COVER STORY
Drones in
Construction D rone technology owes its development to the military with greater public awareness being achieved with its use in the Afghanistan war in the 90s. Also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), its entry into civil use was only a matter of time and its application in the construction industry today has changed forever how things are done. Drones have brought to the construction industry better communication, safety, and even marketing through the provision of real-time continuous imaging and they continue to find new and innovative uses as time goes by. The sheer scale of the construction industry and the projects that are being undertaken on the African continent lend themselves to the effective use of drones which can only add value, provided they are implemented safely and correctly. According to Mr. Adam Rosman of AMS in South Africa, much like the cellular phone was to the landlines, drones have allowed Africa to leapfrog old and inefficient technology and embrace a new and effective technology to improve the construction industry in many ways.
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In Africa the construction players have at their disposal a technology that can help improve performance and efficiency. As Ms. LĂŠaBienaimĂŠ of Dronevolt in France observes, Africa is one of the newest continents to join the commercial drone market, the wide open spaces in Africa offer incredible opportunities for all types of commercial drone applications. It is without doubt that UAVs with time will play an important aspect in the economic development in Africa. As Mr. Tomasz Firek of Versa drones in Ireland puts it, construction is a major aspect that contributes to the growth of the African economy hence digitization of the sector can contribute immensely in the development of the continent. For the construction industry UAVs mean cost savings and faster turnarounds for some construction activities. ChericeTorr of ALTIUAS in South Africa mentions that, one of the 3 biggest challenges Africa face in the construction industry is safety on site, rising project costs and lack of communication. There is an opportunity for drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to help the construction industry to overcome these problems.
CR | April 2018
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