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Urban Engineers/Pennsylvania Turnpike Comm. Execute UAV Technology
Behind every piece of infrastructure in the United States is a team of intelligent and forward-minded individuals who plan, design, and develop the engineering marvels of tomorrow. Founded in 1960, Urban Engineers provides such services for buildings, ports, transit, railroads, airports, bridges, and highways. Urban’s reputation and excellence is a testament to providing clients with a superior level of competence, quality, and commitment.
The Mission
To satisfy documentation requirements and exceed quality control measures, Urban’s Construction Services Group regularly inspects and documents current projects. One such project is the Pennsylvania Turnpike/I-95 Interchange site located in Bucks County, PA. Exemplifying their revolutionary approach to engineering, Urban in coordination with the PTC, contracted Sky Scape to perform an aerial documentation flight to capture current construction conditions along the entire project.
While it is clear the UAV technology offers great potential in the construction industry, it is pivotal that all operations are performed under the highest level of safety and professionalism. Before the mission was conducted, Sky Scape was granted permission from the PTC, Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies, as well as notifying nearby active airports of the proposed UAV operation. As an added layer of precaution, optical zoom sensors were used to maintain a safe distance from moving traffic, and local Air Traffic frequencies were monitored as part of risk mitigation protocol.
Takeaways
The mission resulted in a complete success and the data collected proved to be a viable means of construction documentation for Urban Engineers and the PTC. The complete report yielded over 175 high-definition photos that are geotagged to specific locations along the project. In addition to the raw photos captured, we delivered a geospatial photo database where pictures can be viewed in the orientation, position, and altitude from the flight all over satellite imagery. As construction continues on the project, Sky Scape can collect new data in the future, overlay over previous missions, and aide in progression analysis.
“Sky Scape understands UAV regulations and operational capabilities. They took the steps to educate us on how we can safely use this technology, thoroughly executed safe planning practices, and delivered the quality data efficiently. We are excited to have worked with a company that lead’s the UAS industry and excited to work together in the future.”
- Jeff Wendel, P.E., Construction Manager, Urban Engineers