Drone Applications for Dam Safety
C.T. Male Associates’ dam safety engineers are now using drones to supplement their dam inspections. The use of a drone has the following benefits:
- Personnel safety
- Reduction in time and effort for field work resulting in decreased cost
- Access to difficult locations
- To capture photographs and videos of problem areas
For example, drones can be used for:
- Special inspections
- General imagery
- Orthomosaic imagery
- 3D mapping
- Safety evaluations during emergencies and natural disasters
- Construction monitoring
- Construction verification
- Record drawings
Drones must be operated by a pilot with their Remote Pilot Airman Certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), of which we have two. Each drone we operate is also registered with the FAA. For each flight there is a Flight Operation Team in place: Pilot in Command and Visual Observer. This has promulgated a set of rules and regulations associated with drone flights, so operation by a professional team is essential.
The data gathered during the drone flight is processed and the output can be provided in a variety of formats. C.T. Male Associates’ Dam Safety Engineers then use that data for design, construction monitoring and construction verification purposes.
If you have a dam in need of inspection, please contact our Dam Safety Engineer to discuss if drone use would be applicable to your project.
