DL E&C announced on the 28th that it has introduced a drone platform to all housing sites for the first time in the domestic construction industry to realize a ‘Digital Twin’.

 

A digital twin refers to a virtual representation of an object or environment in the real world. When a digital twin is applied to the construction sector, it enables to create a ‘twin’ site of the real world in a virtual space. This can be utilized for process, quality control and safety management, as well as design, presale and maintenance.

 

DL E&C developed a drone platform and built a digital twin in partnership with Meissa, a smart construction platform company. Meissa possesses Korea’s only 3D mapping engine. The two companies used drones to periodically photograph construction sites, to perform high-precision analysis and then to create a sophisticated digital twin.

 

Based on a digital twin, DL E&C’s drone platform provides a 3D view of the site conditions at each construction stage and process. Measuring and recording site conditions, including slope, extent ad distance, is fundamental. Comparing the site conditions with drawings not only enhances the construction accuracy but also facilitates efficient site management.

 

In particular, the drone platform has enabled DL E&C to increase productivity by means of rigorous cost control. Previously, the Company had to use truck entry/exit data in order to calculate earthwork volumes (the amount of soil handled during construction), which led to errors. However, the use of the drone platform allows for automatic calculations of earthwork volumes by means of aerial photography, which greatly improves accuracy.

 

DL E&C is currently deploying and operating its drone platform across all of its housing sites. It is also being applied to some civil engineering and plant sites. It is being utilized not only for construction but also for feasibility assessment during the bidding phase. The Company plans to incorporate AI technology in order to further upgrade the system so that AI can find and manage on-site errors by itself.

 

An official from DL E&C said, “Using the drone platform will not only ensure quality but also enhance productivity. We will continue to lead the smart construction sector based on our industry-leading technology and experience in drone, AI and BIM (Building Information Modeling).”