ABSTRACT :-

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs), also known as drone technology, is used for different types of
application in the civil engineering. Drones as a tools that increase communication between construction
participants, improves site safety, uses topographic measurements of large areas, with using principles of
aerial photogrammetry is possible to create buildings aerial surveying, bridges, roads, highways, saves
project time and costs, etc. The use of UAVs in the civil engineering can brings many benefits; creating
real-time aerial images from the building objects, overviews reveal assets and challenges, as well as the
broad lay of the land, operators Can share the imaging with personnel on site, in headquarters and with
sub-contractors, planners can meet virtually to discuss project timing, equipment needs and challenges
presented by the terrain. The aim of this contribution is to create a general overview of the use of UAVs
in the civil engineering. The contribution also contains types of UAVs used for construction purposes,
their advantages and also disadvantages.

INTRODUCTION :-
Over the last decades, new digital technologies have appeared to enhance productivity, reduce overall
time and cost of construction tasks. The introduction of drones to the construction industry is recent,
although their use in other areas of industry (e.g., agriculture, public safety, military purposes, science
and research, monitoring security, mining, etc.) has been frequent [1]. In the construction industry, aerial
vehicles have been used for numerous purposes; such as, inspection of highways, bridges, roads, cell
towers, high mast lighting, wind turbines, power transmission lines, building façade and roof, survey and
mapping, construction monitoring, wetland/environmental, drainage and erosion, traffic monitoring,
emergency services, etc. [1], [2]. UAVs provide invaluable help and cost savings with wide views of
inaccessible and otherwise difficult and tough to navigate locations. UAVs indicate best access with the
overhead perspective and 360° panoramas relay a real-time scenario. With this input, engineering teams
can prioritize their approaches. Operators can share the imaging with personnel on site, in company and
also with sub-contractors at the distance [3]. The data in terms of drone images from multiple locations
and point clouds (from 3D scanning of construction site) can be used to construct a 3D model using the
photogrammetry techniques. This so-called "drone model" can be compared to BIM model at various
construction stages to monitor the construction progress. Beside construction scheduling and costing, this
comparison can be expanded to include real-time recording, reporting, billing, verification and planning
[4]. The construction industry is based on the human relationships between project stakeholders. Digital
tools and processes cannot replace people, either as individuals or teams, but they are required to increase
quality of work, reduce costs and safety risk, improve decisions, reduce time-consuming processes, etc.
Drones present increasingly attractive opportunities for achieving these goals, e.g., a team of scientists
has demonstrated that UAVs were able to build a rope bridge, assemble items to create a structure, or
detect and catch an object in the air. On the present, UAVs offer a high level of automation that allows to
reach previously inaccessible areas, while capturing a large amount of data very quickly. However, this is
not their only use [5].

Types of drones used in the construction industry :-

The use of drones has been one of the most attractive construction trends in recent years. In the
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construction industry has seen an almost 240% increase in drone usage, higher than any other commercial
sector. Drones offer such aviation benefits and capabilities that provide invaluable help in solving
construction activities. Although there are a large number of drones on the market, commercial drones are
commonly used in the construction industry [6]. Drones can be classified on a different basis, like drones
for photography, drones for aerial mapping, drones for military purposes and surveillance, etc. However,
the best classification of drones can be made on the basis of aerial platforms. Based on the type of aerial
platform used, there are 4 major types of drones; fixed wing drones, multi rotor drones, single rotor
drones and fixed wing hybrid VTOL drones[7].

Multi-rotor drones are the most commonly used types of drones, which are used not only for fun, but also
for professional aerial mapping. Common applications of multi rotors are aerial photography, video
recording and aerial surveying. These types of drones can be classified according to the number of rotors,
e.g., tricopters (3 rotors), quadcopters (4 rotors), hexacopters (6 rotors) and octocopters (8 rotors) [12].
The disadvantage of multi-rotor drones is their limited endurance and speed. Due to these limitations,
these types of drones are not suitable for large scale aerial mapping, e.g. pipelines, roads, power lines,
highways, etc. Despite the drone technology continues to improve, multi-rotor drones have to do a lot of
effort to keep them in the air. Depending on the weight of the drone and camera, multirotordrones
currently hold an average of 20-30 minutes or less in the air [13].

Fixed wing drones operate essentially on the same principle as passenger airplanes. These drones do not
generate thrust by vertical rotors, but generate lift using fixed wings [12]. These types of drones need
energy only to move forward and not to keep them in the air. For this reason, they are a much more
efficient variant for topographic mapping of large areas and they are able to cover longer distances than
multi-rotor drones. On the other hand, the main disadvantage of the fixed wing drones is the inability to
stay in the air in one place, which prevents them from creating detailed aerial mapping, e.g. the as-built
buildings. Another disadvantage of this type of drone is its take-off from the ground and landing on the
ground. Depending on the size of the drone is necessary to have a runway or catapult launcher to get them
into the air and on the other hand is necessary to have a runway to get them to the ground back safely
[13]. The fixed wing design allows these drones to reach a higher altitude during flight, making them
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efficient tool for aerial mapping topography, but on the other hand they can only fly forward. For closer
aerial work which requiring more detailed activities, e.g., detailed aerial mapping of buildings, the use of
multi-rotor drones is a much better solution because they are easy to work with in the air and their rotor
design allows them to hover stable in the air

Multi-rotor drones generate vertical thrust using multiple rotors, but on the other hand a single helicopter
drone uses only one rotor. The single helicopters drones can be powered by gasoline engines and thus last
much longer in the air than multi-rotor drones. If it is necessary to fly with higher payload, e.g. with the
LIDAR scanner, or if it is necessary for aerial mapping to combine a long endurance of the flight with
forward flight, in this case a single helicopter drone is a good choice. The disadvantage of this type of
drone is the increased complexity, cost, vibration, and they also require more mechanical maintenance
due to their increased overall technical complexity [12]. Fixed wing unmanned aircraft is known to be
more energy efficient than quadcopters and as a result can cover long distances much faster. But quad-
shaped drones do not need that much space for take-off and landing. That is also why some
manufacturers have decided to combine these characteristics and have developed unmanned aircraft that
can take off vertically and then go into horizontal flight using wings. Their name is very similar to the
automobile industry, and it, hybrid drones. The hybrid drone flies on a pre-scheduled flight route at a
user-specified height and collects data through its color and multispectral sensors. Upon completion of its
mission, the drone will land vertically back to the starting point

UTILIZING DRONE TECHNOLOGY IN CONSTRUCTION

INDUSTRY :-
The drone technology in the construction industry has a very wide range of applications. Drones can be
applied in the construction industry in the following ways :-

1. Building Surveys :-
Almost every building survey of the building requires the visibility of the roof of the building in order to
assess its technical conditions and to assess any defects or failures. In most cases, the ascent to the roof is
complicated, which often requires the use of scaffolding, ladders or other auxiliary structures, which may
ultimately pose a danger which are both time consuming and costly. Use of a small drone in these cases
can save time, costs, reduce health and safety risks which are connected with the building surveying of
the roof structure and with accessing to complex or hard to reach parts of the building's roof.
[14].Looking Fig. 2 it can be seen that for overall aerial mapping of the building it is necessary to create
vertical (left part of the figure) and oblique (right part of the figure) aerial images. Vertical aerial
photographic coverage of the roof is normally taken as a series of overlapping flight strips. The overall
time for automatic mode was in this case 3 minutes and 100 aerial images were created. The oblique
aerial images which were focused on the building's facade were created in the manual mode, it means,
that this process is about the pilot's practical and personal experiences. In this mode, 950 aerial images
were created in the distance from the building approximately 10 - 15 meters in three altitude levels. The
comprehensive data collection time of aerial mapping was 2 hours and 1050 aerial images were created.

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Topographic Mapping and Land Surveys :-
In the case of planning large-scale and complex construction projects, consultation of topographic maps is
essential. Topographic maps may reveal construction design errors that are inappropriate for terrain.
Although topographic maps are useful for construction projects, their production is often costly and time
consuming. The use of drones is very effective in these cases. Due to its ability to capture large amounts
of data in a relatively short time, it leads to significant cost savings as well as the project costs required
for these activities. Drones, thanks to their capabilities, ensure project time, budget and accuracy.
Furthermore, from the high quality aerial images produced by drones can be created 3D models of the
surface (DSM-digital surface model) or of the terrain (DTM-digital terrain model)

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Construction Site Inspections :-
For builders the data from drones can be collected frequently allowing easy integration into projects and
tracking site progress precisely and with hardly any5lag time. This allows construction companies to work
more effectively in managing their time and resources while minimizing potential issues and delays [16].
Construction site inspection using drones can be a considerable tool for project teams. A pilot with
experiences can use the drone to identify any construction or technical problems on the construction site
and also using drones for inspection purposes is possible to ensure that the project goals will go according
to plan. The use of drones can save thousands of euros in the case of rebuilds and plan changes. Using
drones can be much safer as well because it eliminates spaces or areas on the construction site that could
potentially be dangerous to assess the damage. With more advanced technology, it is possible also use a
drone to fly around a construction site and check out how closely it resembles the construction plan or the
model, drones can aid in the creation of detailed 3D models of new construction projects, drones can help
to see what things look like on the roof of a skyscraper under construction, etc. [17]. Drone due to its
ability to perform visual inspection of high risk areas on the construction site or on the new - exist
building can save time, reduce health and safety risks. Aerial photographs can be documented from the
safety of the site cabin and then sent to project team in HD quality very quickly and effectively. Site
inspections can be undertaken more regularly and cover larger areas more efficiently [14]. There are four
main benefits to using drones for construction site inspections: improved safety saves time, less labor-
intensiveand higher quality data [18].

Equipment Tracking and Automating :-

Equipment tracking and automating is the problem of every project manager on the construction site. This
is usually a problem with a large number of different tables and documents, which are often difficult and
time-consuming to keep. Using the drone, the same project manager can immediately assess if the
equipment is where it should be during the drone flight. It is also possible to quickly assess with a drone
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if a devices that have already completed its work is still on-site and with this solution is also possible to
prevent expensive accidental extension charges [6].

Remote Monitoring and Progress Reports :-

Probably the biggest advantage of drones in the construction industry they can provide to clients is their
visibility from the air, from a great height and from any location [6]. A constant drone flight on the
construction site can represents a quick way to map the progress of a project, especially when the clients
are not able to be physically present on a site [6], [14]. Thanks to multiple high-resolution aerial images
and HD-quality videos, project developers can get a better overview of project progress at daily, weekly
or monthly intervals [14]. According to [19] it’s recommended to film only those areas of the new
construction where the best progress is achieved, unless the client stipulates otherwise.

Integration of laser scanning and aerial photogrammetry :-

It is often difficult for a surveyor to gain access to a suitable laser scanning location from which would be
possible to scan, e.g. roof construction. In this case the final point cloud canbe incomplete. The drone
technology in integration with the laser scanning can brings solution of this limitation. [14].Looking Fig.
6 it can be seen the reference building where the technology of terrestrial laser scans and aerial
photogrammetry using a drone were used. The measurement of this building was divided into two stages.
In the case of terrestrial laser scanning (stage 1), the completely facade of the building was selected for
digital surveying, and in the case of aerial photogrammetry (stage 2) the completely roof of the building
was selected for digital surveying. The total data collection time of the first stage was approximately 12
hours and together was created 48 scanner positions which were focused on the exterior part of the
building. The total data collection time of the second stage was approximately 30 minutes (flight plan of
the drone, aerial photographs in automatic mode, and aerial photographs in manual mode) which were
focused on the roof construction of the building. In the second phase, a total of 302 aerial photographs
were taken using a DJI MAVIC PRO quadcopter with a 12 Mpx digital camera, and the entire drone
flight was performed with one battery.The phase of data processing in this case consisted from three
stages. The first stage was primary focused on creation of two point cloud from two technologies using
the appropriate softwares. The second stage was about integration of two local coordinate systems from
two point clouds into common coordinate system. This was very important step for the final connection
of two point clouds. The last stage was about final connection of two point clouds based on the common
coordinate system (Fig. 6). Data processing time for laser scanning was 3 hours and the Faro Scene and
Autodesk Recap software were used. Data processing time for aerial photogrammetry was 31 hours and
the “Agisoft Photoscan Professional” was used. The final point cloud includes now all space information
about the building and this data can be used for either CAD or BIM modeling like a template for a new
as-built project.

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Thermal Imaging recording :-
Similar to laser scanners, also drones can be used to create aerial thermal images from different parts of
buildings which can be used to assess cold spots in buildings. This possibility can bring for engineers,
surveyors and contractors necessary information about the building in the case when is essential to
identify and rectify building defects, e.g. places where thermal bridges arise and the like [14].
Thermography allows determine thermal technical properties of building envelope and is used to detect
hidden building defects. Thermography is able to find these failures with the necessary accuracy and, if
evaluated correctly, is the basic step for effective design of the technical solution and consequently also
for checking its realization. Combining thermography with drones allows detection of such construction
defects that are not visible to the naked eye (Fig. 7) [14]. Thermal imaging of the certain part of the
building can also help detect water infiltration, leaks, and areas with mold or rot before they cause serious
damage. These cold, damp areas will appear as dark blue on the thermal imaging screen. From the
inspector’s standpoint, using the equipment to inspect rooftops, pinpoint leaks and detect heat loss make
the process simpler, safer and faster and generally more efficient [20]. Other uses of drones in the
construction industry can be included security surveillance, personnel safety, health and safety inductions,
maintenance inspections, promotional photography, live feed/ virtual walk around, site logistics,
monitoring workers, etc.

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Conclusion :-
Drones are an important technological asset in the area of civil engineering. Their use in the construction
industry will only increase in time because they can efficiently collect data of a high standard, greatly
minimizes risk to the safety of a project team. In general, the construction industry is often careful in
implementing new progressive technologies into production or in established workflows. The
construction industry can be described as a fast-growing industry, and unmanned aerial vehicles
technology was quickly adopted as a tool that saves costs, time and increases safety and control.
Construction companies receive drones much faster than ever because of their innumerable benefits.
Whether drones are used by construction companies for topographic terrain mapping, building surveys,
land surveys, construction site inspections, remote monitoring, progress reports, thermal imaging
recording or for integration with laser scanners, drones have proved as invaluable tool throughout the life
cycle of a construction project. The drone capabilities enable them to save costs, time, risk and labor,
which automatically lead engineers, contractors, investors or future customers to more confidence and
certainty in working on a construction project.