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Instructor:  Stephen B. Ellingson, Ph.D.

Course Length: 1 Hour

Purpose and Background

The awareness and use of drones (i.e., small unmanned aircraft systems) is becoming common across many commercial and industrial sectors. 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. This webinar provides an overview of the broad range of drone capabilities and applications to successfully market and effectively implement diverse infrastructure projects.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Current drone capabilities
• Package/equipment carrying capacities
• 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, 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 Administrations (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:

• Recognize the capabilities and range of applications for drones complete existing projects and 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
• Determine when and how to use drones profitably

Webinar Benefits

• Appreciate the capabilities and range of drone applications to improve their firms project-delivery metrics and profitability
• Enhance a firms ability to make well-informed decisions on when and how to use drones
• Provide links to best practices and other reference materials
• Understand federal, state and local requirements for drone use

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

• 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

Webinar Outline

• Introduction and overview of webinar
• Examples of drone capabilities and applications to infrastructure projects
• Safety and security uses
• Example of cost/benefit (economic) analysis
• Regulatory requirements for drone use
• Links to best practices and reference materials
• Summary

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

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 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]