OPINION
33
By Ian Titchener, Ely Aviation
www.elyaviation.co.uk
How drones can be used in the data centre industry to aid the planning,
construction and redevelopment of sites
It’s a well-known fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands
of uses for UAV technology. Over the past two years, they have
become a familiar sight in our skies, but thanks to a raft of new
legislation shortly to be issued by the government, the industry
is set to thrive over the coming 3-5 years.
The data centre industry has enjoyed significant growth over
the past few years, with new estate appearing in the press on
an ever-increasing basis. For every one of these sites there’s a
construction site, and with these construction sites come a lot of
everyday issues that can be solved by the use of drones.
Being operated remotely immediately solves a lot of health
and safety problems for construction companies, and also
implements immediate cost savings. Drones can go where
people cannot. They can also go where people can go, but in a
fraction of the time, with less cost and with a far higher degree
of safety
Aerial surveying
Using software platforms that are readily available you can
quickly and easily generate an interactive scale model,
either 2D or 3D, which has a high degree of accuracy (low
CM accuracy with the use of Ground Co ntrol Points).
The resulting files can be pulled into existing software
platforms such as Solidworks or Autocad, and easily
manipulated to fulfil most purposes.
Where a man on the ground would have taken
hours, days and sometimes weeks, a drone can
be in the air with work completed in a matter
of minutes depending upon the size of your
estate, and of course, with far lower opportunity for good old-
fashioned human error being introduced into the equation.
3D modelling
The same software platforms can also be used to generate
accurate high-resolution 3D models of any construction site
at various points during the building process. This means
that you can use the resulting footage as a marketing and
communication tool for the end user and keep them informed
as to where things are in the build. And in addition to this, from
a compliance point of view, they can also be used to track any
alleged damage to adjacent property should such a situation
arise during construction.
Flying a drone
Right about now, you may be thinking of rushing out to buy
a drone, you may even have one, or a friend that owns one.
Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. In order to use a drone in
conjunction with your business, for commercial purposes, you
must have Permission for Commercial Operation (PfCO) status
from the Civil Aviation Authority.
A PfCO takes months of study, several thousand pounds and
an in-depth understanding of aviation law and theory. In short,
you can just go out and do it yourself. There are currently over
3,500 CAA certified drone pilots in the UK, many of whom, but
not all, will be equipped to carry out any of the above services.
So, if you want to make your life easier and help to ensure the
success of your data centre project, it might be time to take a
top-down view! n
www.networkseuropemagazine.com