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This course is a part of virtual ASCE Week. For full event details, go to www.ASCEWeek.org. Register for more than one ASCE Week course and save 20% with code ASCEWK20.

INSTRUCTOR:  Stephen Ellingson, Ph.D.

Purpose and Background

The awareness and use of drones (i.e., small, unmanned aircraft systems) is becoming common across many commercial and industrial sectors. An overview of the broad range of drone capabilities and applications to successfully market and effectively implement diverse infrastructure projects will be provided. Firms that use drones or subcontract their use must follow specific federal, state, and local requirements. Also, firms should consider drone-specific insurance to mitigate risks. When used effectively drones can enhance marketing activities to win new clients and/or retain existing clients. Successful drone use allows firms to allocate staff safely to their highest, best-value use and thus enhance the firm’s project-delivery metrics and profitability.

Primary Discussion Topics:

• Current drone capabilities:
• Package/equipment carrying capacities of drones
• Sensors – Optical, thermal, multispectral, LiDAR/LADAR, air/water sampling, etc.
• Range of applications to infrastructure projects, such as:
• Project progress monitoring
• Interior/exterior inspections (e.g., bridges, roads, cell/transmission towers, wind turbines)
• Surveying
• As-built documentation
• 3D building models
• Safety and/or security monitoring,
• Building envelop surveys
• Contour mapping
• Photogrammetry
• Air/water quality monitoring
• Marketing presentations
• Data post-processing and presentation
• Insurance and other risk-mitigation considerations. As applicable, managing drone sub-contractors
• Federal, state, and local requirements for drone use
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) use of drone to conduct site safety inspections
• Making sure your drone is a useful tool and not an expensive toy (e.g., cost/benefit examples)

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the capabilities and range of applications for drones to:
• Complete existing projects
• Win new projects and/or retain existing clients,
• Provide an appreciation of federal, state, and local requirements for drone use
• Develop awareness for using insurance to mitigate risk, and
• Explain when and how to use drones profitably

Benefits for Participants

• Appreciate the capabilities and range of drone applications to improve their firm’s project-delivery metrics and profitability
• Enhance a firm’s ability to make well-informed decisions on when and how to use drones
• Provide links to best practices and other useful reference materials

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a post course examination and review summaries following the presentation of each major topic.

Who Should Attend?

• Civil engineers and/or project managers responsible for the design
• construction, maintenance/monitoring, rehabilitation, and demolition of diverse infrastructure
• Cost estimators
• Risk (liability) managers
• Safety and security staff
• Marketing and business development staff
• Existing or prospective drone pilots

Outline

Wednesday, September 22, 2021 | 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET

• Introduction and overview of webinar
• Examples of civil engineering use cases for drones (e.g., drone capabilities and applications to infrastructure projects
• Safety and security uses
• Virtual drone demonstration
• Federal, state, and local regulatory requirements for drone use
• Insurance and economic analysis (e.g., cost/benefit, return on investment)
• Questions and answers
• Links to best practices and useful reference materials
• Summary

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs

This online course is worth .4 CEUs/4 PDHs. To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 60 days of the course.