McCownGordon Construction is nationally recognized as an ENR 400 company for their commitment to rapid innovation. As an early adopter of advanced technology, the organization frequently experiments with laser scanning, virtual reality, and various methods of data collection. It was a natural fit then when McCownGordon, a 100% employee-owned business, began using DroneDeploy in 2020.
Throughout their one and a half years of drone mapping, team members have used the software for nearly everything - sharing progress media, tracking earthworks, and assigning tasks included. But the true value-added for McCownGordon came in the form of documentation centralization using DroneDeploy’s Procore integration. Whether viewing outstanding duties on Procore’s Daily Log, managing design plans overlaid onto DroneDeploy maps, or auto syncing issues, the integration allows cross-functional project teams to remain connected.
This tool is invaluable to view sites. Our client and design partners have really enjoyed seeing progress on their projects.”
Michael Gekas, VDC Director, McCownGordon Construction
Understanding Projects At-Scale
Michael Gekas, Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) Director at McCownGordon, explained to us that job site photos and videos are needed on a monthly contract basis. In order to immediately meet this standard, the company used Box to house their third-party pilots’ snapshots. Understandably, this redirected critical resources and project management time into manually uploading drone maps and progress media into Procore. For 400-acre projects, something not uncommon to the industry, this presented a significant headache, not to mention the time spent tracking this information down. Because of these documentation inconsistencies, it was difficult to determine site progress and daily assignments - until the company began using an all-in-one drone solution.
“Today, we’ve got everything linked with Procore - from a project’s floor plans, to its foundation, to its civil site utility drawings,” Michael shared. With all operations synced to Procore, project teams can now view all RFIs, submittals, and observations in one central location. If there’s a problem or need for clarification on-site, workers can fly a drone mission or utilize 360 cameras in tandem with pre-recorded issues to learn more.
Instead of using third-party drone service providers, the company instead uses their own staff to survey job sites and tailor photos to client expectations. In the COVID-19 era, this has been an essential tool for progress tracking and customer communications. And the best part? This data is uploaded regionally so all team members from a host of local projects can view panoramas, videos, or drone maps whenever they choose.
Every time we have a revision, it is auto-synced from Procore into DroneDeploy.”
Michael Gekas, VDC Director, McCownGordon Construction
Utilizing DroneDeploy’s Procore Integration
With DroneDeploy’s Procore integration, all of McCownGordon’s project management data is housed in one central location. This single source of truth is a referenceable record of work completed and streamlines communication across teams. By enabling auto-syncs, each DroneDeploy map, elevation layer, and orthomosaic is available in the company’s Procore instance. This information can then be shared with various partners and contractors as a progress report, consisting of images, design plans, and other data from both platforms. Issues created in DroneDeploy automatically become ‘observations’ in Procore, too.
McCownGordon is looking forward to expanding their drone mapping capabilities with developing technology. But whether laying underground sewer or storm trenches, tracking 81,600 square foot stockpiles, or creating 3D models of assets, workers are assured that the information they’re seeing is both up-to-date and reliable. Having both Procore and DroneDeploy data in a singular information hub simplifies long-held, manual processes and frees up precious resources for the growing organization. We’re excited to see McCownGordon’s new use cases and project applications in the near future!
If you’re interested in bringing drone technology to your construction site, download our eBook surrounding ArcGIS, or contact one of our representatives.
