Commercial drones can be used to completea wide variety of tasks, such as capturingdata for topographic mapping (CAD or GIS),3D point cloud generation and terrainmodel creation. These products are used formany engineering purposes, frominspecting asset condition and monitoringconstruction progress to offshore inspections.They also provide marketing imagery andaerial video that can enhance client andpublic engagement.Through ongoing collaborative efforts withour in-house drone team and approvedsuppliers, Atkins has used Tarmac CrownFarm quarry (TCFQ) in Cheshire as a trial sitefor research into the use of drones forecological surveys. Atkins designed and ranthe research and trials at the sand and gravelextraction quarry, while Tarmac facilitatedthe work by setting aside dedicated areas.Carrying out a traditional ecological surveyof large mineral-extraction sites can beexpensive and time-consuming, and cansometimes lead to delays in worksprogrammes. The use of drones to undertake,or facilitate, ecological surveys can reduce thecosts of survey and habitat-mapping work,while at the same time improving theaccuracy and speed of data collection whencompared with traditional survey methods.These services are particularly beneficialwhen surveys are required in sensitive, unsafeor inaccessible locations.Three areas of research into using droneswere trialled at TCFQ:
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