Top 6 Attributes of Aerial Imagery for Construction

There’s a lifecycle in civil engineering and construction. Projects are born and mature over time. As they speed to completion, developers, engineers, designers and construction pros work diligently to minimize risk every step of the way.

Anyone involved in this process understands the value of seeing the real world with perfect clarity. They recognize that current ground truth represents the difference between success and failure, profit and loss. In this world, the details really do matter—from site evaluation through selection, site planning, design, engineering, construction and maintenance.

High resolution aerial imagery is a powerful force in the engineering and construction lifecycle. If you could instantly visualize current imagery for hundreds of possible locations in collaboration with developers, wouldn’t the process be simplified? As you assess environmental conditions, neighboring communities, adjacent development and other sources of data, you filter out the noise. With careful selection, risk is minimized.

This rock solid foundation cements the structure for the rest of your project. Designers thoughtfully visualize the world in which we live. Engineers guarantee precision. Builders streamline construction. Inspectors work faster. And as the lifecycle continues, maintenance and expansion teams are able to see clearly, anticipate change and better manage resources.

New Overstock HQ in Salt Lake City, Utah – Aerial Imagery shows change from October 2014 to August 2016

To make this happen, the aerial imagery you use has to have these 6 attributes:

1. Instant Access – We operate in a world where immediate access is an expectation, not a nice-to-have. There’s no substitute for intelligence available at hyper-speed. As you communicate plans and assess projects, your customers want those split second results. Cloud access to massive amounts of aerial imagery has made this possible.
2. Current Imagery – If you’re working with old imagery, every prospect, every customer and every partner will immediately question your recommendations. On the other hand, there’s nothing more impressive than very recent aerial images. The confidence gained with current imagery extends from your sales and marketing teams through all phases of your work processes.
3. Clear Imagery – Unfortunately, some have come to accept that satellite imagery is all we have with which to work. Fortunately, most aren’t happy about this and have searched for higher ground. The fact is, imagery that is better than 2.8” GSD is available today providing you with unrivaled clarity, precision and detail. It’s this clarity and detail that provides the competitive edge needed to win more business, manage projects more efficiently and tell your story.
4. Changing Imagery – Lifecycles are all about change. Aerial images showing changes over time allow you to measure progress, track against deadlines, communicate effectively and better manage your projects. Armed with an historical archive of imagery and guaranteed frequent updates, your ability to detect change and apply this intelligence in all phases of construction and engineering dramatically increases.
5. Seamless Integration – We rely on our familiarity with proven tools for design, engineering, mapping and GIS. When it comes to integration, access to high resolution imagery has to be simple. Most users expect a one or two-click experience to turn on a data layer. The vast majority won’t stick around very long if navigation and other features are not instantly intuitive. Productivity rises when current, clear, changing imagery is seamlessly integrated with your preferred tools of the trade.
6. Remote Access – Our reliance on mobile access has become pervasive. Just the way we expect instant results, we have come to recognize we need them everywhere. Today, planners and project managers, AutoCAD-ers and ArcGIS Professionals, managers and executives rely heavily on accessible imagery from their desktop, tablet or mobile device.

The use cases for instantly accessible, high resolution aerial photography in architecture, construction and engineering continue to proliferate. Organizations focused on commercial and residential development, water treatment, roadway design, sewer management, traffic engineering, feasibility analysis are all circling around advances in location content to drive their business.

Today and tomorrow, those interested in transforming the way they work will use high-resolution aerial images to assess road conditions, land features, drainage patterns and land acquisition. They will strive to manage all phases of the engineering and construction lifecycle using modern approaches to location content. Instant access to recent aerial imagery allows you to perform the due diligence to get the job done. Progressive organizations have discovered a new way to compete, a new template for success—current, clear, changing imagery providing unprecedented access, higher levels of productivity and smarter communication is becoming the new normal.

Interested in learning more? Talk to one of our experts to get a live demo of Nearmap.