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On Thursday 26th of October, Visual Pursuit were given the exciting opportunity to assist HMNB Greenock, offering their drone footage...
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Drones for Stockpile Management in Bridge of Weir
Your Drone Experts. Trusted by Serco Group and Inverclyde Council.
Drones can be utilised for stockpile management across industries, including construction, mining and agriculture. Companies using drones to monitor and manage stockpiles can improve efficiency while cutting costs significantly.
Drones equipped with cameras and sensors can capture high-resolution images and data of stockpiles, providing more precise measurements of volume and density to aid with inventory management, planning and optimisation. This technology could become invaluable tools.
Construction industry contractors often utilise drones to monitor stockpiles of materials such as gravel, sand and cement. By regularly taking images and data of these stockpiles, companies can keep an eye on levels, identify changes or discrepancies and make necessary adjustments as necessary.
How Are Stockpile Volumes Measured Traditionally?
On a given site could take a surveyor, using traditional handheld equipment, such as laser scanner or total station, it may take around a day to measure the stockpiles on site and process the data.
To do this, they must navigate the busy work site and climb large stockpiles which is dangerous and time consuming.
Dependent on how much material was being measured, the measuring process could take hours or days with manual tools.
Limited data points are captured leading to an average measurement being calculated.
In some cases, companies will simply “eyeball” a stockpile - an approach riddled with inaccuracies that should be avoided at all costs.
Manual data-collection techniques are conducted in hard-to-reach locations, where personnel can be exposed to dangerous terrain, hazardous materials or situations.
How Can Drones Be Used For Stockpile Measurement and Analysis?
Preparation is the first step in using a drone for stockpile calculations. This preparation can be done off-site.
The flight pattern can be calculated by loading the flight plan into the drone's flight control software.
The remote pilot will enter some variables regarding the area being flown, such as height and speed.
Visual Pursuit uses RTK-equipped drones to ensure consistency in data collection. The placement of ground control points (or GCPs) on the site confirms this.
The drone will automatically follow the flight path and capture a series images, including stockpiles.
After the images have been collected, they are then certified on-site before being processed with specialist software.
The software incorporates GCP's in order to ensure that the data is accurate and the coordinate system is correct.
The digital terrain model (DTM) is used to create a surface of triangular irregular networks (TINs) for the site and target stockpiles.
The volume and tonnage can be estimated from this TIN (if you know the grade/density of the material).
Software is used to create a report on stockpile volumes that will be shared with clients.
Cloud software is also available to share surface models with project teams and surveyors/engineers. The data can be used as if it had been collected by the project team.
Why Use Drones For Stockpile Volumes?
There are 3 main benefits are immediately realised:
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Reduced amount of time on and off site
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Reduced risk to engineer/surveyors
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Reduction in Cost
Reducing cost and risk while taking stockpile measurements is just one of a number of ways drones are saving construction companies money.
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Improved Supply Chain Logistics
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Detailed Company Forecasts
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Reduced Write Offs
Industries using Drone Volumetric Surveying
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Construction (especially earthworks)
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Landfill
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Quarrying & Mining
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Soil Supplies
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Soil & Construction Materials Recycling
Time and Cost Saving
A 25ha site can be surveyed by drone in under an hour; a 100ha site can be surveyed in a single day.
Data can be made available the same day if required, however usually delivered within 24 - 48 hours.
This means accurate data is delivered near real-time. Due to the speed and cost benefits of a drone survey, it can be repeated more frequently.
Having such accurate data in a timely manner helps project managers improve their decision-making when it comes to stockpile inventory management. To efficiently manage their supply chain, construction companies need accurate information from when the project starts to its finish.
Construction companies can avoid unexpected costs by starting with accurate information early on.
Safety Aspect
Many surveyors do not enjoy gathering stockpile data because it’s a dangerous job, climbing large piles of unstable material, which puts them at risk for falls and injury.
On busy construction sites, there’s heavy machinery traveling around the site to be mindful of.
Drones enable safe and accurate stockpile measurements by enabling workers to collect measurements from a safe location. A pre-programmed flight pattern enables the drone to effectively fly the mission itself, with a remote pilot and visual observer ensuring the flight goes safely and smoothly.
Summary
Drones are increasingly being utilised as tools for surveying and mapping purposes across industries like construction, mining, agriculture and environmental management. Utilising drones for surveying can bring several advantages:
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Improved Efficiency: Drones equipped with cameras and sensors can capture high-resolution images and data of large areas quickly and accurately, cutting the time and cost associated with traditional surveying methods by up to 60 percent.
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Increased Safety: Surveying often takes place in challenging environments, including steep terrain, mines and construction sites. Drones offer an invaluable service in conducting these inspections without endangering workers in any way.
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Drones Can Generate Accurate Data: Drones provide more precise and detailed data than traditional surveying methods, making the data ideal for planning, design and monitoring purposes. This information can then be utilised in planning processes as well as design decisions.
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Drones offer superior visualisation. By taking aerial imagery and 3D models of survey areas, drones provide more comprehensive and detailed views than traditional methods of survey.
Overall, drones offer many advantages for surveying and mapping, including increased efficiency, safety, accuracy and visualisation. Thanks to advances in drone technology, it is likely that drones will become even more integral tools in surveying in a variety of industries.
ConstructionLine & SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement)
As a drone company, being a Constructionline member and having SSIP accreditation offer several benefits. Firstly, Constructionline membership streamlines the pre-qualification process, saving us time and effort in demonstrating our compliance with industry standards, such as health and safety, technical capabilities and financial stability. This can improve our chances of winning contracts and gaining access to a wide range of construction projects.
Secondly, having SSIP accreditation demonstrates our commitment to maintaining high levels of health and safety in our operations, which is especially crucial in the drone industry where safety is our main priority. It shows that we have implemented robust safety protocols and procedures to protect our workers, clients, the public and minimises risks associated with our services.
Moreover, being a Constructionline member and having SSIP accreditation enhances our credibility and reputation within the construction industry. It reassures our clients that we have undergone thorough assessments by reputable organisations and have met recognised industry standards, which can give them confidence in our reliability and ability to deliver projects safely, efficiently and in compliance with regulations.
Contact Us
Based in Scotland and regularly travel throughout Scotland & England, delivering services in both cities and rural areas.
What Makes Bridge of Weir Special
Bridge of Weir is a village located in Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is situated on the Gryffe Water, approximately 13 miles west of Glasgow city centre. Bridge of Weir is known for its rural charm, beautiful countryside, and traditional architecture.
Football is popular in Bridge of Weir, and the village has its own football club, Bridge of Weir AFC. The club provides opportunities for players of different ages to participate in football and compete in local leagues.
Bridge of Weir is well-connected by road, with the A761 passing through the village, providing links to nearby towns and the wider road network. The village is also accessible by public transportation, including bus services.
Drones have practical applications in Bridge of Weir. In the agriculture sector, drones are used for crop monitoring, livestock management, and land mapping, assisting farmers in improving efficiency and productivity. Drones are also utilised in environmental surveys and conservation efforts, aiding in the monitoring of wildlife habitats and landscape changes. Additionally, drones find applications in aerial photography and videography, capturing stunning views of the village and its surrounding countryside.
Overall Summary
The advantages of using drones for stockpile measurements are evident. Drones increase the speed, accuracy and frequency of stockpile measurements while improving worker safety, reducing expenses and accelerating better decision-making and planning for construction companies.
How Are Drones Impacting The Construction Industry?
Since their invention, drones have had a profound impact on the construction industry in a number of ways - for instance;
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Increased Efficiency: Drones allow construction teams to more quickly and accurately map job sites, helping them plan and execute their work more efficiently.
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Increased Safety: By employing drones to inspect structures and monitor job sites, construction companies can identify any potential safety hazards and take immediate steps to address them before they cause accidents or injuries.
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Cost savings: Drones can help construction companies reduce expenses by cutting the need for manual labor and expensive equipment, as well as by quickly identifying issues before they become more costly issues.
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Drones provide improved data collection and analysis capabilities: Drones can gather a wide variety of information, such as 3D maps, thermal imagery and video footage for analysis to provide valuable insight into job site conditions and performance.
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Improved communication and collaboration: Drones provide real-time visual data and information to all parties involved, leading to improved communications among construction teams, architects and project managers.
Drones are revolutionising the construction industry by improving efficiency, safety and collaboration while simultaneously cutting costs and providing invaluable data and insights.
Our Drone Services
One stop shop
Visual Pursuit is a family-owned drone solution business based in Scotland, founded in 2017. We provide our services throughout Scotland & North England. Delivering a fast and reliable solution to our clients that's both time saving and cost-effective compared to traditional methods. We strive to be the future in visual solutions.
We are governed, regulated and approved by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Our pilots hold all relevant certificates (A2 CofC & GVC) and are approved to pilot under Visual Pursuit's 'Operational Authorisation', this is our rule book given by the CAA to Operate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), this enables us to get close to involved and uninvolved persons when completing tasks for our customers.
The latest in drone technology. Visual Pursuit's collection of drones are capable of capturing accurate surveying data, stunning aerial photography, video, high zoom, thermal imaging, RTK and a whole lot more.
We have many years of experience when it comes to video and photo editing, processing of data to be used in surveying, 3D modelling, stockpile volumes and cut-and-fill analysis.
When it comes to insurance, Visual Pursuit Ltd is fully insured to work in all environments, our public liability covers us for up to £1,000,000.00 GBP this can be increased depending on the type of task we are being requested to carry out.
We are the one stop shop for drone solutions and offer free no obligation quotes.
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