To highlight just how much drones and drone technology have shaped the construction industry, Sueran points to an ambitious project that involved building a highway that connected the cities of Sibio and Pitesti in Romania. This massive project consisted of 7 tunnels, 24 bridges, and 18 viaducts. In the process of constructing this important piece of infrastructure, Graphein and the other project teams relied on TOPODRONE products like LiDAR ULTRA and AQUAMAPPER. According to Sueran, the project has put his team to the test because of its location in an “unfriendly landform,” which consists of densely wooded areas and significant elevation changes. Sueran says the project has put his team and equipment to the test, but, by relying on the best products, these difficulties are surmountable. To overcome the challenges posed by terrain, Graphein’s team has been deploying TOPODRONE’s LiDAR ULTRA on board a DJI Matrice 300 drone to capture laser scanning from an altitude of 100-120 meters. Using this technology, Sueran says they were able to capture an area of densely- wooded terrain 32-km lengthwise by 400 meters wide with only 14 drone flights. The highway construction project from Sibio to Pitesti also contains an added wrinkle that, according to Sueran, proved to be the biggest challenge. Part of this difficult terrain scanning included mapping under the 6 river crossings on the project. To achieve this, Sueran and his team relied on TOPODRONE’s AQUAMAPPER–a device for airborne bathymetric surveying– which was then only recently out of development. Sueran says that, despite the potential difficulties posed by this underwater mapping, AQUAMAPPER has vastly improved the performance of the bathymetric surveying for the project. What is perhaps more remarkable is that, despite the terrain challenges stemming from water, trees, and topography, surveying for the project lasted less than 10 days. Sueran points out that drones played a significant role in shaping the project, and the time they saved is a testament to how much drone technology has advanced in the construction industry. By relying on tools like those developed by TOPODRONE, Sueran believes that more projects like the one in Romania will see immensely positive results.
LUKE CAROTHERS is the Editor of Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine. If you want us to cover your project or feature an article, he can be reached at lcarothers@zweiggroup.com.
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