Brasfield & Gorrie Use GIS and Drones to Improve Site Operations in Planning and Construction

Firms in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries have felt the pressure to integrate more advanced technologies into their workflows. This shift from traditional methods of data collection to newer digital solutions can result in cost reductions and improved efficiency and safety at construction sites.

Brasfield & Gorrie, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is one of the largest privately held construction firms in the US. Operating in 13 offices in the Southeast and in Texas, the firm specializes in general contracting and design-build delivery for markets such as aerospace, health care, mission-critical data centers, water, and civil infrastructure. As the AEC field has continued to evolve technology practices, Brasfield & Gorrie has led the way by applying geographic information system (GIS) software and drones to their operations. 

In the construction industry, project managers and virtual design coordinators have traditionally collected data by maintaining a schedule via email or whiteboards. However, not all project managers operate on-site, which could lead to delays in communicating important project planning and status information, especially from busy construction sites. 

“The construction industry is very late to the game in a lot of innovative things, so that’s our job,” said Kyle Duncan, innovation and operational tech specialist at Brasfield & Gorrie. “We started creating a GIS platform to easily and quickly disseminate information about utility networks and weather patterns, all in one location.” 

In 2015, Brasfield & Gorrie began using drones alongside their existing geospatial technology. In 2022, they switched to Site Scan for ArcGIS, a cloud-based drone mapping software from Esri. Making the change from another drone solution provider, they saw the unlimited potential of the seamless integration between drone data and GIS data, and the value of putting all data under one roof. The firm had already been using ArcGIS Online to share information quickly with project teams. Collecting imagery via drones and using that for mapping and analysis seemed like a logical next step; taking a geographic approach to solving operational challenges had proven successful. But initially, Brasfield & Gorrie faced new challenges in the logistics of managing and understanding how to share the data their new drones collected across multiple teams. “When we first started with our drone program, we had to have all the data processed and housed on one rather large, powerful, supercomputer desktop,” said Ryan Hittie, senior innovation and operational technology specialist at Brasfield & Gorrie. “We could not get [the drone data] out to project teams right away, so it wasn’t very useful for them.”

The complexity of the data drones collect combined with the fact that staff requires information available in real time meant that the firm needed a unique product: an end-to-end drone imagery processing and analysis tool that could also help manage drone fleets. “We saw more and more teams asking for what they can do with drones,” said Hittie.

By implementing Site Scan for ArcGIS, the firm could now use QR codes with links to easily track and manage site construction progress. These updates made information on a digital “dig board” accessible to remote and on-site staff and subcontractors. “Site Scan automatically feeds into ArcGIS Online,” said Hittie. “We’re moving to a more GIS-based system for all of our project data.”

Additionally, Brasfield & Gorrie uses ArcGIS Field Maps, an application that utilizes data-driven maps and forms to help workers capture and edit data and report real-time locations. “We combine [information] on an iPad or phone so that our jobs teams can go out into the field within a 1-inch accuracy to find where things are supposed to be,” said Duncan. In the past, staff used GPS connected to the phone, which wasn’t very reliable. “But when we honed it down to an inch, it gives [crews] the ability to find things and actually use field maps to the precision required.”

By the end of 2023, the firm expanded its use from one or two drones in 2021 to up to 50 on different job sites. Site Scan for ArcGIS is one of the tools that enabled Brasfield & Gorrie to scale up its fleet and innovate the project management workflow. “Now we hear all the time from our job teams about what we can do and find new ways to adapt to [the technology],” said Duncan.

In the past, the firm did not have real-time updates. But with their new GIS drone integration, everyone can access the most current site maps and information on mobile devices. “It’s a perfect fit for us, having the drone data go straight to ArcGIS Online, where the rest of the project data is held,” said Hittie. These changes led to a decrease in hitting gas, water, or electrical lines; improved task management; and decreased costly mistakes at the job site. Additionally, staff can now perform more advanced planning at job sites. GIS provides real-time data and displays multiple datasets, enabling the safety department to predict and inform teams in any location. “We’re able to plan for safety incidents, like inclement weather or hurricanes. We can communicate with other departments about what to do . . . or see if the weather pattern is affecting our sites, equipment, and more,” continued Hittie.

Brasfield & Gorrie has seen additional savings throughout the project life cycle. For instance, one site required gravel and fabric, and it was delivered but billed for an unspecified quantity. “The project manager went into Site Scan and traced the outline of the fabric, the stone, and did a quick measurement and figured out that we had been overcharged about $20,000 for the stone and rock,” said Hittie. “Site Scan is a way that we and our subcontractors can check to make sure that we are holding to the budget.”

Brasfield & Gorrie is still finding new uses for GIS analysis of drone collected data. In particular, it has enabled the firm to more accurately assess pricing on potential projects. "We have a lidar laser scanning payload for one of our drones . . . and we're able to fly through a heavily wooded and vegetated site, see through trees . . . and get a topography of the site,” said Hittie. “We actually figured out how much dirt we were going to need to build up the pads that an owner wanted. We sent that data to another [subcontractor] who was building a retaining wall, and they were able to sketch out and price a 50-foot-tall by 200-foot-long retaining wall.” This also saves time during the earliest stages of project planning. “This was before the owner even purchased the site . . . we had permission to get on the site, fly the drone, and then provide them [with], pretty much, an estimate to get the entire site building ready.” Hittie added that the visual aspect of presenting drone-captured imagery to clients brings additional marketing value for the firm and prevents potential losses from overbidding. “It adds a little flair and shows the owners that we’re pushing the envelope.” 

This improved efficiency and cost savings have led the firm’s innovation team to pursue future applications of GIS. “We’re always looking for the next thing,” said Duncan. “We’ve talked about using NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] data to figure out the percentage of rain chances on a job site. If it rains more than an inch, that’s technically a rain delay, but if we can account for that using geofencing, we can show our owners why we didn’t work on certain days.”

Drones and GIS have become a crucial part of Brasfield & Gorrie’s business, from planning to construction because “people expect data to be at their fingertips whenever they need it,” added Hittie. “We're not using a two-person survey crew that's going to take six weeks . . . we can do that in an afternoon and then have good, actionable data."