Rant: I thought drone surveys were just a fancy gimmick for big firms

Our crew on the Riverfront project in St. Louis was behind on grading checks, so my boss rented a basic DJI drone for a day. We mapped the whole site in two hours, and the 3D model showed a drainage slope we'd missed. Has anyone else had a simple tech tool save them from a bigger mistake down the line?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_sam2d ago

My buddy was doing a small foundation pour for a garage. He was about to order way too much concrete because his manual measurements were off. At the last minute, he tried one of those free laser measure apps on his phone. It showed his math was wrong and saved him from wasting a ton of money on extra yards he didn't need. He felt like an idiot but was so relieved. It's crazy how the simplest tech can catch what your own eyes miss. What was the boss's reaction when you showed him the drone model?

river_allen2d agoRising Star

Actually those phone apps usually just use the camera and AR, not a real laser. They're surprisingly good for quick checks though. A true laser measure is a separate tool that bounces a beam off a surface. The app probably saved your friend money, but it's worth knowing the difference for bigger jobs where being off by an inch really matters. Glad it worked out for him either way.

nina_campbell2d agoTop Commenter

Honestly I was with you, thought drones were just for show until we caught a bad elevation issue last month.

bennett.jana2d ago

Imagine missing a whole drainage slope without that drone. That's the kind of oversight that gets you a call from the city six months later. The cheap rental just paid for itself ten times over.