Road Construction Made Efficient with Drone Progress Monitoring

A report published by AutoDesk & FMI reported that insufficient project data and miscommunication causes 52% of reworks. Monitoring the progress on a construction site is integral to keep operations running smooth, avoiding any delays and reworks. But the issue is, on a typical construction site with multiple contractors working on tight deadlines obtaining the sufficient data is a real challenge. There is a requirement for greater visibility into construction sites that traditional monitoring methods cannot provide.

The traditional method of progress monitoring is highly inefficient, relying on written reports and photos taken from eye level- There is a clear need for greater visibility. The flow of information is inefficient as well, where the general contractor reports their respective update to the site engineer who then updates the Project Manager. These reports are communicated via time-consuming meetings. The project manager spends a bulk of their time compiling and generating these reports; this time can be put to better use. But these Progress Reports are integral to the construction operation to ensure that the project is on track and within budget.

Using drone technology Progress Monitoring can be disrupted and made efficient. Drones offer an aerial overview of the entire site in record time. Traditionally if you wanted an overview of the whole site, it would take weeks to aggregate  and compile a report with actionable data. Drone Technology can enable you with Aerial Data, Cloud Reporting, Saving Time and Full Historical Data. It can reduce costs and streamline your operation by giving you actionable data at near real-time.

With the introduction of drone technology, we have observed 32% decrease in snag list compilation time, and 25% reduction in time spent on reworks.

Aerial Data

FEDS can cover your entire site in a few hours and deliver the data to you the very next day; you can have this data on a bi-weekly basis or a monthly basis depending on your needs. Drones provide incredibly detailed and precise images and videos that are used to create Orthomosaic maps and 3D reality capture.

Having this data enables you to compare the As-Built vs As Designed progress of your project by overlaying your blueprint over the orthomosaic map; using this, you can easily detect any deviations or delays. Having an aerial view can help you gain greater visibility into the progress of the project easily while highlighting any lagging areas, quality or safety issues.

Cloud Reporting

We can use the data acquired from drones to generate several valuable reports. Using the precise measurements from the Orthomosaic maps, we can conduct volumetric calculations to track quantity or inventory. You can easily integrate the reports generated into any cloud infrastructure, enabling you to collaborate effortlessly.


You can share collaborative maps and models with your team for better project management while easily keeping stakeholders up-to-date on the site progress. The possibility to work remotely also enables your engineers to inspect the site without having to go onsite at all, increasing safety and freeing up their time.

Saving Time

A large amount of time is spent on aggregating the Progress Reports by manually visiting the site, capturing images from the eye level and compiling the snag list itself takes up a lot of time. This excessive use of time is further amplified in the form of multiple meetings to review and go through the reports. By having readily available and  actionable data, you can avoid a portion of the time spent on reworks.

With the introduction of drone technology, we have observed a 32% decrease in snag list compilation time, a 25% reduction in time spent on reworks and 5 hours a week freed up by eliminating unnecessary meetings. With the use of drones, this time can be freed up and put to use more productively.

Historical Data

Progress Monitoring is periodic in nature, giving us an impressive timeline of the site progress. Having a detailed visual timeline provides you with greater visibility into the progress of your project. Using this, you can ensure that the project stays on schedule, compare designs to site conditions and keep track of your budget.

You can also compare any modifications in design and how they impact the site. This level of visibility enables you to identify any lacking areas and see what is on schedule and what is not.

Road Construction Progress Monitoring 

In Jumeirah Pearl, a road was to be reworked due to misalignment issues. Commissioned by the consultants Khatib & Alami, FEDS would take bi-weekly progress captures of the site sized 42,000 m^2,  with the main focus being to avoid any further misalignment issues. The deliverables were high-resolution 2D Orthomosaic map and 3D models which the client used to create comprehensive reports and track progress. Using our drone data the construction of the road proceeded smoothly without any further issues.

The FEDS team conducted two flights per cycle, one to capture images for the 2D Orthomosaic map, and the other to take video for 3D reality modelling. We achieved an average GSD of 2.5 cm.

Measuring Volume and distance with Drone Data.


Our experts determined that the Phantom 4 RTK would be the perfect drone for the task. It can produce very high accuracy Orthomosaic maps up to 1 cm horizontal accuracy and 1.5 cm vertical accuracy using its 20-megapixel CMOS sensor. The drone also utilized Phantom TimeSync, ensuring that each photo's metadata was reliable and accurate which in turn optimizes the results obtained from photogrammetric methods. Our pilot could carry out the mission with ease using the GS RTK app, which comes with multiple planning modes.

The FEDS team conducted two flights per cycle, one to capture images for the 2D Orthomosaic map, and the other  to take video for 3D reality modelling. We achieved an average GSD (Ground Sampling Distance) of 2.5 cm. This data is then processed overnight and provided to the clients. Previously, the report took about a week to compile including hours of meetings, now using drone technology it was completed in a day

Without the aid of Drone Data, the project previously suffered from misalignment issues that cost them in reworks and time wastage. Once drones were in the picture, the project progressed smoothly with no other construction mistakes or reworks. Drone data provides the Project Manager with a complete picture of the site in near real-time. This level of visibility is invaluable when it comes to tracking progress, making construction sites Faster, Error-Free, Cost-effective and Safer.