD file vs actual topographic data obtained by drone Verification Checked proof of concept by spot checking results by traditional means, confirmed validity of output

39 Aerial Survey Outputs & Results FLORIDA HOSPITAL Contour Line Map End Product of Flight FLORIDA HOSPITAL Soils Import/Export Analysis

40 Traditional vs Aerial Surveying Timeline Typical ground-based survey timeline Request from project team 2 days Survey Accepted ~1-2 weeks Data collection & postprocessing ~1-2 weeks Delivery of PDF, CAD File, Contour Map 2-3 weeks

41 Traditional vs Aerial Surveying Timeline Typical aerial survey timeline Request from project team 1 day Mobilize to Site 1-2 days Fly UAS & Collect Data 1-2 days Delivery of PDF, CAD File, Contour Map + POINT CLOUD + ORTHOIMAGERY 1-4 days

42 Use Case: Preconstruction Assisting our preconstruction teams by using measurement methods to estimate quantities Able to get precision measurements rapidly 1hr on jobsite, data available 3 hours later Rooftop area to be replaced is 39,204 sq. ft. (~10 clicks)

43 Use Case: Checking Crane Clearances Assisting our equipment operations by using a drone model & BIM model to confirm crane placement Able to adjust and manipulate crane geometry for ideal site configuration Allows B&G to check ourselves and ensure up front, rather than potentially finding out the hard way

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45 Use Case: Site Familiarization through VR Assisting our field operations by using virtual reality to assess and learn jobsites Load 3D model from UAS into VR headsets such as the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift A new way to gain understanding of our jobsites from a remote location Identify logistics and safety concerns through immersive almost actually there experience

46 Recap & Path Forward

47 Where are we now? Utilized UAS on 19 B&G jobsites in 2016 Will fly 10 additional jobsites by the end of 2016 calendar year Acres Mapped as of September FAA Part 107 Certified Remote Pilots Plan to train 10 more over the next calendar year 5 Corporately Owned UAS Plan to invest in 10 additional over the next calendar year for rapid jobsite deployment

48 How will our operations scale? In-house performed HQ plans and performs the flight to ensure FAA compliance, then will perform any necessary post-processing and deliver the data requested. External vendor performed B&G will coordinate with external vendors to ensure the proper certifications. After initial coordination, approved external vendors will be able to offer their services to that specific project Jobsite Performed B&G will provide resources to assist in getting project specific personnel FAA Part 107 certified and trained on safe use and best practices to perform drone-based inspection and mapping on the job as needed. HQ will issue and manage UAS equipment to ensure compatibility, verify hardware is listed on insurance policy, and ensure each UAS is registered with the FAA.

49 Implementing Controls Issued corporate-wide memo outlining strategy Developed self-study & how-to guide for those interested in becoming certified Developed standard operating procedures for safe-flight Developed training program for field personnel

50 B&G s Path for Issuing UAS Hardware Jobsite requests hardware and training of operator Would-be field-based operator studies/passes 107 exam Equipment is ordered, assembled, registered with FAA Aircraft & operator are added to corporate insurance policy VDC personnel delivers hardware and conducts training Field operator conducts first flight Equipment is NOT purchased prior to passing 107 exam and completing hands-on training

51 Maintaining Traceability Hardhat decal for identifying approved operators UAS decal for approved hardware

52 What does the future hold? New UAS Rules add greater flexibility for commercial operations Pilot requirement goes away Formal training and knowledge test will be required Easier to fly sites close to airports Allows for more flexible operations Next-gen UAS tech will be impressive Collision avoidance Object tracking & Machine learning Capturing as-built information Quality control A drone on every jobsite B&G has 200+ active jobs, that is the finish line All team members will have a greatly improved level of awareness on remote projects

53 Questions

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