For builders & contractors

Fewer arguments about what was built

Quantities, progress and condition, captured from above on a schedule, so the site record settles questions instead of starting them.

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Why builders fly

The drone is a measuring tape and a witness

On a construction site most disputes come down to two questions: how much was moved or placed, and what did it look like on a given day. A drone answers both. A mapping flight produces an orthomosaic and a surface model you can measure against design. A photo flight produces a dated, repeatable record from the same positions every time.

The value comes from repetition. One flight is a nice picture. Twelve flights from the same positions, on the same dates, with the same processing, is evidence. That is what backs a progress claim, answers a delay notice, and shows the owner's rep that the slab was poured before the rain, not after.

DroneLink keeps every flight for a site on one project record, with the order, the flights and the deliverables together. Your project manager, the owner and the lender get a link to the current files instead of a shared folder with six copies of the same orthomosaic.

The drone is a measuring tape and a witness: Illustration

What goes wrong

Where site data breaks down

Stockpile and haul quantities nobody trusts

Truck counts and eyeball estimates drift. The earthworks sub, the supplier and the owner each have a different number.

How we handle itMeasured stockpile volumes and cut/fill against a design or previous surface, with the method and base surface stated in the report. →

Progress photos from random angles

Phone photos from the ground miss the big picture and can't be compared month to month.

How we handle itA fixed flight plan flown the same way each visit, stored in date order on the site record. →

Work covered before it was recorded

Underground services, footings, membranes and insulation disappear under the next trade.

How we handle itBook short capture flights at cover-up milestones. The point cloud or orthomosaic stays on file for the life of the building. →

Neighbour damage claims with no baseline

Excavation, shoring and vibration bring claims about cracked walls, settled driveways and damaged fences. Without a dated record of the before condition, you are arguing from memory.

How we handle itA pre-construction flight of the site edges and shared boundaries, captured from your side of the line and kept on the project record. It supports, not replaces, a formal pre-construction condition survey. →

Roof and envelope deficiencies found late

Walking a roof or renting a lift for every deficiency check costs time and adds fall risk.

How we handle itVisual and thermal inspection flights at substantial completion and before warranty walks. →

What to order when

A flight plan for a typical build

Stage	Order	What it settles
Before mobilization	Orthomosaic and surface model of existing ground	Starting grades, existing conditions, neighbour condition before you arrive
Excavation and earthworks	Cut/fill and stockpile volumes at each pay period	Quantities for progress claims and supplier invoices
Underground and foundations	Short mapping flights before backfill	Where services actually went
Structure	Monthly fixed-angle photos and orthomosaic	Progress for owner, lender and schedule updates
Envelope and roof	Visual and thermal inspection	Deficiencies before trades demobilize
Completion	As-built orthomosaic, point cloud, marketing media	Turnover package and the owner's baseline

The people around the job

Who needs the data, and what they need from you

Owner or developer

They need from you: Progress they can show their lender and investors, without asking you for photos every week.
You need from them: Agreement on cadence and who pays for which flights.
On the DroneLink record: One project record both of you can see, so there is one set of files and one invoice trail.

Surveyor

They need from you: Drone data tied to their control, in their coordinate system.
You need from them: Control points on site that survive the next phase of work.
On the DroneLink record: The surveyor sets or shares control; mapping deliverables are delivered in their datum as GeoTIFF, LAS/LAZ and DXF.

Earthworks and paving subs

They need from you: Quantities they can check, not a number from nowhere.
You need from them: Their design surface or previous survey.
On the DroneLink record: Volume reports state the base surface and method so anyone can reproduce them.

Site superintendent and safety

They need from you: No surprises overhead, no conflict with the crane.
You need from them: Flight windows that fit the day.
On the DroneLink record: The pilot does a site orientation, confirms the crane schedule, and briefs the crew before flying.

Engineer of record and architect

They need from you: Evidence for field reviews and deficiency lists.
You need from them: Their review dates.
On the DroneLink record: Time inspection flights before their site visits and share the set by link.

Flying on an active site

How a flight fits into a working day

Plan

The pilot checks airspace, nearby helipads and hospitals, and any NAV CANADA authorization needed in Canada or LAANC authorization in the United States. See preparing a site for a flight.

Coordinate

Agree a window with the superintendent. Mapping flights over a busy site often go early, before the crane and the trucks start.

Orient and brief

The crew completes your site orientation and PPE rules like any other trade, and briefs your people on where the take-off area is.

Fly

Mapping flights run a set grid; photo flights run a saved set of positions. Flights near workers follow the rules for operations near people in each country.

Deliver

Photos go up for review and approval; mapping files are processed in-house and delivered as standard files on the project record.

How a flight fits into a working day: Illustration

Scope and cost

What changes the scope of a construction program

Site area and how many separate areas need mapping.
Whether you need survey-grade volumes (ground control or RTK/PPK) or visual progress only. See accuracy.
Visit frequency: weekly, per pay period, or at milestones.
Airspace near airports, heliports or hospitals.
Thermal work, which depends on weather and temperature difference, so it is timed rather than booked to a fixed date.
How many deliverable types: photos, orthomosaic, surface model, point cloud, volume report.

Questions

How accurate are drone stockpile volumes?

With good ground control or RTK/PPK and a clearly defined base surface, drone volumes are typically within a few percent of the true figure, which is usually better than truck counts. The bigger error is often the base surface, not the drone. The report should say how the base was defined.

Can a drone fly over workers on a construction site?

It depends on the rules and the aircraft. In Canada, flights near or over people not involved in the operation need an Advanced certificate and an aircraft declared for that kind of operation. In the United States, Part 107 has specific operations-over-people categories. Most site flights are planned to avoid direct overflight of crews.

How often should I fly progress on a construction project?

Match the flights to how you get paid and how the owner reports. Monthly or per pay period is common, with extra flights at cover-up milestones. Consistency matters more than frequency.

Can drone data be used in a construction claim or dispute?

Dated, repeatable imagery and measured volumes are useful evidence, but how they are weighed is up to the parties and their lawyers. Keep the original files, the flight dates and the processing reports together. A single project record makes that easier.

Do I need a surveyor if I have drone mapping?

Yes, for layout, legal boundaries and anything certified. Drone mapping complements a surveyor's work and is most reliable when tied to their control. Many surveyors fly or commission drone data themselves.

What formats do drone deliverables come in for Civil 3D or other CAD software?

Orthomosaics and elevation models come as GeoTIFF, point clouds as LAS or LAZ, contours and linework as DXF, and meshes as OBJ. These open in AutoCAD, Civil 3D, QGIS, ArcGIS and most civil design tools.

Who owns the drone data from my construction site?

Set that out in the order before the first flight. On a typical program the client who orders the work receives the deliverables for their project use, and the owner, lender and consultants can be given access by link. If the owner is paying and you are coordinating, agree who holds the record so it survives turnover.

Is the in-browser measurement viewer available now?

Not yet. The interactive site map viewer with distance, area, elevation and in-browser volumes is coming. Today you get the same measurements as files and reports that open in your own software. See the site viewer page for status.

Keep reading

Mapping & survey

Tell us about your Toronto site.

An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with what it will take, who will fly it and when.