Drones in Construction: Unpacking the Value that Drone Technologies Bring to the Construction Sector Across Latin America

The use of drone technology in capital projects is an emerging area that holds promise for growth. Drones are becoming more widely available, and regulatory bodies are gradually allowing their use on a larger scale. With the development of software solutions that can effectively utilize data, drones are increasingly being used throughout the entire lifecycle of capital projects, including smaller infrastructure projects. The benefits of using drones in construction projects are numerous and include providing an unparalleled record of all activities, reducing planning and survey costs, increasing productivity, improving the accuracy of volumetric measurements, and mitigating disputes over the project's status. In the future, drone data will be integrated with CAD and BIM models and artificial intelligence (AI) to track construction progress and adherence to design automatically. While the construction industry has been slower in adopting new digital technologies than other sectors, leading global companies have widely adopted drones for capital project monitoring. In Latin America, drone adoption in the infrastructure sector is still limited, but early adopters have validated and are utilizing the technology. This report provides an examination of the current state of drone use in the Latin American region, including the benefits, barriers, early adopters, and what is required to promote its adoption.