National win for Acres LiDAR Drone program a sign of construction industry tech integration

Using the LiDAR drone, surveying for a construction project takes a fraction of the time it normally would. The lasers can capture extremely precise imaging and measurements of the ground below, which is then used for the design of a project.

“You don’t have to build access roads you don’t have to actually have the people come in and wander around. So it’s a lot safer,” explains Mike Broadway, Acres’ Vice President of Technology and Innovation. “And once we are done flying the drone, we can upload it to the cloud and have the information processed overnight.”

The Whispering Pines Indian Band recently hired Acres for an erosion and flood prevention project along the North Thompson River, and the contractor used the LiDAR Drone for it.

“So we would’ve come out and done the LiDAR drone survey of this area as it sat naturally. And it would have cut through the vegetation and trees, even some of the water because you can see through some of the water so you can capture the bank underneath and you get all of that detail and that information,” explains Chad Kyllo, Acres’ Business Innovation Manager who was also piloting the drone on Friday (Aug. 15).

Acres says their nod at the CIO Awards was the first time a medium-sized company from BC has earned that category of award, which acknowledge companies in Canada for technology innovation.

“When I started about eight years ago we had just bought the first drone technology. So it wasn’t LIDAR but it was more photogrammetry and we’ve been implementing that ever since,” explains Broadway, “So we’re always on top of new technologies and following along with LIDAR when their new drone came out it was something we bought and applied that technology right away.”

According to Clifford Kshyk, the CEO of the Southern Interior Construction Association, it’s an example of an industry shift to using more pre-fabricated builds, robotics, artificial intelligence, and drones.

“And with that, you need a lot less people on job sites. So yes, you’ve got more productivity. And within the construction industry, productivity has been on a decrease. It truly has,” he reiterates.

The association says in some ways AI integrated technology is combating shortages in labour and sub-trades.

“Absolutely, AI is not reducing the workforce. AI is not taking away people’s skillsets, or people’s jobs,” stresses Kshyk.

In this case, the technology has opened the door to integrate drone piloting in the construction industry, while making sure projects are done as correctly as possible, and on time.

“For us, the standard is every week, every project gets a drone flight,” adds Kyllo.

by Dylana Kneeshaw

National win for Acres LiDAR Drone program a sign of construction industry tech integration

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