News - 6 March 2023 13:10

Drones save Balfour Beatty VINCI £5million on HS2 development

Watch the DJI Enterprise case study here:

HS2 is the largest infrastructure project in Europe. The £106Bn development will create high-speed rail links between London, The Midlands and the North of England.

Joint venture Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV) is designing and building the largest section of HS2's first phase - covering about 90km.

CHALLENGES

•Conducting regular and efficient surveys for progress updates and monitoring earthworks

•Staying on-budget and on-schedule, with Phase 1 due for completion between 2029 and 2033

•Keeping on-site personnel safe

•Traditional survey methods are potentially dangerous;

APPROACH

BBV has digitised the project - using drones to conduct faster, safer and more cost-effective surveys.

BBV has upgraded to the new Mavic 3 Enterprise - replacing the Phantom 4 RTK. The Mavic 3E has cut drone surveying times by 50% thanks to its longer battery life, larger sensor, and more rapid interval shooting rate. heliguy™ has supported BBV's adoption of the Mavic 3E, including survey-specific training.

RESULTS

"Drones are a game-changer," admits Lee Johnson, Senior Survey Manager for BBV.

He continues: "Drones allow us to cover large areas very efficiently and we can survey far more safely from a remote position, removing people from potentially dangerous areas. By deploying drones on the HS2 development, the cost-savings will be substantial."

•Estimated £5million cost-savings over five years by deploying drones.

•10-20 minutes to measure a stockpile with a drone, compared to at least half-a-day using traditional methods.

•DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise halves drone surveying time compared to Phantom 4 RTK: Mapping 9.3km in a single 12-minute flight, compared to 29 minutes, over two flights, with the P4 RTK.

•Mavic 3 Enterprise's improved camera creates detailed, high-resolution digital assets.

•20-25mm survey-grade accuracy with Mavic 3 Enterprise, without GCPs.

•800 ‘working at risk days’ removed by deploying drones.

•Number of site visits reduced, cutting carbon emissions.

•Centralised data for remote monitoring, and improved collaboration/decision-making.

To Read the full case study, download video and photos, please click here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wnd...

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Drones save Balfour Beatty VINCI £5million on HS2 development

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Global leader in civil drone technology and aerial photography systems