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Leads on Photogrammetry Work and Inspection Work

MCW LLC

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For those of you that would not mind sharing, where does your marketing (knocking on doors) get you the most leads? with mapping, modeling, and inspection work.

Personally, I seek out general contractors, engineers, land developers... I live in Las Vegas NV and here it seems a little behind the times with aerial work.
Most of the bigger contractors are using this in-house.

Any info on getting work doing mapping/inspection would be much appreciated! and I'm sure for others as well.

Thank you
 
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As an in house guy, I'll say the company I work for (engineering firm) has a pretty dim view of 3rd party drone service providers because they got burned for a lot of money for crap results prior to having a staff pilot, most likely because drone pilots aren't engineers. But, being in house I can learn both sides. I learned what they did with the data, what was useful, what was not, and we got the right equipment and learned to use it. We don't do much engineering work with anything you'll find made by DJI or Autel. Sure we use consumer drones for odd jobs, but the real work is done with commercial drones not spoken of much on this forum and have a price tag more like a manned aircraft.

And I'll say this, orthomap aerials are nice to haves but rarely is it something we will really push for. I don't even get them on some sites I fly. There are good enough state flown aerials that satisfy most clients if they want a consept or drawing to look cool. I mostly fly Lidar, with a very high grade GNSS accuracy, it's much more useful and accurate for what the engineers actually use. Photogrammetry is usually garbage unless the site is super clean, and if they can't trust it they don't want it. I also have a actual survey GNSS units in my kit, I can get additional field data while I'm there a lot of the time.

I'd love to maybe run my own drone business one day, but being the in house guy I'm going to get a lot of hours and years of experience on not only the flying of jobs, but what they do with the data. I fly the site, I do field work, I process the data, I set up the drawings, I load it in CAD and pretty much have a hand in it all along the way. And I will say I work for a small company, not a large one. I get most of my projects directly from the owner, and I look at some and say, "no we can't do this" sometimes. But, I'm not working on stuff for a competitor, I'm not putting them in line with other clients. In a fast paced field, I can go get data as fast as practical where with a 3rd party, who knows when you'll get it or what you'll get. With me, they always know where it's at and how it's going, I'm in the office every day to ask, and if I'm not in my office and the drone is gone, well they know it's coming soon.

Not really what you wanted but maybe an insight to how at least the place I work for thinks on drone services. It may get better as time goes on, but in the commercial realm there are a lot of places out there giving drone services a bad name, and it's not the privateer guys like you find here.
 
Thank you very much for your reply.
I also use a GNSS ground unit along with an RTK drone, and the NTRIP network works very well here in the valley. The Key is trust a reliability and knowing what you will get... it's so hard to get that trust right off the bat. What type of engineering firm do you work for (field)?
I don't use lidar yet, but photogrammetry works well in Vegas due to very few trees and vegetation.

This is my website if you're interested in taking a look at it, any advice is welcome. buildingamerica702.com
 
As an in house guy, I'll say the company I work for (engineering firm) has a pretty dim view of 3rd party drone service providers because they got burned for a lot of money for crap results prior to having a staff pilot, most likely because drone pilots aren't engineers. But, being in house I can learn both sides. I learned what they did with the data, what was useful, what was not, and we got the right equipment and learned to use it. We don't do much engineering work with anything you'll find made by DJI or Autel. Sure we use consumer drones for odd jobs, but the real work is done with commercial drones not spoken of much on this forum and have a price tag more like a manned aircraft.

And I'll say this, orthomap aerials are nice to haves but rarely is it something we will really push for. I don't even get them on some sites I fly. There are good enough state flown aerials that satisfy most clients if they want a consept or drawing to look cool. I mostly fly Lidar, with a very high grade GNSS accuracy, it's much more useful and accurate for what the engineers actually use. Photogrammetry is usually garbage unless the site is super clean, and if they can't trust it they don't want it. I also have a actual survey GNSS units in my kit, I can get additional field data while I'm there a lot of the time.

I'd love to maybe run my own drone business one day, but being the in house guy I'm going to get a lot of hours and years of experience on not only the flying of jobs, but what they do with the data. I fly the site, I do field work, I process the data, I set up the drawings, I load it in CAD and pretty much have a hand in it all along the way. And I will say I work for a small company, not a large one. I get most of my projects directly from the owner, and I look at some and say, "no we can't do this" sometimes. But, I'm not working on stuff for a competitor, I'm not putting them in line with other clients. In a fast paced field, I can go get data as fast as practical where with a 3rd party, who knows when you'll get it or what you'll get. With me, they always know where it's at and how it's going, I'm in the office every day to ask, and if I'm not in my office and the drone is gone, well they know it's coming soon.

Not really what you wanted but maybe an insight to how at least the place I work for thinks on drone services. It may get better as time goes on, but in the commercial realm there are a lot of places out there giving drone services a bad name, and it's not the privateer guys like you find here.
I'm my experience, I find that there's a huge gap between what the drone pilot is looking for to properly deliver the desired results and what the construction company is willing to share with the drone pilot in terms of said desired results. They are stingy with details. It seems that the company expects the drone pilot to somehow magically deduce what the desired results are with sharing specifics about the shoot. I think it's a direct result of the company underestimating - selling short - what the drone and the pilot are capable of doing, with the consensus being that all the drone can do is take pictures. It has nothing to do with the IQ/Intelligence of the company folks. Rather, it's a result of the company dealing with construction matters 99.9% of the time, and drone matter 0.1% of the time and not willing to concede that, in general, they're not properly versed in drone matters and capabilities.
 
I'm my experience, I find that there's a huge gap between what the drone pilot is looking for to properly deliver the desired results and what the construction company is willing to share with the drone pilot in terms of said desired results. They are stingy with details. It seems that the company expects the drone pilot to somehow magically deduce what the desired results are with sharing specifics about the shoot. I think it's a direct result of the company underestimating - selling short - what the drone and the pilot are capable of doing, with the consensus being that all the drone can do is take pictures. It has nothing to do with the IQ/Intelligence of the company folks. Rather, it's a result of the company dealing with construction matters 99.9% of the time, and drone matter 0.1% of the time and not willing to concede that, in general, they're not properly versed in drone matters and capabilities.
Exactly, I find that most companies have no idea what can be done with the drone and the right software! Having a ground base station connected to NTRIP and sending corrections to an RTK drone, setting some Checks and GCPs
I have come up with Absolute accuracy, and unlimited use cases for this data!
They think drones are just for photos and video. I wish there was an easy way to show them what all can be done. and work with the software they already use, like Autodesk, BIM 360...
But they don't seem to have the time or understanding of what I am even talking about.
 
Exactly, I find that most companies have no idea what can be done with the drone and the right software! Having a ground base station connected to NTRIP and sending corrections to an RTK drone, setting some Checks and GCPs
I have come up with Absolute accuracy, and unlimited use cases for this data!
They think drones are just for photos and video. I wish there was an easy way to show them what all can be done. and work with the software they already use, like Autodesk, BIM 360...
But they don't seem to have the time or understanding of what I am even talking about.
Correct. Construction companies (in general) are reluctant to admit that they don't know drone capabilities and are unwilling to recognize an "outsider" as an integral part of the process, such as steel erectors and concrete companies. Your last comment about the futility of them not even wanting to talk about it reminds me of what Mark Twain once said:

9a892c8cf9493e034bf99bc468b775fc.jpg
 
Last edited:
As an in house guy, I'll say the company I work for (engineering firm) has a pretty dim view of 3rd party drone service providers because they got burned for a lot of money for crap results prior to having a staff pilot, most likely because drone pilots aren't engineers. But, being in house I can learn both sides. I learned what they did with the data, what was useful, what was not, and we got the right equipment and learned to use it. We don't do much engineering work with anything you'll find made by DJI or Autel. Sure we use consumer drones for odd jobs, but the real work is done with commercial drones not spoken of much on this forum and have a price tag more like a manned aircraft.

And I'll say this, orthomap aerials are nice to haves but rarely is it something we will really push for. I don't even get them on some sites I fly. There are good enough state flown aerials that satisfy most clients if they want a consept or drawing to look cool. I mostly fly Lidar, with a very high grade GNSS accuracy, it's much more useful and accurate for what the engineers actually use. Photogrammetry is usually garbage unless the site is super clean, and if they can't trust it they don't want it. I also have a actual survey GNSS units in my kit, I can get additional field data while I'm there a lot of the time.

I'd love to maybe run my own drone business one day, but being the in house guy I'm going to get a lot of hours and years of experience on not only the flying of jobs, but what they do with the data. I fly the site, I do field work, I process the data, I set up the drawings, I load it in CAD and pretty much have a hand in it all along the way. And I will say I work for a small company, not a large one. I get most of my projects directly from the owner, and I look at some and say, "no we can't do this" sometimes. But, I'm not working on stuff for a competitor, I'm not putting them in line with other clients. In a fast paced field, I can go get data as fast as practical where with a 3rd party, who knows when you'll get it or what you'll get. With me, they always know where it's at and how it's going, I'm in the office every day to ask, and if I'm not in my office and the drone is gone, well they know it's coming soon.

Not really what you wanted but maybe an insight to how at least the place I work for thinks on drone services. It may get better as time goes on, but in the commercial realm there are a lot of places out there giving drone services a bad name, and it's not the privateer guys like you find here.
Hi, this is a very valuable insight. I am in California and I didn't spring for a Phantom 4 RTK (closest to my budget) because from what I understand surveying is not allowed if I am not licensed. I just purchased a Mavic 2 Pro, is there any value I can offer to construction sites with this drone? and if so with what software? Thank you for pointing out the turnaround time. I will let companies know they can have the data (that you can suggest to me to gather with M2Pro) that day or immediately. I am practicing and giving them the 2d/3d maps for free, but I don't know who that would be useful for. The engineers or investors maybe? Is there a service I can offer that will give them value and a reason to hire me weekly?

Thank you for any input I just found this forum and have been struggling to find information on this area.
 
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Exactly, I find that most companies have no idea what can be done with the drone and the right software! Having a ground base station connected to NTRIP and sending corrections to an RTK drone, setting some Checks and GCPs
I have come up with Absolute accuracy, and unlimited use cases for this data!
They think drones are just for photos and video. I wish there was an easy way to show them what all can be done. and work with the software they already use, like Autodesk, BIM 360...
But they don't seem to have the time or understanding of what I am even talking about.
Is there anything valuable I can offer with a Mavic 2 Pro? and if so with what software? I am in California I need to be a licensed surveyor so I didn't spring for the Phantom 4 pro, otherwise, I would have loved to have been able to offer those services. I would appreciate any kind of feedback or maybe a different drone to look into. Thank you
 
I'm my experience, I find that there's a huge gap between what the drone pilot is looking for to properly deliver the desired results and what the construction company is willing to share with the drone pilot in terms of said desired results. They are stingy with details. It seems that the company expects the drone pilot to somehow magically deduce what the desired results are with sharing specifics about the shoot. I think it's a direct result of the company underestimating - selling short - what the drone and the pilot are capable of doing, with the consensus being that all the drone can do is take pictures. It has nothing to do with the IQ/Intelligence of the company folks. Rather, it's a result of the company dealing with construction matters 99.9% of the time, and drone matter 0.1% of the time and not willing to concede that, in general, they're not properly versed in drone matters and capabilities.
Is there someone on the company's side I could speak to directly to find out what info would help them? I am trying to get into this space? Would it be the engineers? thanks
 
Engineers and contractors, construction progress, mapping, inspection and more, you will find at times they do need very accurate mapping, so I would not shy away from the RTK drone. you can offer centimeter-level mapping without calling it a survey
 
Engineers and contractors, construction progress, mapping, inspection and more, you will find at times they do need very accurate mapping, so I would not shy away from the RTK drone. you can offer centimeter-level mapping without calling it a survey
Hi, thanks for replying. In that case, I will make it a goal to save up towards the 4 Pro RTK using my Mavic 2 Pro.

So if I work with the engineers and contractors. Would they find progress reports, mapping, and inspections the most useful from my Mavic 2 Pro? What value do they get out of it? I'd like to know so I can try pitching to them or the owners of the construction companies. If I can figure out whose life I am making easier and how to save them money, then fingers cross I can make deals with them.

I'm also asking because when I have flown on construction sites, I've heard over and over from them that they've been wanting an in-house drone guy, but the cost of insurance is too expensive. I let them know I am licensed and insured (working on my osha certificate as we speak), so what problems can I help you solve? And they never have an answer for me. I tell them I can do progress reports and 3d maps so you can overlay your current progress with what was blueprinted, but they seem like they just listen out of politeness. So I'm trying to figure out what would make who bite? My plan is to fly for free and then show them the data.

Thank you again! it's been really hard for me to find info on real-world use cases with people who are actually doing work in this field. Usually, it's buy this course to do this and in the real world it's outdated or not needed anymore.
 
It is hard, and it is hard getting started, remember they don't want to spend a dime more than they have to, they have a very tight budget... Your Mavic to pro will do a good job with GCPs, without them your data is too off to be accurate. If you don't know how to properly collect GCPs, you got a lot of homework to do...
 
It is hard, and it is hard getting started, remember they don't want to spend a dime more than they have to, they have a very tight budget... Your Mavic to pro will do a good job with GCPs, without them your data is too off to be accurate. If you don't know how to properly collect GCPs, you got a lot of homework to do...
Thanks! I just looked up GCP and found videos on Ground Control points on DroneDeploy. I'll start binging now so I can start practicing this weekend.

Yea, I know their budgets are already locked in, but I figured if I can provide a real value or solve problems for them. Then, then they'll have a reason to budget me in on future projects. Also, I've noticed on construction sites there are a lot of contractors, all working on different projects so I feel like the opportunity is there. If not now then down the road at least. Do you have any other suggestions I should know or learn about?

Thank you again MCW!
 
They do have money in the budget if it helps them to succeed or progress, you have to sell yourself to them
 
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I'm my experience, I find that there's a huge gap between what the drone pilot is looking for to properly deliver the desired results and what the construction company is willing to share with the drone pilot in terms of said desired results. They are stingy with details. It seems that the company expects the drone pilot to somehow magically deduce what the desired results are with sharing specifics about the shoot. I think it's a direct result of the company underestimating - selling short - what the drone and the pilot are capable of doing, with the consensus being that all the drone can do is take pictures. It has nothing to do with the IQ/Intelligence of the company folks. Rather, it's a result of the company dealing with construction matters 99.9% of the time, and drone matter 0.1% of the time and not willing to concede that, in general, they're not properly versed in drone matters and capabilities.
You are correct. When I started at the UC Merced project in 2018 most of what we were doing the client wasn't even paying attention to. It took me two or three months to basically have the contract modified to include mapping, and a large number of panos. Prior to that I was doing exterior progressions of each building. Once the client seen mapping, and the panos they began using both extensively. Then they asked if I could do video. I started doing a weekly video of the project and they loved it.
Reality was as you said so well, they were 99.9% construction and 1% drones. Once we got them using the mappings and panos they were able to reduce their onsite inspections that consequently saved them a great deal of time. They were also able to have their cooperate folks in San Francisco and New York kept abreast of the progress.
As has been stated, once these construction companies learn of the value, they are going in house many times and that only makes sense. That company now has several of their civil engineers with 107 licenses
 

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