Drone Technology in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction is intended to be an essential guide for a wide variety of professionals and students, ranging from just considering drones, to already using them. Over the past 5-10 years, drones have increasingly become valuable assets for site data collection, site analysis, conceptual design, surveying, context awareness, and marketing of finished projects. At this point, drones have already become a game-changing technology for many industries, including architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, planning, construction, and other infrastructure related industries.

Drone Technology is organized into three parts and aims to provide readers and the landscape architecture (and larger AEC) community with a better understanding of how drones are currently being used, how to implement them into a design practice, and nurture inspiration for using drones to solve complex design issues on real world projects. Part I of the book serves as a general introduction to drones and how firms are using them. It also includes a chapter discussing the ethics and design implications of drones, as well as how drone use can and is changing the landscape architecture/site design industries. Part II provides the nuts and bolts of drone ownership, implementation into a practice, permitting, and start-up costs for a drone program. It also includes a comparison of drone hardware and software options, how to select which ones will work for your projects, and best practices for flying and fleet maintenance. Part III focus on what types of data you can collect with drones, details of how to collect and process that data, and where you can take the data. For example, it provides detailed workflows and real-world examples for how to collect photogrammetry data and correct it with RTK/PPK data to arrive at accurate and geolocated 3D site information. Then, how to bring that site data into common software such as CAD, SketchUp, GIS, Photoshop, etc. Finally, the book concludes with a look to what the future may hold for drones and design.

The book is available from all major booksellers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and the target market is industry professionals and higher education. The book can be easily used as the textbook for college level classes. Below are excerpts from recent book reviews:

“The volume is thorough, well-paced, and patient, as well as highly visual, offering photos, renderings, and other imagery that gives readers concrete ideas of drones’ potential output and what the process looks like along the way.” – Landscape Architecture Magazine April 2021

“Drone Technology in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction is well-written and concise enough that the reader will not get bogged down with the details but still be engaged throughout the process. It is perfect for landscape architecture firms seeking to purchase a drone but are unsure of next steps…Tal and Altschuld have transformed a complex and obscure subject into accessible content.” – Chris S. Sherwin, ASLA review for The Dirt

“It’s the only book I’ve yet to read on the design principle that focuses on drones and learning the steps you need to go through and know before actually taking flight or buying one…possibly the must-have book to get you started to being a drone owner.” – Public review online

Click here to see the: Kindle version of the book on Amazon