DRONES One of the most promising innovations to take flight in construction are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly known as “drones.” Equipped with high-performance cameras, automated guidance systems and live data-sharing capabilities, drones enable crews to capture a full “picture” of the construction field, monitor activities, collect and analyze data and upload information via cloud computing. CCI CLEARINGHOUSE INNOVATION RME’S RENEGADE UAV SYSTEM INTEGRATED WITH RGB IMAGERY AND RIEGL LIDAR SURVEYING TERRAIN IN THE CALGARY FOOTHILLS. RME’S RENEGADE UAV SYSTEM INTEGRATED WITH RGB AND RIEGL LIDAR SURVEYING POWERLINES IN NORTHERN ALBERTA. In 2015, CCI launched Clearinghouse for Construction Innovation in Canada, an online “nerve centre” designed to bring individuals and construction companies closer to products, processes, resources, research and all things innovation happening both in Canada and worldwide. “The sole focus is innovation, technology, sustainability and industry advancement,” says John Bockstael, CCI Chair. “The Clearinghouse fosters innovation because it encourages us to see what’s available, to notice what we’re missing and to encourage the imagination of our readers to conceptualize a future with the integration of new methods and innovations into our industry.” Visit Clearinghouse at www.ccinnovations.ca/clearinghouse/ And according to Curtis Parks, General Manager with RME Geomatics, the technology is only getting better: “Drone technology is first about digitizing the construction field, which forms the basis for opportunities of analytics, optimization and automation. That said, it evolves to further automate the systems, as well as making them more reliable. And the easier they are to deploy and operate, the lower barrier to entry.” 22 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SCAFFOLD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA