Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management

Korea Institute of Construction Engineering and Management (한국건설관리학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Construction and Agriculture: Uses, Benefits, Challenges, and Why Companies Choose to Invest

  • Pecoraro, James (Tangipahoa Parish Government Permit Office) ;
  • Harper, Christofer (Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management, Louisiana State University) ;
  • Wang, Chao (Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management, Louisiana State University)
  • Published : 2017.06.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

The use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) in the construction and agriculture industries continues to gain in popularity and use. Firms within these industries have begun to utilize UASs to perform many of the traditional processes and procedures, which can result in a reduction in total work force and costs needed for a task. However, as with any technology, there is a learning curve and UASs do change the way certain activities are completed. Due to this, there exist firms and individuals that have not or are not willing to invest in UASs yet. The objective of this study is to explore the applications of UASs in construction and agricultural industries to discuss the benefits, challenges, and reasons of investing in UASs. This paper conducted an in-depth literature review of current topics on UASs in construction and agriculture. Additionally, six expert interviews were conducted with individuals from construction and agricultural industries in the southeastern United States. Ultimately, this study successfully found several benefits and challenges to using UASs and discussed the reasons that some firms invest in UASs while other still do not.

Keywords

References

  1. Adrian, A. M., Norwood, S. H., & Mask, P. L., Producers' perceptions and attitudes toward precision agriculture technologies. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 48(3), 256-271. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2005.04.004, 2005.
  2. Austin, R., Unmanned aircraft systems: UAVs design, development and deployment. Reston, VA: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010.
  3. Barnhart, R. K., Introduction to unmanned aircraft systems. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2012.
  4. DJI, Agras MG-1 Octocopter, DJI, Inc. Accessed: April 19, 2017. << https://www.dji.com/mg-1>> , 2016.
  5. Eerens, H., Haesen, D., Rembold, F., Urbano, F., Tote, C., & Bydekerke, L. (20 Image time series processing for agriculture monitoring. Environmental Modelling & Software, 53, 154-162. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2013.10.021
  6. Fridfinnson, V., Unmanned Aircraft Systems, presented at the Conference of the Transportation Association of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, 2013
  7. Gheisari, M., Irizarry, J., & Walker, B. N., UAS4SAFETY: The Potential of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Construction Safety Applications. Construction Research Congress 2014. doi:10.1061/9780784413517.184
  8. Hardin, P. J., & Jensen, R. R., Small-Scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Environmental Remote Sensing: Challenges and Opportunities. GIScience & Remote Sensing, 48(1), 99-111. doi:10.2747/1548-1603.48.1.99, 2011.
  9. Horowitz, M. C., Kreps, S. E., & Fuhrmann, M., The Consequences of Drone Proliferation: Separating Fact from Fiction. SSRN Electronic Journal SSRN Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2722311 , 2016.
  10. Irizarry, J., & Costa, D. B., Exploratory Study of Potential Applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Construction Management Tasks. Journal of Management in Engineering J. Manage. Eng., 32(3), 05016001. doi:10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000422, 2016.
  11. Morris, J., Venice. 3rd edition, London: Faber and Faber, 1988.
  12. Newcome, Laurence R., Unmanned Aviation: A Brief History of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. N.p.: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2004.
  13. Radioplane OQ-2 - Development and Operational History, Performance Specifications and Picture Gallery. (2016, May 11). Retrieved May 22, 2016, from http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=331
  14. Rasmussen, J., Nielsen, J., Garcia-Ruiz, F., Christensen, S., & Streibig, J. C., Potential uses of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in weed research. Weed Research, 53(4), 242-248. doi:10.1111/wre.12026, 2013.
  15. Secretary of Defense. Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap: 2005-2030. Washington, D.C.: Department of Defense, 2005. Print.
  16. Shaw, Ian G., "The Rise of the Predator Empire: Tracing the History of U.S. Drones", Understanding Empire, https://understandingempire.wordpress.com/2-0-a-brief-history-ofu-s-drones, 2014.
  17. Siebert, S., & Teizer, J., Mobile 3D mapping for surveying earthwork projects using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) system. Automation in Construction, 41, 1-14. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2014.01.004,
  18. Zhang, C., & Kovacs, J. M., The application of small unmanned aerial systems for precision agriculture: a review. Precision agriculture, 13(6), 693-712, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-012-9274-5
  19. U.S. Army, U.S. Army Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap 2010-2035, 2014. http://www.rucker.army.mil/usaace/uas/US%20Army%20UAS%20RoadMap%202010%202035.pdf