Lack of data and easy-to-use software tools to make daily decisions often prevent construction teams from making the right moves on time.
According to our research, only 10% of project members have access to technical software. Others have to rely on their experience and intuition for major decisions. That creates rework.
How? For example, while balancing dirt on the construction site, even a minor error in the bulk/shrink coefficient estimate leads to shortages or excesses that ends up causing schedule delays and putting the project over budget, often significantly.
Learn how TraceAir platform ensures the success of construction projects by delivering the most accurate data for team members both in the office and in the field in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Software for everyone
TraceAir develops a machine learning powered SaaS platform that provides construction teams with cutting-edge tools to make decisions within multiple workflows. The platform is extremely intuitive and easy to use, so everyone on the project, including the less tech-savvy people, can benefit from it.
How the solution works:
- We scan a construction site with a drone to create a high-res 3D imagery overnight;
- Our platform compares the drone topography with design documentation;
- The project team uses the platform to gain insights for solving the challenges which are unique to each role — project managers, foremen and superintendents, engineers, etc.
Why we use drone data
Creating a topographic map for a project can be costly and impractical.
- A hand-rendered topographic map is expensive (at around $3,200), takes about a week to complete, and the information may be inaccurate. Moreover, the landscape in a one-week timeframe can be dynamic, so the map might be outdated by the time it is delivered.
- An aerial topographic map is significantly more expensive (up to $15,000) and often more time-consuming given the need to schedule flyovers and process large amounts of data. Potential deviations that can significantly affect volume calculations, which in turn may lead to construction delays and additional expense.
In contrast, drone camera is an easy-to-use sensor to copy the reality. Mapping the site with drones takes us just a few hours, is safe, and costs more than twice less than a hand-rendered options. A single drone flyover allows the team to see a near real-time 3D map in under 24 hours, TraceAir’s maps are:
- 3D, digital and full color
- Accurate to ~0.10ft
- 4 times less the cost of a hand map
- 1/10th of the cost of an aerial map
- Flexible and can be updated regularly and often during the grading process
With an up-to-date “living” map of the site backed up with hard data, displayed on 3D color images, the entire project team has an accurate view of the most recent site condition.
In addition to a visual representation of the site, the team has quantifiable data related to overall site balance, slopes, cut/fill in specific areas, and the amount of dirt moved daily. Such transparency facilitates trust and confidence in the data, decisions, and team members.
We can help our clients to establish drone operations or even outsource it to third party contractors. These are the unique options that our competitors who focus solely on data processing don’t have.
Project documentation on the platform
In order to help users with actionable insights, we have to compare what they have (reality) with what they need to have. We ensured that the platform stores all their documentation in any format they have (3D models, DWG, PDF).
The platform creates a secure archive for the owner with all the data from the flyovers and learns on this data. Layered with project documentation and user-generated content, data and insights are wrapped into a single easy-to-use interface, significantly increasing the accuracy of decisions through time.
We start with a few important workflows on a construction project, but soon will cover more. And we’ll even share expertise between job sites — our software will allow to implement the best practice from one job site on another. Stay tuned for our next post to learn more about the features of TraceAir platform.
Want to know the real-life case studies? Check out our website, follow our blog and find us on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.
