Benefits of Drone & 360-Degree Photography for property developers and building companies
Using drone photography and 360-degree photography offers several benefits for property developers and building companies, especially in the context of monitoring progress on projects. Below is a breakdown of the advantages:
Benefits of Drone Photography:
Enhanced Project Monitoring:
Aerial views provide comprehensive perspectives of the entire site, helping stakeholders assess project progress and identify potential issues.
Time-stamped images allow for progress tracking over time.
Improved Communication:
High-quality aerial images and videos are excellent tools for sharing updates with investors, clients, and other stakeholders.
Helps keep all parties informed and aligned.
Efficient Inspections:
Drones can inspect hard-to-reach areas, such as rooftops or large-scale earthworks, without the need for scaffolding or ladders.
Reduces risks associated with manual inspections.
Cost-Effectiveness:
Saves on labour and equipment costs for traditional aerial photography (e.g., using helicopters or cranes).
Minimizes delays by identifying issues early.
Marketing and Documentation:
Aerial visuals can be repurposed for marketing materials, showcasing the progress and final results in a visually compelling manner.
Helps attract future clients or investors with professional imagery.
Package Types.
Media Only Packages
These consist of hi-res photographic images and video of your site. The images and video are taken from agreed heights and distance to ensure the aspects of the site that are important for your monitoring are fully captured.
Subsequent visits use the same parameters allowing for easy visual comparisons over time.
Prices will be based on the size of your site and the outputs you require.
Full Progress Report Package
This is a more advanced monitoring method. It requires a series of overlapping images that can be combined and the data collected, processed to generate a range of digital outputs. These reports are highly detailed and are usually used for larger developments over 100 housing units in size.
See “Progress Report Outputs” below.
Packages & Prices
Travel is free for up to 20 miles from our base in Heathfield, East Sussex, then 50p per mile.
Basic Package
For smaller developments up to 20 houses- Up to 1 Hour Flying Time
- Up to 20 Hi-Res Images
- 360 Degree Video Footage
- Pre Flight Consultation
- Pre Flight Risk Assessment
- On-site Safety Briefing
- Image Colour Correction
- Online Media Access Support
Medium Package
For medium developments up to 100 houses- Up to 2 Hours Flying Time
- Up to 40 Hi-Res Images
- 360 Degree Video Footage
- Video Footage of Focus Areas
- Pre Flight Consultation
- Pre Flight Risk Assessment
- On-site Safety Briefing
- Image Colour Correction
- Online Media Access Support
Full Progress Report
For larger developments up to 150 houses- 1 Hour Drone Photography
- 1 Hour Drone Video Footage
- 3D Mapping & Modelling
- 1 Orthomosaic Photo
- 1 Digital Surface Model
- 1 Digital Terrain Model
- Pre Flight Consultation
- Online Flight Plan Creation
- Pre Flight Risk Assessment
- On-site Safety Briefing
- Online Access to Report Dashboard
- Links to share with stake Holders
Additional Options Available
While Drones can capture the whole site including the exterior of the buildings under construction, they cannot capture the internal spaces. For that, we can use 360 degree Photography.
- 360-degree Video walkthrough showing internal spaces of each type of dwelling – £100 per dwelling/building chosen
- 360-degree Drone Aerial Panorama of Whole Site – £50
Example Projects
Headley Court – Epsom
This is a current ongoing project. The client requires photo and video updates of the site progress every month until
Full Progress Report Outputs
Once we have flown the Drone over your site, we process the images and produce a series of different outputs. You may not want or need all of these and so we offer a range of packages to suit your individual needs.
Once we have entered the flight plan, all subsequent flights follow an identical path allowing for accurate comparisons over the full duration of the project.
Orthophoto
An orthophoto, orthophotograph, or orthoimage is an aerial photograph geometrically corrected (“orthorectified”) such that the scale is uniform: the photo or image follows a given map projection.
Orthomosaic
Put simply, an orthomosaic is like Google Earth, but way sharper. It is a large, map-quality image with high detail and resolution made by combining many smaller images called orthophotos.
Digital Surface Model
A Digital Surface Model (DSM) is an elevation model that captures both the environment’s natural and artificial features. It includes the tops of buildings, trees, powerlines, and any other objects. Commonly, this is seen as a canopy model and only ‘see’s ground where there is nothing else above it.
Digital Terrain Model
Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) are made up of a grid of points with known heights. They remove vegetation, buildings, and other cultural features to leave just the underlying terrain. DTMs can be used with other digital data, such as maps or orthophotographs, to create a 3D image of the land surface
Plant Health Model
This is an analysis of the health of plants in a field or area using aerial imagery captured by a drone. It provides a visual assessment of plant health based on color variations observed in the photographs, which can indicate stress, disease, or nutrient deficiencies, allowing the owners to identify problem areas and make informed decisions.
Flight Plan
Flight plans can be pre set using software. The benefit is that the drone will follow the exact same flight path at each visit and take the photos/video at the same points each time. This process ensure that progress can be compared and monitored over time and provides a stage by stage digital record of the project from inception to completion.
Benefits of 360-Degree Photography for Site Progress Reports
While Drones can capture the whole site including the exterior of the buildings under construction, they cannot capture the internal spaces. For that, we can use 360 degree Photography. Below are some of the advantages of this approach.
Comprehensive Visual Records:
Captures the site in its entirety, allowing stakeholders to “walk through” the project virtually.
Provides a detailed record of installations, materials, and progress at different stages.
Improved Collaboration:
360 images can be shared via platforms or virtual tours, enabling remote collaboration with clients, architects, and contractors.
Facilitates discussions and decision-making, even when stakeholders are not physically present.
Enhanced Quality Control:
Offers detailed imagery of interiors and exteriors, making it easier to identify potential issues such as alignment, finishes, or incomplete work.
Helps maintain quality standards by comparing work completed against designs.
Time Efficiency:
Quick and simple to capture 360-degree views compared to documenting with multiple static images.
Reduces the need for frequent on-site visits by providing an immersive experience.
Legal and Compliance Documentation:
Creates an invaluable visual record for resolving disputes, demonstrating compliance, or referencing construction phases in the future.
