Assessing the perceptin f drnes in the cnstructin industry BACHELOR THESIS S.L. (Simn) Janssen, s1009877 UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE. DECEMBER 7, 2015
Authr S.L. (Simn) Janssen E-mail: s.l.janssen-1@student.utwente.nl Phne: +31 (0)6 301 65 117 Pstal address: Mina Krusemanstraat 33 7513 HA Enschede Educatinal institutin University f Twente. Faculty Cnstructinal Technical Science, Cnstructin Management & Engineering Supervisr dr. ir. A.G. (Bram) Entrp E-mail: a.g.entrp@utwente.nl Phne: +31 (0)53 489 6860 Pstal address: Universiteit Twente CTW (Hrsttren) Pstbus 217 7500 AE Enschede 1
Preface In frnt f yu lies my reprt f the research cnducted abut the acceptance f drnes in the cnstructin industry. The reprt was written as my thesis fr the Bachelr Civil Engineering as an internal assignment t the Department f Cnstructin Management & Engineering f the University f Twente. Sustainable building has always been a discipline I have been interested in. When I heard abut plans t intrduce drnes in the cnstructin industry I was immediately interested. The cncept is very new t the cnstructin industry and the prcess f implementatin is in its early stages. This research will give insight in the willingness f the cnstructin industry t implement drnes such that an implementatin plan culd be made fr drne technlgy. The research functins as a base that will hpefully supprt the implementatin f drnes in the cnstructin industry as part f the 3TU Lighthuse Research Prject "Thrw in the i-drne. Fr making it pssible fr me t finish this research and reprt I wuld like t thank sme peple. First I wuld like t thank my parents and girlfriend, wh always supprted me, kept encuraging me and never stpped believing in my ptential. Then, I wuld especially like t thank my supervisr dr. ir. Bram Entrp fr all the supprt and feedback during the research. He als has my great appreciatin being the encuraging mind behind the bigger Thrw in the i-drne research prject. Simn Janssen Enschede December 2015 2
Summary This research is dne as an internal research prject at the department f Cnstructin Management & Engineering f the University f Twente and has drnes in the cnstructin industry as its subject. Drnes can be used fr several applicatins, but they have nt been implemented in the cnstructin industry while they might imprve the cnstructin prcess n several levels. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, better knwn as drnes are aircrafts that can be remtely cntrlled r even fly autnmusly. The drnes that this research discusses are multi-cpter drnes that can fly and hver in the air with the help f multiple rtr blades. Drnes are ften equipped with camera s making them ideal fr visual inspectins. The research cnducted will serve as the base f anther research that will try t make the cnstructin industry enthusiast t implement drnes in that industry. The gal f this research is t prvide mre insight in what is necessary t encurage the cnstructin industry t implement drnes. This will be achieved by answering the main research questin: What is the perceptin f the applicatin f drnes in the cnstructin industry?. In rder t answer this questin it was first researched what drnes culd d in the cnstructin industry. This is mstly with the use f cameras. One f these applicatins f drnes culd be cnducting visual inspectins f bjects at height while the peratr is safe n the grund. This is nt nly safer, it is als a lt faster than sending an inspectr t a rf. The ptential users f the research were fund t be cntractrs, lcal gvernments and cnsultancy agencies. After the literature study a survey and interviews were put tgether. The questins asked in the survey were based n the utcme f the literature study. The survey was spread under the ptential users fund earlier in the research. In rder t get gd insight in what the ptential users f drnes expect drnes t d there were als three interviews cnducted. These interviews gave a great in depth view t the expectatins the ptential users have f drnes. The results f the survey and interviews were prcessed and the data analysed by cmparing the results. After this, cnclusins were drawn and recmmendatins fr further research were made. 3
Table f cntents Preface... 2 Summary... 3 1. Intrductin... 6 1.1. Drnes in the news... 6 1.2. Mtivatin fr the research... 6 1.3. Scpe f the research... 6 1.4. Reading guide... 7 2. Research setup... 8 2.1. Prblem definitin... 8 2.2. Gals f the research... 8 2.3. Research questins & research methd... 9 3. Drnes and their applicatins... 10 3.1. Drnes... 10 3.2. Applicatins f drnes available nw... 11 3.3. Applicatins f drnes available in the near future... 13 3.4. Preliminary cnclusins... 14 4. Drnes and their users... 15 4.1. The ptential users f drnes... 15 4.2. Advantages/disadvantages fr the ptential users f drnes... 16 4.3. Preliminary cnclusins... 18 5. Empirical data perceptins drne usage... 19 5.1. Develping a survey... 19 5.2. Data cllected by the survey... 20 5.3. Develping interviews... 21 5.4. Data cllected by the interviews... 21 6. Expectatins f drnes... 24 6.1. The expected applicatins f drnes... 24 6.2. Expected advantages/disadvantages f drnes... 25 6.3. Valuatin f drnes... 26 6.4. Preliminary cnclusins... 27 7. Analysis... 28 7.1. Applicatins f drnes... 28 7.2. Advantages/disadvantages... 29 8. Discussin... 31 9. Cnclusins and recmmendatins... 32 4
9.1. Cnclusins... 32 9.2. Recmmendatins... 33 References... 35 Appendix A: Survey Innvatin in the cnstructin industry... 37 Appendix B: Meeting & interview cmpany K & cmpany L... 42 Appendix C: Interview cmpany M... 46 Appendix D: Interview Cmpany N... 54 5
1. Intrductin Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) r better knwn as drnes are aerial mdules that are perated by a manned remte r by a predetermined flightpath. Since the inventin f the drne it had been utilised and develped mainly by militaries. But nwadays drnes in the frm f multi-cpters are mre accessible t general peple and therefre can be used by cmpanies in a very wide array f tasks. Mre detailed infrmatin abut what a drne is can be fund in sectin 3.1. This chapter will include sme ccasin drnes were in the news, the mtivatin that lead t this research, the scpe f the research and a reading guide fr the reprt. 1.1. Drnes in the news Nwadays drnes are als very ften the subject f news headlines. Fr example the TU Delft has develped an Ambulance-drne that sends a drne equipped with a defibrillatr t a victim f cardiac arrest (TU Delft, 2014). But drnes are als used in ther disaster scenari s. A drne has als been used by the Dutch gvernment t investigate the cause f an incident f a fallen cnstructin crane in the middle f a residential area in Alphen aan den Rijn in the beginning f this mnth (Algemeen Dagblad, 2015). During the SAR Katwijk a drne has been used fr demnstratinal purpses t shw the public that drnes can be used fr Search And Rescue missins abve sea t find castaways (Demnstratie inzet drne bij het pspren van drenkelingen tijdens SAR Katwijk, 2015). 1.2. Mtivatin fr the research In rder t implement drnes in the cnstructin industry there needs t be supprt fr the cncept. Because the cncept f utilising drnes in cnstructin industry an implementatin plan is needed. In rder t get t that implementatin plan there is a need fr infrmatin abut the cncept and the perceptin and knwledge the cnstructin industry has regarding drnes. T gather that data and gain insight in the current perceptin f the usage f drnes and knwledge abut drnes in the cnstructin industry, this research was cnducted. 1.3. Scpe f the research As stated abve the study will be abut gathering insight in the pinins f cmpanies in the cnstructin industry regarding the utilizatin f drnes in the cnstructin industry. Writing a plan abut hw drnes shuld be implemented is nt included in this study, recmmendatins abut the cre elements such plan shuld cntain is. Further because f the enrmus amunt f cmpany types and pssible users f drnes in the cnstructin industry nt all will be included. The mst imprtant and likely users will have t be fund in advance and the unlikely users will nt be part f the next steps in this study. A dwnside, and pssible but unlikely threat t the implementatin f the technlgy, is that drnes are still illegal in mst parts f The Netherlands. In urban areas drnes are nt allwed and in abut half f Nrd- and Zuid-Hlland because f the tw airprts that are situated there (NOS, 2014). But since Octber 1 st 2014 regulatins are made easier fr drnes under 4kg, flying in urban areas hwever is still restricted. Since we cannt change regulatins made by the gvernment regulatins are mentined but it are n the edge f the research scpe being mentined as a disadvantage but nt smething that immediately wipes the whle cncept ff the table. 6
1.4. Reading guide This research reprt will start in chapter 2 with the explanatin f the setup f the reprt. This will include the prblem definitin and gals that frm the base f the research. The research methd is given here as well. With this the framewrk fr the reprt is frmed which gives the utline fr the rest f the reprt. Chapter 3 will give an verview f what a drne is and what the mst imprtant parts f a drne are. This makes the reprt understandable fr the readers that d nt knw anything abut drnes. After this chapter 3 gives the applicatins that drnes can be used fr, divided in the applicatins that are currently available and applicatins that will be available in the future. Chapter 4 will give insight in the ptential users fr drnes, these users are selected frm a list f stakehlders invlved in a cnstructin prject. The advantages and disadvantages f drnes fr these ptential users will als be assessed in this chapter. In rder t gather empirical data a survey and interviews were cnducted. Chapter 5 gives hw these methds were put tgether and what their results were. After this chapter 6 will give the expectatins the ptential users fund in chapter 4 have fr drnes. This is dne by giving the pssible applicatins and stating what their advantages and disadvantages were accrding t the results given in chapter 5. A cmparisn f the results fund by chapters 3 and 4, and the results f the empirical data given in chapter 6 will be made as the analyses f the data cllected. This will be chapter 7. Chapter 8 will cntain the discussin regarding the research, this includes the findings the researcher fund during the research and what went right and wrng with the research. It als includes what the researcher thught f drnes befre the research and whether this was changed due t the research. The last chapter f the research will be the cnclusins drawn frm the research. Recmmendatins fr further research will als be given here. 7
2. Research setup The idea f using drne technlgy in the cnstructin industry is perceived as new and therefre deserved t be titled an innvatin (Rgers, 1983). But fr such an innvative cncept t be actually implemented in such a cmplex industry with an enrmus amunt f cmpany types ne has t knw whether the market is ready fr it and in what frm the cncept culd best be launched in the field. Figure 1: A mdel f stages in the innvatin-decisin prcess. (Rgers, 1983) 2.1. Prblem definitin Rgers (1983) gives that the stages an innvatin has t g thrugh are as in Figure 1. S t get actually implemented in the industry, knwledge has t be gathered in rder t persuade the users they shuld decide t implement the drnes in their business. This means that, in rder t implement drne technlgy in the cnstructin industry, the innvatin has t g thrugh these stages. At the mment f the research drnes have nt been used in the cnstructin industry. Infrmatin abut what drnes culd d fr the cnstructin industry, the stakehlders invlved and what these stakehlders want in rder t be persuaded t decide t implement drnes in the industry, is nt available yet. S in rder encurage the cnstructin industry t implement drnes this infrmatin needs t be gathered. 2.2. Gals f the research This research was dne t prvide mre insight in what is necessary t encurage the cnstructin industry t implement drnes. Therefre this research examines the pssible usages f drnes in the cnstructin industry, wh the pssible users f drnes wuld be and what ptential users expect f the drne. With this knwledge, this research will give infrmatin f imprtant pints that need attentin t make the implementatin f drnes in the cnstructin industry pssible. 8
2.3. Research questins & research methd In this sectin the study questins, and the methd that will be used t answer them will be explained. It gives the framewrk fr the research that will be fllwed in rder t achieve the set gal: prvide mre insight in what is necessary t encurage the cnstructin industry t implement drnes. The main questin t be answered is as fllwing: What is the perceptin f the applicatins f drnes in the cnstructin industry? This questin is interesting t science because when answered it gives us the pssibility t adapt the drne technlgy t a level that drnes will be accepted and in the near future drnes will be implemented in the cnstructin industry. When this questin will be answered ne culd frm a plan t make the likely users f drne technlgy enthusiast and make sure they will be persuaded t make the decisin t implement drnes in their business. Therefre, the attributes given by Rgers (1983) fr the persuasin stage will be used thrughut the research. T get a clear answer t the research questin sub questins will help structuring the research and keep a clear verview. These sub questins are: 1. Fr what purpses can drnes be used? 2. Wh are the ptential users f drnes? 3. What wuld the users f drne technlgy expect frm this technlgy? Questins 1 and 2 will be answered with a literature study, the results will be cmpared t the results f the survey and interviews. Questin 3 will be answered with the help f a survey and interviews. 1. Fr what purpses can drnes be used? As mentined drnes gain in ppularity due t their vast amunt f pssible utilities. In rder t answer this questin a prper descriptin f a drne is given. After this the applicatins drnes culd have in the cnstructin industry is split in tw sectins. Applicatins available nw, and applicatin that will be available in the future. The methdlgy t get t an answer t this questin is thrugh a literature study. 2. Wh wuld be the ptential users f drnes? T find the ptential users fr the applicatins that are fund list f stakehlders invlved in cnstructin prject given in Managing Cnstructin Prjects by Winch (2010). A selectin f these that culd be interested in drnes are picked frm this list. These stakehlders are the ptential users f drnes and will be described. Then the advantages/disadvantages f drnes fr these ptential users are given. 3. What wuld the users f drne technlgy expect frm this technlgy? In rder t find an answer t this questin the ptential users fund with questin 2 need t be asked abut what was fund as applicatins fr drnes by questin 1 and ask the ptential users abut their pinins regarding drnes. This will be dne using a cmbinatin f a survey set ut under cmpanies that fit the descriptin f a ptential user and cnduct interviews at sme f these cmpanies. 9
3. Drnes and their applicatins Drnes gain in ppularity due t their vast amunt f pssible utilities and increased availability t the general peple. In this sectin a prper descriptin f a drne is given such that it is knwn what is actually talked abut in this reprt. Then the applicatins drnes culd have fr the cnstructin industry are given. This will be split in the applicatins that are available nw and applicatins that culd becme available in the future. The infrmatin gathered here will eventually be used t draw preliminary cnclusins that can be used t answer sub questin 1. 3.1. Drnes The drnes cvered in this research are multicpter drnes. This means the drne has fur r mre rtr blades that give it the ability t fly and hver (like a helicpter) in mid-air making it the ideal platfrm fr shting aerial imagery. This is what drnes are being used fr mst ften, shting aerial imagery. Nwadays drnes get cheaper and cnsumers can buy a higher end quality drne like the DJI Phantm 3, shwn n the right in Figure 2, fr abut 1,399 (DJI, 2015) depending n the versin bught. The mst high end versin f this drne lks the same as the thers but has a better camera. This is the drne shwn in Figure 3 as an example in rder t indicate the mst imprtant parts a drne exists f and what these cmpnents functins are. Such a drne is equipped with an integrated high definitin camera munted n a three dimensinal gimbal which stabilises the camera t get better imagery results. These drnes deliver great quality images and mvies fr a reasnable price if ne wuld be a hbby enthusiast. The drne can even fly autnmusly using a pre-determined flight plan. The images recrded can be shwn n a mbile device such as a smartphne r tablet. Figure 2: An example f a prfessinal drne (left) and a cnsumer drne (right). (Vldsgaard, 2015 & Lcardi, 2015) A prfessinal drne such as the HT-8 by Height Tech, shwn n the left side f Figure 2, will use abut the same type f parts, but these drnes are custm made t the wishes f the custmer and are built t be used a lt mre than the DJI drne. They ften ffer mre ptins and exceed the cnsumer drnes in abut every aspect. They can fly higher, faster, with heavier lads, mre precisin and in wrse weather cmpared t cnsumer drnes. The gimbal is ne f the mst imprtant parts fr enabling smth capturing f imagery. Diaz (2015, p.39) calls it the weakest link in the system. The drne can be as prfessinal and high and as smene wishes, but withut a gd quality gimbal the imagery will nt be as smth as wanted. This type f drne hwever requires special paperwrk because it is heavier than 4kg (NOS, 2014), it als requires a theretical and practical exam. 10
Figure 3: Example drne with the parts explained A cmparisn f the DJI Phantm 3 Prfessinal as a high end cnsumer drne and the prfessinal HT-8 by Height Tech is made in Table 1. Table 1: Drne cmparisn (DJI, 2015 & Height Tech, 2015) Specificatins High-end cnsumer drne Prfessinal drne Videcamera 4K Any DSLR f chice Pht s 12 MP Free f chice Cmpatible with IR sensr n yes Weight 1,280 g Max. 5,000 g Max speed 16 m/s 19 m/s Max paylad Data nt available 2,050 g Max windage 20 m/s 55 km/u (7bft) Price 1,399 29,161 (excl. camara) Flight time 23 minutes 12 minutes 3.2. Applicatins f drnes available nw An applicatin f drnes accrding t Flrean and Wd (2015) is t use a drne t inspect structures fr cracks and leaks. Drnes equipped with regular cameras make it pssible t visually bserve places that are hard t reach fr a persn. One culd think f rftps r ther elevated surfaces. These bservatins can be dne by a persn, but this means a high risk and therefre an ften cstly peratin needs t be set up. In The Netherlands the Eurnrm fr wrking at altitude is used. This says a wrker needs t be secured abve a height f 2.5 meters (EU richtlijn werken p hgte, 2015). Inspectin with a camera drne can be dne frm the grund, which culd lwer the csts and danger f an inspectin at high altitude. Other applicatins that have been used befre, but withut the help f a drne is thermgraphy. Thermgraphy uses infrared cameras t measure temperatures, s this methd is withut cntact with the surface (Ibarra-Castaned, Tarpani & Maldague, 2013). Fr example, the United States Frest 11
Service are trying t apply drnes with infrared equipment t mnitr wildfires and smuldering ht spts (Freeman and Freeland, 2014). Thermgraphy makes it pssible fr an audit f an existing building (Balaras & Argiriu, 2002). With infrared cameras ne can detect areas that are r culd becme a prblem fr the building integrity befre they becme serius prblems that are cstly t repair. Thermgraphy makes it pssible t inspect electrmechanical installatins fr flaws. Wet spts in a wall r rf can als be detected using thermal images. This is useful fr smene wh is selling r buying a building, r fr example in a renvatin prject. Take a huse as an example. When a prperty develper is buying a building in rder t revise it and sell it with a prfit, leaking plumbing that needs t be repaired can seriusly harm his revenue f the prject. A building integrity reprt is ften required befre ne buys a building. Thse thermal readings are dne primarily inside the building. Evidently it is mre apprpriate t d this type f indr inspectin with a handheld thermal camera instead f a drne fr residential buildings r ffices. But a drne culd be useful when prperly inspecting large factry halls where walls and rfs are ut f reach f the handheld cameras withut additinal equipment. Drnes are becming mre and mre cntrllable such that they can be flwn indrs with the prper training and experience with the drne. Measuring weak spts (misture) in cncrete structures is anther pssibility with thermal images retrieved frm an IR-drne. This culd mean flying ver a hardened r hardening cncrete fundatin in rder t scan the cncrete fr heat r cld spts that culd indicate misture leaks frm cracks in the fundatin as a result f leaks in the plumbing. Figure 4 shws a thermgraph frm a flr where ne culd clearly see the plumbing underneath the surface which wuld be invisible t the naked eye. Malfunctining electrical circuits als prduce heat that can be detected with the IR-drne. These malfunctins are ften the cause f fires in buildings s finding them culd be lifesaving. What culd als be dne with thermgraphy is the inspectin f phtvltaic panels (Pilla, Galmiche & Maldague, 2002). These ften called slar panels are grwing in ppularity because they prduce electricity withut using fssil fuels. These slar panels are cstly t buy but mre and mre ften cme with a subsidy because gvernments pay a lt f attentin t envirnmental friendly energy surces. The phtvltaic panels pay back their value in abut 10 years and after that perid they ften start making mney fr a husehld. This makes them an interesting investment fr the cmmn peple and caused the grwth in ppularity. Figure 4: Thermgraph f an underflr ht water supply and return pipes frm the maniflds t radiatrs. One can easily identify the exact psitin, trace the entire pip netwrk and even identify water leaks. (Balaras & Argiriu, 2002) Thermgraphy can als be used t inspect the envelpe f a building. This is ne f the main applicatins f thermgraphy. The building is ften heated t the temperature that it will be when in use and temperature readings f the envelpe f the structure are dne. With this type f inspectin heat lsses can be detected. These heat lsses indicate a flaw in the insulatin f the building via air leakage r thermal bridges. Fr newer buildings which are meant t be prperly insulated this ften indicates an faulty placed element 12
f the building. A windw culd be wrngly installed r insulatin is placed imprperly causing it t sag. Scanning the building after finishing its cnstructin with an IR-drne culd make it pssible t find these errrs and fix them befre the building is yielded t the client. This culd prevent cstly cmpensatin claims afterwards. Drnes are already being used t gather data fr plar research, vlcan studies and wildlife bilgy. They becme indispensable and revlutinary technlgy (Marris, 2013). 3.3. Applicatins f drnes available in the near future Drnes equipped with regular cameras can be used t check whether the maximum amunt f built surface is nt exceeded. This wuld be based n the ptential drnes have t cllect detailed gespatial infrmatin in real time at relative lw cst (Frnace, Drakeley, William, Espin & Cx, 2014, p. 514). Cnstructin site management culd be assisted by data gathered by drnes. This culd include tracing building materials lcatins n site. The visual system f a drne will be c-perating with classifier sftware that identifies the bjects seen by the drne (Bieda, Jaskt, Jędrasiak & Nawrat, 2013). The data gathered by the drne will prduce a s called pintclud. Figure 5 shws hw the infrmatin gathered culd prduce a 3D image f the scans made by the drne. Ging frward n this technlgy f tracking f materials is alerting the cntractr if materials are used in the wrng way r at the wrng psitin. Ging even further with this wuld be a link t the cnstructin plans and the therefrm fllwing needed materials cmpared t the materials in stck which can ntify the cnstructr new materials need t be rdered. This eliminates unnecessary waiting times because smene frgt t rder new materials. These srt f technlgy is nt available yet because the sftware prcessing the data cllected by the drne is nt yet available fr real-time utput which wuld be needed. This needs very cmplicated prgramming and testing befre it culd be used in the cnstructin industry. Static scanning had already being used. Fr example sensing data n landslides in France (Niethammer, James, Rthmund, Travelletti & Jswig, 2012). Figure 5: Mapping f 3D bject pints nt 2D pints in tw aerial frame images. (Verheven, Dneus, Briese, Vermeulen, 2012) 13
Ggle and Amazn have spent millins f dllars in the develpment f drnes that can deliver small packages (West, 2015) s if this grwth hlds n it might als get pssible fr drnes t transprt materials r tls t the wrkers n site. As the researcher has seen and experienced many times with cnstructin prjects a lt f time is wasted because a wrker frgt a tl and needed t recver it. Unfrtunately equipment in the cnstructin industry almst always is quite heavy s this applicatin might take a while befre it is pssible. 3.4. Preliminary cnclusins Drnes main applicatin is frming a flying platfrm that can be munted with a camera in rder t get imagery f cnstructins taken frm the air. It depends n the purpse f the drne will be used fr whether a prfessinal drne is necessary r nt. Cnsumer drnes deliver fine quality imagery, but ften are hard t use with an infrared camera. In rder t make a pintclud using several images the quality f these pictures needs t be very high. This des nt nly depend n the camera but als n the stability f the drne. A big difference between cnsumer and custmised prfessinal drnes is that the prfessinal drnes will deliver higher quality imagery because they are mre stable and it is pssible t munt a DSLR t the drne. The applicatins drnes can nw be used fr in the cnstructin industry include: Easy inspectin f hard t reach areas that used t be hard t reach r were cstly t reach. Thermgraphy Fr energy certificatins f cnstructins T find flaws in the insulatin in rder t insulate efficiently Check fr weak spts in cncrete during curing Check phtvltaic panels fr prper functining Applicatins that will be pssible in the near future include: Check the amunt f built surface Supprting in cnstructin site management as an extra pair f eyes r identifying flaws and mapping prgress 3D scanning f cnstructin using imagery t get t a pintclud 3D mdel Transprtatin f materials r tls 14
4. Drnes and their users The applicatins fund in chapter 3 are r will be technlgically available. But in rder t be implemented it is imprtant t knw wh wuld use a drne fr the applicatins fund. In the cnstructin industry there are a lt f stakehlders invlved. Sme f these culd be interested in drnes, these are described in this chapter. Als the advantages/disadvantages f using a drne are explained using the attributes given by Rgers (1983). 4.1. The ptential users f drnes In the sectins abve the applicatins f drnes are mentined. But there still need t be stakehlders wh will be invlved with the technlgy. These peple need t be evaluated t find which wuld be mst interested in the technlgy. The stakehlders invlved in a cnstructin prcess and therefre ptential users f drne technlgy are f the fllwing categries given by Winch (2011, p.75) in Table 1 which was retrieved frm Entrp (2013, p.118). Table 2: Invlved stakehlders in cnstructin prjects (Entrp, 2013, p.118) The mst imprtant nes are mentined belw: Cntractrs Cntractrs culd very well use infrared equipped drnes t mnitr the heat ftprint f a cnstructin that is built. Fr a clear thermal emissin f the building it needs t be heated t the temperature the building wuld have during its use. This is almst impssible during cnstructin because in mst phases f the raw cnstructin the building is nt clsed yet. Rfs r windws are missing which make it impssible t get a usable thermal sht f the entities that wuld be mnitred. Besides infrared imagery, cntractrs culd als use a drne with a regular camera fr prject management n site. The camera ftage wuld mean the freman is nt required t keep walking the site such that he culd inspect mre f the prcess in less time and therefre will detect an errr in the prcess way faster than with a manual inspectin. Als sme errrs that ccur are nt mnitred at all until it becmes a serius prblem causing high repair csts and spilled time which in itself culd raise csts with enrmus amunts f mney. When the drne ftage had been analysed by specially written sftware is pssible t identify the bjects seen. When identified they culd be linked t the cnstructin plans and irregularities are immediately flagged as an errr. This will be sent t the freman wh can tell his wrkers t repair the errr as sn as pssible t minimize the damage. Ging further n this technlgy wuld be that the sftware fed by the drne ftage wuld identify the amunt f materials in strage and autmatically knwing if mre materials shuld be rdered. Placing the rder autmatically r pushing frward a message t the persn respnsible fr rdering materials. This eliminates the builders running ut f materials causing a delay because smene frgt t rder new cnstructin materials. 15
Lcal gvernment A municipality culd use drnes t check cnstructin sites and cmpare them t the licences given fr the cnstructin. This can als be dne fr cnstructins that are already finished. Fr example, when smene has built a shed in his backyard withut permissin, r exceeded the premised size f the shed the municipality culd warn r fine this persn. Cnsultants (engineers) Cnsultancy cmpanies prvide insight in ften cmplicated situatins that need an analysis frm a specialised cmpany. These cnsultancy cmpanies will deliver the custmer a reprt f their research f the bject and their prfessinal pinin regarding the further steps in the cnstructin prcess. Fr example, a cntractr is assigned with a revisin prject f a schl but the cntractr is nt sure f the cncrete integrity f the structure and is lacking the knwledge r resurces fr an inspectin. In such case a cnsultancy cmpany which d have these resurces can be hired t prvide sme prfessinal advice regarding the prblem. This als spreads the risk f a prject because in case f an accident the cntractr culd fall back t the reprt f the cnsultant. Other types f stakehlders Getting gd quality images frm every angle imaginable and delivering reprts regarding building integrity fr custmers is als imprtant t brkers (client) wh are trying t sell a prperty r architects t check if the design he created is actually being build accrding t his wishes. 4.2. Advantages/disadvantages fr the ptential users f drnes Drne technlgy, like everything, cmes with advantages and disadvantages. T get an verview f the advantages and disadvantages the attributes f Rgers (1983) are used. Which als gives insight t the infrmatin needed t persuade the ptential users f drnes. Relative advantage Relative advantage is the degree t which an innvatin is perceived as being better than the idea it supersedes. (Rgers, 1983, p.213). This can be determined by ecnmic r scial advantages f drnes in cmparisn t its alternatives. The alternative t thermgraphy with a drne is thermgraphy using a handheld infrared camera. This has been used in the cnstructin industry fr a lng time, this ptin f curse is cheaper than munting such a camera n an expensive drne. But when measurements at height need t be dne the handheld temperature readings are getting mre expensive because a scaffld r wrk platfrm needs t be facilitated. Als the inspectr will need t wrk at height, which brings csts and dangers with it. In thery ne wuld give the drne the advantage fr the hard t reach places f a cnstructin. Cnventinal management f the cnstructin site has wrked fr several years, the cntractr culd be assisted by his emplyees by sending him a picture f an errr via whatsapp r an app alike. The alternative t the drne therefre culd be ther types f camera s where smartphnes and tablets are expected t be the mst imprtant alternatives. But with the use f a drne, the cntractr can fly t the lcatin wanted and ask fr real time Instead f making a pintclud with the help f high quality pictures with a drne it is als pssible t scan a cnstructin the bject with a 3D laser scanner. This scanner als gives an exprt pssibility t 16
CAD mdels (Valeri, Adan & Cerrada, 2012). These laser scanners hwever need t be n a steady platfrm and are nt very mbile, s scanning will be time cnsuming. What needs t be mentined is that drnes d nt perate well (r at all) in bad weather cnditins. The DJI drne frm Table1 can be perated until a windage f 55 km/h and drnes cannt be used in the rain. This means the alternatives have the advantage if the weather is bad. Cmpatibility Cmpatibility is the degree t which an innvatin is perceived as cnsistent with the existing values, past experiences, and needs f ptential adpters. (Rgers, 1983, p.223). The degree f the cmpatibility will be knwn at the end this research. In chapter 3 the pssibilities f the technlgy are already given. In chapter 6 the needs f the ptential users are given and in chapter 7 these tw will be cmpared. This will give the degree f cmpatibility. Cmplexity Anther attribute Rgers (1983) has given is the cmplexity. The mre cmplex the technlgy is perceived, the less likely users will be able t use it. Cmplexity is the degree t which an innvatin is perceived as relatively difficult t understand and use. (Rgers, 1983, p.230). Drnes are getting easier t fly, but in rder t cntrl a drne and get high quality camera recrdings there need t be tw persns perating the drne and camera in perfect cperatin. Especially when using a thermal camera under a drne it is imprtant the camera peratr knws what t lk fr. The drne can nwadays fly n its wn, but needs a back-up peratr in case GPS is lst. Further drnes bring legal cmplexity with them. Public pinin abut drnes vary frm enthusiastic drne hbbyists t anti-drne prtests because peple think drnes will have a great impact t their privacy and are afraid drnes will d harm. A crashing drne indeed culd make sme impact. Then there is the drne itself, which is quite a cmplicated system with a lt f cmplex parts cperating in rder t make it fully functinal. Because prfessinal drnes are specialised equipment they are nt readily available and the amunt f suppliers is limited. The 5P s mdel f Prter gives that due t the high cmplexity f the drne itself it puts these suppliers in a strng place in the market. Therefre they can ask larger margins f prfit if wanted. A cmplexity f the drne therefre will be the price f the drne. One f biggest limitatin f drnes at the mment is the shrt fly time. A drne f this mment will fly abut 25 minutes n ne battery charge, f curse with multiple battery packs a drne culd fly all day, but the battery has t be replaced every 25 minutes. Which f curse is very incnvenient. But battery develpment is als in great prgress, largely because nearly every piece f equipment man uses all day rely n its battery. Think abut smartphnes, electric cars, laptps and smartphnes. Better lightweight high-capacity batteries such as the high perfrmance Li-in battery described by Kim et al. (2012) are getting available which wuld give drnes much mre flight time which wuld mean they can be used t scan larger bjects fr a lnger time and the asset wuld becme mre valuable. This is because ne des nt lse the time needed t change a battery pack and can cntinuusly keep scanning r mnitring the cnstructin site. This pens the pssibility t thrughly scan an area which is particularly useful when checking large fields f phtvltaic panels r fr gvernment uses such as checking fr illegal structures. 17
Trialability Trialability is the degree t which an innvatin may be experimented with n a limited basis. (Rgers, 1983, p.231). As mentined in Table 1, a high-end cnsumer drne csts abut 1,400 and a prfessinal drne 23,161. The mentined price f the prfessinal drne was withut a camera r autnmus flight unit. It shuld be mentined the cnsumer drne is ready t fly ut f the bx and the prfessinal drne needs special training t perate it prperly. Therefre the trialability f the custmer drne scres high and because f the special training and the high cst the trialabilty f the prfessinal drne is lw. As mentined in chapter 3 there are a lt f applicatins fr drnes, sme f these applicatins require mre advanced drnes with different sensrs. Because f this the prices are variating a lt as well as the required trainings (Height Tech, 2015). Therefre, the degree f trialability depends n the applicatin. Observability Observability is the degree t which the results f an innvatin are visible t thers. (Rgers, 1983, p.232). The degree f bservability fr drnes in the cnstructin industry is unknwn because it has nt been used yet. But frm ther industries it can be cncluded that the results f using a drne gives a lt f advantages cmpared t their lder methds (Marris, 2013 & Frnace et al., 2014). 4.3. Preliminary cnclusins Out f the stakehlders mentined by Winch (2010) the nes that are likely t be ptential users f a drne were selected t be: the cntractr, cnsultancy agencies r lcal gvernment. Each with their wn applicatins fr the drne. Advantages fr the ptential users are that, cmpared t the alternatives f drnes, the hard t reach areas (mainly at height, e.g. rftps) are easy t see with the help f a drne. It als makes it pssible t save mney and time cmpared t the alternatives, this is partly because it saves n the expenses fr safety measures. Using drne gives a lt f advantages in ther areas s therefre it is expected that the bservability will be high t fr the cnstructin industry. Sadly it is nt pssible t give the advantages n the attributes cmpatibility and trialability. The disadvantages are the large variating prices which are largely depend f the applicatin f the drne. Anther disadvantage is that the mst drnes are nt usable under bad weather cnditins. Drnes have a high cmplexity which brings sme disadvantages with like legal issues and shrt flight times because f the limited capacity f the batteries. 18
5. Empirical data perceptins drne usage Due t the nature f drnes in the cnstructin industry being very new and innvative, a research twards change is best t be dne. Such research is aimed at implementing imprvements. This includes mnitring pssible prblems that can withhld the implementatin f the innvatin (Verschuren & Drewaard, 2007). The best strategy t get gd insight in the situatin as it is wuld be by using the research strategy f an interview. But interviews take a lt f time t prcess, s in rder t save the researcher sme time it was chsen develp a survey and cmbine the survey with a small amunt f interviews. 5.1. Develping a survey The survey will be in Dutch because this the native language f bth parties. The list f questins is based n what is fund in literature. The questins t be asked will be in the frm f clsed questins which have pre-frmulated answers, this makes the results easier t prcess and analyse. Often the ptin f Other, namely will be given, this gives the respndent the pprtunity t give an answer the researcher might nt have thught abut yet f abut what the respndent wuld want frm imagery. The gals f the survey will be t get insight in hw ften imagery is made, with what devices it is made, what the subject being phtgraphed/filmed is, t see which devices are mst preferable, when the imagery is made and eventually whether peple are familiar with drnes and if they are willing t adpt drnes in their business. This will eventually give insight in hw far the industry is ready fr drnes and will help t answer the research questins and/r test the answers fund in literature. After sme iteratins abut the questins that needed t be in the survey in cnsultatin with the supervisr the final survey was put tgether n paper and translated t a digital frmat with the help f Thesistls.cm. This frmat is easy in use and makes gd quality surveys that can be spread thrugh an internet link. The printable versin f the survey can be fund in Appendix A. The chsen methd f spreading was preferably by spreading it under the members f assciatins that represent cmpanies in the cnstructin industry. Only ne f thse assciatins was willing t pst the link t the survey in their newsletter t the members. Anther assciatin was nt willing t spread the survey under their members but had the cntacts f these cmpanies n their website. The researcher called these cmpanies in the name f the university in rder t spread the survey. Unfrtunately the cmpanies were unwilling t cperate. They get requests t ften t d this. An answer that is gives as well is t send an e-mail with the descriptin and the link f the survey s the secretary culd frward it t their PR sectin. As time ges by the researcher asked fr the status f the spreading f the survey. N update culd be given r the request t spread the survey was denied. Anther methd f spreading the survey was by the LinkedIn f the supervisr. This frtunately lead t a better respnse rate. In cnsultatin with the supervisr a cmbinatin f the survey with interviews at cmpanies wuld be the methd f getting the data wanted. The researcher later visited a meeting frm the platfrm Pineering abut energy saving husing in rder t spread the survey there. This is why the printable versin f Appendix A is made. Unfrtunately the meeting culd nt aid in spreading the survey. 19
5.2. Data cllected by the survey Eventually there were 18 respndents. Six f thse respndents eventually turned ut t be nt usable at all, ne f them seemed t be a hax nly filling in he was a swimming pl lifeguard wrking fr the municipality. One filled in the first three questins and the ther fur nly filled in what their functin was and/r at what type f rganisatin they were wrking. One f the respndent eventually stpped halfway after questin 8. This respndent it kept in the first 8 questins because thse answers are still useable fr the utcme f thse questins. The answers given can be fund thrugh tables and diagrams in Appendix A. When we lk at the survey, we see mst f the respndents are cnsultants r members f management teams f cnsultancy agencies r cntractrs. The respndents think they use imagery in mst f their cases with the biggest categry being between 61-80% f their ttal prjects and the secnd mst chsen categry is the even higher ne with 81-100% f usage f imagery in prjects. We can als cnclude that ut f this grup there was n ne wh thinks they will be using less imagery in the future, half thinks that they will increase the amunt f imagery made and the ther half says they will cntinue making the amunt f imagery they were already ding. If we lk at the bject that imagery is made f this is mstly the bject as a whle, imperfectins, prgress f the prject and the wrk in prgress itself. Less ppular subjects being phtgraphed are electrical systems, piping- and plumbing systems. The mst preferred methd f shting imagery turned ut t be by smartphne (9 ut f the 12 respndents), with the cmpact camera as a clse secnd (7 ut f 12 respndents), ne f the respndents gave a drne as a way t make imagery. The smartphne als turned ut t be the mst useful device f making imagery with an average scre f 8.8/10 fr usefulness, this time fllwed by the DSLR with 7.9/10. When we lk at the average mark the respndents gave the devices the drne actually was marked higher (9.0/10) than the smartphne, but this is due the fact that nly ne respndent gave the drne as an ptin. The imagery is mstly used fr internal cmmunicatin and external prmtin (bth were filled in 8 times), inspectins were als an imprtant use f imagery (6 times filled in). T the questin abut the shting f thermal imagery almst all f the respndents answered they use thermal imagery fr abut 0-20% f their prjects. During the finishing and usage f the prject the mst imagery is taken and the main reasns t make imagery is internal and external cmmunicatin. Bth methd f cmmunicatin were appinted 8 times versus the 6 times inspectins were mentined as usage fr the imagery. Real-time imagery turned ut t be fairly useful t neutral, s it is a nice bnus, but had n real added value accrding t the results f the survey. Mst peple think they are familiar with drnes, n ne has nt already heard f a drne, 9% has heard frm a drne and the rest knws what drnes are r have even flwn with ne. The respndents think that drnes wuld be mst useful t sht imagery f rftps and bjects as whle. The respndents f the survey wuld use a drne t make imagery within the range f 0-40% f their prjects (45% said 0-20% and anther 45% said 21-40%). But when asked if a drne culd be a prblem in the cnstructin industry 73% f them say drnes culd be a prblem indeed fr a variety f reasns (privacy, regulatins, it is new fr the industry). One persn said drnes in his pinin nly have added value fr the cnstructin industry. One persn came with the suggestin t use drnes t scare away nesting birds anther persn gave the ptin f using Ggle Glass as frm f imagery n cnstructin sites. 20
5.3. Develping interviews The interviews will take place in apprximately 60 minutes and will include sme general questins abut the persn and the cmpany interviewed in rder t get a fair cmparisn between the interviews. A lnger interview is t hard t prcess and analyze fr the time that is available. The interview will be cmpsed f pen questins and sme questins where it is asked t chse frm sme ptins and explain his/her chice. The pen questins give the persn that is interviewed the chance t use his r her creative mind and utgiving t answer the questin. Interviews can be held in a variety f ways. Interviews can be face-t-face, via telephne, r nwadays even with the help f sftware like Skype. The preferred way f cnducting an interview is face-t-face by visiting the cmpany being interviewed. This gives the mst pure and unfiltered results as bdy language can als tell a lt and the mre persnal apprach f a face-t-face interview will prbably be mre attractive t the respndent. The cmpanies that will be interviewed are mstly within shrt range f the city f Enschede. This is dne t save time fr the researcher, als the number f interviews is limited t three. Interviews will be recrded s they can be transcribed t a text frmat, but the researcher will als take ntes. This will be dne by hand r if pssible with specialised transcriptin sftware. The interviews will take abut ne hur and as mentined will be cnducted in Dutch because bth parties will prbably speak Dutch mre fluently and answers will be mre accurate. The questins asked in the interview will be mstly based n the survey questins abve, but since it is an interview the respndent will be asked t give as many answers he culd think f by himself and is given the pprtunity t give his thughts abut the questins asked. Smething which is nt pssible with just an nline survey. 5.4. Data cllected by the interviews Here the results f the interviews will be presented. The full results can be fund in Appendices B, C and D. The results f the interview with cmpany K and L are cmbined because they were retrieved frm a meeting f bth cmpanies fllwed by an interview t cmpany L. Cmpany K & cmpany L The meeting with cmpany L, a cmpany that was planning t use a drne within their wrk envirnment, and drne builder cmpany K gave a lt f insight abut the regulatins regarding drnes. Unfrtunately the surrundings were t nisy t make recrdings, s the researcher made extra ntes and prcessed the cnversatins partly frm memry. The prceedings f the meeting and cmbined interview can be fund in Appendix B. Cmpany L is interested in using a drne t measure the rftps f barns in the agriculture industry. These measurements are nw dne by hand and need t be dne twice. The first time will be a rugh measurement in rder t get a price indicatin t the custmer, if the custmer agrees a secnd, accurate, measurement will be dne. This cst time and cmpany L believes a drne culd d this wrk much faster fr them with the added bnus f wrking safer frm the grund instead f n the rf. Cmpany K can ffer the ttal package f the drne including the sftware that can be used t make the measurements r make an exprt t CAD t make the measurements in CAD if wanted. The drne flies autnmus with the help f a prgrammed flight path which uses Ggle Maps. Respndent A f cmpany K als made clear perating a drne needs special training and a lt f paperwrk needs t be arranged befre it is allwed t fly the drne in The Netherlands. Implementing an infrared camera t the drne is als pssible, but cmpany L was ng interested in this technlgy. 21
It als was mentined that bstacles d nt frm a prblem fr the scanning f the rf because the technlgy uses a pintclud f abut 25 high quality images made by the drne and DSLR. Flight time f a drne frm cmpany K is guaranteed t 12 minutes, bus since the drne will be dne taking the images in abut 5 minutes this faces n prblem and if cmpany L wants t use the system fr 6 prjects a day they culd purchase extra batteries in rder t keep ging all day. Cmpany L further makes use f images made by smartphnes and ther camera s. Ggle Maps is ften being used t rient the envirnment f a pssible prject. They want t imprve their wrking speed and accuracy in rder t save csts, be innvative and gain psitive publicity. They d nt use thermal imagery yet. Cmpany M The full prceedings f the interview with respndent D, the directr f tw departments f cmpany M in the Twente regin can be fund in Appendix C. Cmpany M is a cnstructr and a develper. They d prjects all the way frm the initiative phase till maintenance. An imprtant usage f imagery fr them is cmmunicatin (marketing) t their custmer, but als fr internal cmmunicatin. Fr every prject they use imagery, ften prfessinal phtgraphs are hired t make these pictures. What culd be seen is the rise f the imprtance f imagery ver the last years. 16 years ag we had Plarids n site in rder t get a fast picture said respndent D, directr f tw departments in the east f The Netherlands f cmpany M. Nwadays digital pictures are stred in a Clud and images are f high prfessinal quality. Vides are ften made and spread via scial media like YuTube, LinkedIn, Twitter r Facebk. Imagery n the cnstructin site is mst ften made frm wrk in prgress in rder t guarantee the quality cmpany M delivered. They als use special sftware applicatin that stre imagery s it is pssible t check hw smething is dne n a later mment in time. The pictures n site are mre including peple in them in rder t make them mre attractive fr marketing purpses. Ggle Earth and Streetview are mentined as imagery that is als used a lt. Every devise fr making imagery is being used by cmpany M, frm smartphnes t webcams. The webcams mnitr the prgress f the prject and ffer a semi real-time image f the site. Recrdings are delayed 30 minutes in rder t prevent spreading if an accident happens. Cmpany M als uses sensr triggered cameras t secure the site against thievery. Als infrared imagery is made in abut 60% f their prjects, in Germany respndent D thinks this rate is abut 90%. The infrared imagery is being used in rder t get the evidence fr BREEAM like certificates. Cmpany M wns an infrared camera, but usually hires an external specialised cmpany t make the reprts. Cmpany M has used drnes just t make vide ftage fr marketing purpses, but respndent D knws abut the pssibilities fr measuring that drnes can ffer. Respndent D believes drnes culd be used fr a lt f applicatins, namely inspectins f rftps frm a safe psitin. But he thinks drnes culd als d sme wrk in the future, he has mentined mving bricks as an example in rder t save time the wrkers culd use t actually build the building instead f getting tls r materials. Respndent D further believes drnes culd prject measurements and cnstructin drawings t the site in rder t prevent misplacement f elements. Cmpany M wuld prbably nt buy a drne in the future t get imagery, but wuld rather hire an external cmpany t d this fr them. Respndent D had his dubt abut the regulatins needed fr flying a drne and thinks the drne might cause a distractin. Further respndent D states if smene is nt cnvinced a new technlgy will wrk fr him he is nt prbable t use the technlgy a lt. 22