Exploratory study of using unmanned aerial system imagery for construction site 3D mapping

Álvares, J S; Costa, D B and Melo, R R S (2018) Exploratory study of using unmanned aerial system imagery for construction site 3D mapping. Construction Innovation, 18(3), pp. 301-320. ISSN 1471-4175

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory study which aims to assess the potential use of 3D mapping of buildings and construction sites using unmanned aerial system (UAS) imagery for supporting the construction management tasks. Design/methodology/approach: The case studies were performed in two different residential construction projects. The equipment used was a quadcopter equipped with digital camera and GPS that allow for the registry of geo-referenced images. The Pix4D Mapper and PhotoScan software were used to generate the 3D models. The study sought to examine three main constructs related to the 3D mapping developed: the easiness of development, the quality of the models in accordance with the proposed use and the usefulness and limitations of the mapping for construction management purposes. Findings: The main contributions of this study include a better understanding of the development process of 3D mapping from UAS imagery, the potential uses of this mapping for construction management and the identification of barriers and benefits related to the application of these emerging technologies for the construction industry. Originality/value: The importance of the study is related to the initiative to identify and evaluate the potential use of 3D mapping from UAS imagery, which can provide a 3D view of the construction site from different perspectives, for construction management tasks applications, trying to bring positive contributions to this knowledge area.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 3D mapping; construction management; construction sites; construction buildings; photogrammetry; uas imagery; unmanned aerial system
Index terms: case study, 3D model, residential construction, emerging technology, construction industry, exploratory study, construction site, mapping, methodology
Subjects: data collection methods, computational design, innovation and technology management, work location, research methods, spatial and geospatial analysis, construction integration, industry analysis
Topics: Research Practice, Business Strategy, Site Management, Digital Applications
Descriptive scope: 4 PCTE

N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here