Drone: The New Point and Shoot Camera; Using Drones to Enhance Waterfront Inspection and Design

Inspecting and documenting waterfront structures in the marine environment is often regarded as tough, demanding, and dangerous. Today’s datacentric engineering reports require detailed inspection photographs; in fact, a durable, point and shoot camera is an essential tool for every engineer in the field. How can we reduce the risk around a precarious work area and still provide high-quality images for a thorough, reliable, and cost-effective inspection? Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), commonly known as drones could be the answer. These aerial vehicles are maturing rapidly as an effective inspection platform and can be an integral tool for the engineers on the ground. Drones are changing the landscape in terms of optimizing project inspections with clear, hard-to-get images, and without slowing down the inspection time table. This paper will present first-hand experience, and unique insights, into the value and key benefits of having a drone in your in-house tool bag.