Exploratory Study of Potential Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Construction Management Tasks
01 May 2016-Journal of Management in Engineering (American Society of Civil Engineers)-Vol. 32, Iss: 3, pp 05016001-05016001
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an exploratory case study to identify potential applications of visual assets obtained from UAVs for construction management tasks, including project progress monitoring, job site logistics, evaluating safety conditions, and quality inspections among other secondary management tasks.
Abstract: Despite studies exploring potential applications of unmanned aerial systems (UASs), the particular use and value of visual assets (photographs or video) collected with UASs for construction management tasks is not well understood. This paper presents an exploratory case study to identify potential applications of visual assets obtained from UASs for construction management tasks. The case study involved the development of a visual assets database from UAS-based images and videos collected during UAS flights at jobsites in the United States and Brazil as well as semi-structured interviews with construction project personnel. The results revealed potential applications of UASs mainly for project progress monitoring, job site logistics, evaluating safety conditions, and quality inspections among other secondary management tasks. In addition, an analysis of costs related to the use of UASs was performed. The main contribution of this case study is a better understanding of the use of UASs for construction management tasks and their regulatory and cost implications.
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TL;DR: The main goal of this study proposes a decision-driven workflow for UAS-integrated safety management that encourages sustainable and continuous improvement and documents the operational considerations related to this application.
Abstract: Current studies have focused on the exploration of the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) applications in the construction and infrastructure domains, such as progress monitoring, condition inspections, and particularly safety inspection. While their works have had significant contributions to highlighting the potential of the UAS technology, there are still gaps in the lack of operational considerations and workflows established to integrate the UAS into the current safety management program. To fill this gap, this study conducted field tests at commercial building construction worksite by adopting conceptually developed UAS flight protocol. A total of eight flights were performed to collect visual assets and provide for safety professionals at the jobsite with the insight of how this technology can be utilized in accordance with the developed workflow. A total of eight project personnel participated in the UAS flight test at their jobsite as well as post-flight interview to discuss how this technology can meet their safety management task goals. As the qualitative study, this paper narratively described the conceptual procedures consist of three different decision-making processes for ensuring the safe flight of the UAS: pre-flight, flight, and post-flight decision makings. Based on the potential users’ perceptions obtained during the field testing, this presented study focused on three different operational considerations: involving project-based, UAS’s capability and hardware specifications and UAS and project team-based aspects. The main goal of this study proposes a decision-driven workflow for UAS-integrated safety management that encourages sustainable and continuous improvement and documents the operational considerations related to this application. As the qualitative exploratory study, this research is limited to employ only one test-bed environment and the small number of interviewees. However, this study can contribute to a better understanding of the concerns, processes, and further recommendations to safely and effectively implement the UAS into the construction safety management program.
22 citations
TL;DR: By understanding UAS adoption in construction, this study provides a roadmap to better identify the industry needs and guide researchers and professionals in investigating application areas and barriers that might have maximum benefits for the construction industry in the United States.
Abstract: Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) have rapidly been integrated into the construction industry over the past few years, and their application is continually growing in this domain. The recent development in UAS regulations and technical capabilities have played a significant role in their popularity and wide deployment in various stages of the construction lifecycle. UASs could be used as a platform to enhance the construction practices in general; however, little is known about how construction professionals are adopting this technology in specific construction practices and the barriers they are facing for their successful implementation. The purpose of this study is to explore the current state-of-practice of UAS integration in construction from the industry professionals’ viewpoint. A comprehensive survey study was conducted in the United States to identify the practical construction UAS application areas, their adopted technologies, as well as the benefits and barriers encountered during their implementation. Responses (n=56) showed that most common UAS applications include progress monitoring, site planning, and site surveying/mapping. Rotary-wing vehicles and visual and thermal cameras were the most used platforms and onboard sensors, respectively. Saving time, improving accessibility to compromised spaces, and reducing cost while accomplishing construction tasks were highly regarded as UAS implementation benefits in construction. Participants also considered flying in various weather conditions, within confined or congested areas, as well as the advanced technical know-how requirements, and the increased liability and legal challenges as barriers to using UASs in construction-related tasks. By understanding UAS adoption in construction, this study provides a roadmap to better identify the industry needs and guide researchers and professionals in investigating application areas and barriers that might have maximum benefits for the construction industry in the United States.
22 citations
Cites background from "Exploratory Study of Potential Appl..."
...Álvares and Costa (2019); Ezequiel et al. (2014); Irizarry and Costa (2016); Park et al. (2018); Unger et al. (2014) Safety Management Protecting construction workers against safety hazards....
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TL;DR: Photogrammetric techniques have dramatically improved over the last few years, enabling the creation of visually compelling three-dimensional meshes using unmanned aerial vehicle image...
Abstract: Photogrammetric techniques have dramatically improved over the last few years, enabling the creation of visually compelling three-dimensional (3D) meshes using unmanned aerial vehicle image...
22 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors presented a systematic and practical approach to improve quality control of the prefabricated modular construction projects by integrating building information modeling (BIM) with 3D laser scanning technology.
Abstract: Quality control is essential to a successful modular construction project and should be enhanced throughout the project from design to construction and installation. The current methods for analyzing the assembly quality of a removable floodwall heavily rely on manual inspection and contact-type measurements, which are time-consuming and costly. This study presents a systematic and practical approach to improve quality control of the prefabricated modular construction projects by integrating building information modeling (BIM) with three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning technology. The study starts with a thorough literature review of current quality control methods in modular construction. Firstly, the critical quality control procedure for the modular construction structure and components should be identified. Secondly, the dimensions of the structure and components in a BIM model is considered as quality tolerance control benchmarking. Thirdly, the point cloud data is captured with 3D laser scanning, which is used to create the as-built model for the constructed structure. Fourthly, data analysis and field validation are carried out by matching the point cloud data with the as-built model and the BIM model. Finally, the study employs the data of a removable floodwall project to validate the level of technical feasibility and accuracy of the presented methods. This method improved the efficiency and accuracy of modular construction quality control. It established a preliminary foundation for using BIM and laser scanning to conduct quality control in removable floodwall installation. The results indicated that the proposed integration of BIM and 3D laser scanning has great potential to improve the quality control of a modular construction project.
22 citations
Cites background from "Exploratory Study of Potential Appl..."
...Irizarry and Costa [41] developed a visual assets database from UAV-based images and videos collected during UAV flights at jobsites....
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TL;DR: This study develops a method for automatic detection of the construction area using multitemporal images and a deep learning method that enabled more effective identification of the changed areas than the existing pixel-based change detection.
Abstract: Currently, unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly being used in various construction projects such as housing developments, road construction, and bridge maintenance If a drone is used at a road construction site, elevation information and orthoimages can be generated to acquire the construction status quantitatively However, the detection of detailed changes in the site owing to construction depends on visual video interpretation This study develops a method for automatic detection of the construction area using multitemporal images and a deep learning method First, a deep learning model was trained using images of the changing area as reference Second, we obtained an effective application method by applying various parameters to the deep learning process The application of the time-series images of a construction site to the selected deep learning model enabled more effective identification of the changed areas than the existing pixel-based change detection The proposed method is expected to be very helpful in construction management by aiding in the development of smart construction technology
19 citations
References
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TL;DR: A novel control law based on computer vision for quasi-stationary flights above a planar target is presented, which uses the homography matrix computed from the information obtained from the vision system.
427 citations
"Exploratory Study of Potential Appl..." refers background in this paper
...2004), avalanche control (McCormack and Trepanier 2008), aerial assessment of road surface condition (Zhang and Elaksher 2012), bridge inspection (Metni and Hamel 2007; Morgenthal and Hallermann 2014), and safety inspection on jobsites (Irizarry et al....
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Book•
01 Sep 2004
TL;DR: The roots of all Aviation, Cold War, Hot Missions, and Unmanned UAVs Today: A Snapshot future history are explored.
Abstract: Introduction Birth of a Concept The Concept Takes Flight But For One Dissenting Vote Technical Challenge No. 2: Remote Control United Kingdom The Roots of All Aviation Reginald Denny Delbert Fahrney Cold War, Hot Missions Vietnam: The Coming of Age Israel Endeavoring to Endure Unfueled and Unmanned UAVs Today: A SnapshotFuture History Appendix A: Significant Dates in Unmanned Aviation Appendix B: Notable Personalities in Unmanned Aviation Appendix C: Notable Unmanned Aircraft Bibliography
225 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the application of UAVs for visual inspection and damage detection on civil structures is discussed and the properties of such flight systems, the factors influencing their movements and the resulting photo quality is discussed.
Abstract: This paper discusses the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for visual inspection and damage detection on civil structures. The quality of photos and videos taken by using such airborne vehicles is strongly influenced by numerous parameters such as lighting conditions, distance to the object and vehicle motion induced by environmental effects. Whilst such devices feature highly sophisticated sensors and control algorithms, specifically the effects of fluctuating wind speeds and directions affect the vehicle motion. The nature of vehicle movements during photo and video acquisition in turn affect the quality of the data and hence the degree to which damages can be identified. This paper discusses the properties of such flight systems, the factors influencing their movements and the resulting photo quality. Based on the processed data logged by the high precision sensors on the UAV the influences are studied and a method is shown by which the damage assessment quality may be quantified.
219 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this study, a small-scale aerial drone was used as a tool for exploring potential benefits to safety managers within the construction jobsite and recommendations for the required features of an Ideal Safety Inspection Drone were led.
Abstract: SUMMARY: The construction industry lags behind many others in the rate of adoption of cutting edge technologies In the area of safety management this is more so Many advances in information technology could provide great benefits to this important aspect of construction operations Innovative use of these tools could result in safer jobsites This paper discusses initial application of drone technology in the construction industry In this study, a small-scale aerial drone was used as a tool for exploring potential benefits to safety managers within the construction jobsite This drone is an aerial quadricopter that can be piloted remotely using a smart phone, tablet device or a computer Since the drone is equipped with video cameras, it can provide safety managers with fast access to images as well as real time videos from a range of locations around the jobsite An expert analysis (heuristic evaluation) as well as a user participation analysis were performed on said quadricopter to determine the features of an ideal safety inspection drone The heuristic evaluation uncovered some of the user interface problems of the drone interface considering the context of the safety inspection The user participation evaluation was performed following a simulated task of counting the number of hardhats viewed through the display of a mobile device in the controlled environment of the lab Considering the task and the controlled variables, this experimental approach revealed that using the drone together with a large-size interface (eg iPad) would be as accurate as having the safety manager with plain view of the jobsite The results of these two evaluations together with previous experience of the authors in the area of safety inspection and drone technology led to recommendations for the required features of an Ideal Safety Inspection Drone Autonomous navigation, vocal interaction, high-resolution cameras, and collaborative user-interface environment are some examples of those features This innovative application of the aerial drone has the potential to improve construction practices and in this case facilitate jobsite safety inspections
205 citations
"Exploratory Study of Potential Appl..." refers background in this paper
...2004), avalanche control (McCormack and Trepanier 2008), aerial assessment of road surface condition (Zhang and Elaksher 2012), bridge inspection (Metni and Hamel 2007; Morgenthal and Hallermann 2014), and safety inspection on jobsites (Irizarry et al. 2012)....
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06 Mar 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the vision-based control of a small UAV following a road, using only the vision measurements and onboard inertial sensors, using a control strategy stabilizing the aircraft and following the road.
Abstract: This paper describes the vision-based control of a small autonomous aircraft following a road. The computer vision system detects natural features of the scene and tracks the roadway in order to determine relative yaw and lateral displacement between the aircraft and the road. Using only the vision measurements and onboard inertial sensors, a control strategy stabilizes the aircraft and follows the road. The road detection and aircraft control strategies have been verified by hardware in the loop (HIL) simulations over long stretches (several kilometers) of straight roads and in conditions of up to 5 m/s of prevailing wind. Hardware experiments have also been conducted using a modified radio-controlled aircraft. Successful road following was demonstrated over an airfield runway under variable lighting and wind conditions. The development of vision-based control strategies for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the ones presented here, enables complex autonomous missions in environments where typical navigation sensor like GPS are unavailable.
175 citations