The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Labour announced that it will start using drones to help inspectors record when construction sites are breaking laws, Arabian Industry reports.
During an interview with Emirati newspaper The National, Minister of Labour Saqr Ghobash said drones are “very accurate and definitely save the inspectors’ time and efforts, as they allow the team to monitor every movement from the screen attached on the remote control then note any violations by taking close pictures.”
The idea was developed by the Ministry’s IT department, with the help of students from several colleges in Dubai.
According to The National, the drone used by the ministry covers around two square kilometers over a 15- to 20-minute battery-life span. It can fly as high as one kilometer.
A release says that the ministry seeks to develop the project to allow drones to directly issue fines on the spot. The ministry also plans to train inspectors in using the drones efficiently to monitor construction sites and record movements via high-quality images that can be used as clear evidence.
For more, read the report from The National.
Related Stories
| Mar 29, 2013
Cuningham Group acquires NTD's healthcare practice, expands into key markets
The international design firm Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc. has announced that NTD Healthcare has the joined the company in a strategic expansion. A practice of NTD Architecture, NTD Healthcare joins Cuningham Group with three principals: Wayne Hunter, AIA, NCARB, ACHA and Phillip T. Soule, III, AIA, ACHA in San Diego, along with Maha Abou-Haidar, AIA in Phoenix.
| Mar 27, 2013
Small but mighty: Berkeley public library’s net-zero gem
The Building Team for Berkeley, Calif.’s new 9,500-sf West Branch library aims to achieve net-zero—and possibly net-positive—energy performance with the help of clever passive design techniques.
| Mar 27, 2013
RSMeans cost comparisons: college labs, classrooms, residence halls, student unions
Construction market analysts from RSMeans offer construction costs per square foot for four building types across 25 metro markets.
| Mar 26, 2013
Will Google Glass revolutionize the construction process?
An Australian architect is exploring the benefits of augmented reality in the design and construction process.
| Mar 24, 2013
World's tallest data center opens in New York
Sabey Data Center Properties last week celebrated the completion of the first phase of an adaptive reuse project that will transform the 32-story Verizon Building in Manhattan into a data center facility. When the project is completed, it will be the world's tallest data center.
| Mar 22, 2013
8 cool cultural projects in the works
A soaring opera center in Hong Kong and a multi-tower music center in Calgary are among the latest cultural projects.
| Mar 22, 2013
Earn $500 as a DOE proposal reviewer
The DOE'S Building Technologies Office this morning put out a call to the AEC industry for expert reviewers for its new energy-efficiency initiative for small commercial buildings, which make up more than 90% of the commercial building stock.
| Mar 21, 2013
Best Firms to Work For: Enermodal Engineering is green to the core
At Enermodal Engineering, there’s only one kind of building—a sustainable one.