Aerial photogrammetry can reduce rework on engineering projects.
Engineers are tasked with looking at the world around them and transforming untapped potential, such as undeveloped land or outdated building structures, into tangible projects that will foster progress in society. Engineers must also account for potential risks during construction, such as hindrances—erosion, architectural integrity or tree coverage—associated with the land that have the potential to derail projects. Many come up against the difficulty of accurately surveying land in remote areas for proper measurements for later reference during the crucial design phase. Conversely, areas prone to constant disruption, such as roads or major cities, make it difficult for engineers to gain accurate insights about growing automotive and pedestrian congestion. These obstacles can be major pain points for engineers and, as a result, an average of 30 percent of all work on a development project is just rework, with 70 percent of project rework costs stemming from fundamental design errors. These statistics highlight how critical it is to equip the industry with the right technology to mitigate challenges and streamline efforts.
The integration of aerial photogrammetry meets these challenges head-on and provides engineers with the insights needed to inform every step of an undertaking from the design phase to the completion of construction.
The Evolution of Aerial Photogrammetry
In the last decade, aerial photogrammetry, otherwise known as topographical location data, has seen a tremendous amount of digitization, catalyzing the advancement of even more sophisticated camera systems capable of capturing higher resolution imagery. Developed approximately 150 years ago, this form of visual data assists engineers with measuring the distance between objects in urban areas to create a 3D line of sight. By plotting the various points of a project with visible landmarks, engineers can better triangulate important points of a structure and create interactive models that enable engineers to exercise preventative planning. Prior to the adoption of this technology, engineers had to rely on in-person site visits that were limiting because measurements were often taken from one vantage point, resulting in simple, two-dimensional maps. These resources often failed to accurately account for important land developments, sending engineers back to the drawing board.
Airborne cameras can cover a greater amount of area more regularly, keeping track of and recording, property changes over time. Sustained advancement of this technology ensures that the quality of the imagery and the reach of its capabilities will progress forward, making the work of engineers that much better and eliminating the need for rework in the process. As AI continues to advance, it will enrich aerial imagery solutions to create even higher-value products at lower costs and a quicker turnaround.
Optimizing Aerial Photogrammetry Across Industries
At first blush, one might wonder how a series of photos can benefit various industries. But the scope of aerial photogrammetry capabilities is far reaching and the technology’s continued development permits a whole host of further potential. This visual technology has sophisticated applications for societal necessities like urban planning, facilitating plans of roads and railways, or guiding transport such as airplanes, ships and trains into designated ports. Executives across industries are aware that the technology exists but are often unaware of how these 3D visualizations can provide a bigger picture.
Insurance firms often use aerial photogrammetry to assess risk and inform the claims process with increased accuracy by proactively highlighting key variables that could be cause for concern. Following disruptive weather events, aerial photogrammetry allows insurers to get a better understanding of how the situation impacted infrastructure in the affected area, informing damage assessment, validating damage claims and streamlining the claims process. Looking at infrastructure from a different perspective, alternative energy firms benefit from these visual tools as well. Given that much of their assets are large, more dangerous to handle and in difficult-to-reach locations, aerial photogrammetry provides these firms with the necessary insights to assess equipment damage and conduct more frequent land inspections. This technology goes as far as gathering crucial visual information for public safety to catalog and recreate crime scenes, gather evidence and display that information during trials, helping to efficiently solve crimes and keep communities safe. These assets also afford law enforcement and local governments with data on land degradation that is traditionally unfit for people to traverse following a natural disaster.
The Business Advantage of Aerial Photogrammetry
Engineering firms leverage aerial photogrammetry as a critical proof point when engineers must make a strong business case for the venture to key decision-makers.
The creation of base maps in shorter time periods helps engineering firms win new projects by allowing them to present a preliminary analysis of a development site during the earliest stage. These proactive analyses build confidence with both the client and the firm because they can trust that the imagery they’re referencing is as up to date as possible. If external variables like previous weather catastrophes or obstructions have impacted the land, engineering firms can call upon this technology as a source of information that accurately reflects the changes that have occurred because of these events.
Positive perception of a development plan is a key determinant in garnering community support for the project. Given the 3D immersive nature of this technology, aerial photogrammetry provides engineering firms with a unique opportunity to offer clients and community members virtual walk-throughs and interactive content, making private and public entities feel included and informed throughout the duration of the project.
Aerial photogrammetry is a vital component of accurate work for engineering firms looking to reduce rework costs on projects. While not a new method of obtaining visual measurements of urban areas, continued progress and development of this technology will prime it for stronger capabilities, helping to make rework on engineering projects a thing of the past.
