Horizons Spring/Summer 2019

Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can be used in conjunction with BIM. The main benefit of VR, is to provide virtual walkthroughs to clients or targets in order to showcase their plans and get input before construction begins. While VR is common in the design phase, AR is common in the construction phase. The main benefit of AR is to overlap design details to already existing features in order to

see how the next phase of the construction plan fits with what has already been constructed to date. VR and AR are both great tools that will likely pay for themselves over time by avoiding preventable mistakes.

Drones Drones can be used to quickly and effectively map/survey a construction site to

Utilizing Drones in Construction Many companies have taken to the sky to reduce costs and manage their job sites remotely. They can now check in on field operations in real time to view the progress at the job site and share the progress with their clients.

Reduce costs and increase efficiency by utilizing drones for:

∙ Land surveying: Gives you great overview of the property and the surrounding areas which decreases the costs of surveying and helps contractors in estimating jobs. You can view and consider any challenges or savings your estimators can incorporate into the bid based on the information obtained. ∙ Inspection costs: Efficiencies gained on inspections as the drone can reach hard-to- get-to areas quickly. This can save time for your workforce and result in cost savings. ∙ Monitoring: Assists in monitoring workers on job sites especially pertaining to safety protocol and how hard people are or are not working. Additionally, enables multi- job site monitoring in real time. ∙ Savings on insurance: Some insurance companies offer a discount if you utilize drones to monitor your job site. ∙ Adding photos and videos to your sales group. Many people are visual and this can separate your company’s proposal from the other bidders coming to the table. ∙ Providing client updates and support for completion estimates. This provides a visual look at the project during development and billing process. You will need to take time to do the analysis to determine whether to use internal or external drone operators. Some items you should consider are the upfront costs of the equipment (hardware and software) and liability and control. Either direction will provide an additional tool for your business to utilize with immediate benefits managing job sites. Promote your business and keep existing clients informed by:

Spring/Summer 2019

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