To improve the accuracy of your data analysis, there are several things service users should check. For example, you need to decide in advance how many meters above the ground to fly, how often to capture images, and how much the photos should overlap before you begin shooting. But even before those considerations, the very first question is usually: ‘Which drone should I choose?’
So today, we would like to walk you through the drones that are well suited to aerial capture.
To integrate diverse site management data such as BIM, IoT, CCTV, and 360-degree panoramic footage, digitizing the site is the essential first step. Among the means available today for digitizing a construction site, drones are the most innovative and cost-effective method, and this importance of drones is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
The global drone market was worth roughly USD 7 billion as of 2024, and is projected to record a compound annual growth rate of 13.4% through 2033. Technological innovations such as BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) are driving market expansion, and accordingly the drone hardware market is forecast to reach around USD 6.7 billion in 2025. In the construction sector in particular, demand for drone-based surveying, supervision, and safety inspection is growing rapidly.
Korea's drone industry is showing a similar trend. As of 2024, the domestic drone market was worth about USD 2.7353 billion, and it is expected to grow to roughly USD 6.796 billion by 2030. In particular, the government sees the drone industry as a key future industry and is pursuing a range of support policies. Through drone deregulation, expanded R&D investment, and infrastructure development, it is accelerating the creation of an industry ecosystem, and this growth is likely to speed up further as the use of drones expands across construction, agriculture, logistics, and other industries.
DJI holds roughly a 70% share of the global drone market and is dominant in the industrial segment as well. Some countries, including the United States, are considering regulations on the grounds that Chinese-made drones, including DJI, could pose a threat to national security, and in Korea there was controversy in 2021 when the radio certifications of several DJI models were revoked. Nevertheless, DJI products are still widely used, because there is no adequate alternative in terms of price-to-performance and hardware stability.
If you already have a drone on site, there is a good chance it is a Phantom 4 Pro. This model was unusual in that, at its launch price, it came with a 1-inch CMOS sensor together with a mechanical shutter. It was warmly welcomed in the drone surveying industry, in particular because it was marketed as being able to prevent the jello effect.
The jello effect is a phenomenon that can occur with rolling-shutter cameras when shooting a moving object, or when the shooting platform itself is moving. It stems from differences in sensor type (CCD vs. CMOS) and shutter type (mechanical vs. electronic). CCD sensors have an advantage in preventing the jello effect and in high resolution, but their high power consumption and production cost mean they are used only in a limited set of special-purpose equipment (astronomical telescopes, security cameras, and the like). CMOS, on the other hand, has advantages in miniaturization, low power, and low cost, and is now widely applied in most drones, smartphones, and autonomous-driving sensors.
When the jello effect occurs, objects in the photo are captured with a wobbling, jelly-like shape, as in the example below. Because this directly affects mapping quality, in the past you had to judge whether a drone was suitable for mapping by individually comparing its sensor type, shutter type, whether it carried RTK, and so on. Recently, however, DJI has launched a separate line of dedicated surveying drones, making our selection criteria much clearer.
As of now, a representative model in the dedicated surveying drone line is the Mavic 3 Enterprise. Equipped with a mechanical shutter and an RTK module, it has established itself as a model specialized for precision surveying, and thanks to its low price relative to its hardware specs it is already used as the primary aircraft at many construction and surveying sites.
That said, the Mavic 3 Enterprise is scheduled to be discontinued, so going forward aircraft selection is likely to center on next-generation models such as the Matrice 3D series.
If you need automation-based drone operations, you can adopt the DJI Dock 2. Compared with the previous first-generation model, the DJI Dock 2 is about 75% smaller in size and roughly 68% lighter, making installation far easier. With improved mobility and installation flexibility, it is regarded as usable in a wider range of environments than before.
The DJI Dock 2 works in conjunction with the Matrice 3D series aircraft, which is optimized for surveying and supervision purposes, and along a preset flight path it can automatically handle takeoff, capture, landing, charging, and data transfer all in one sequence. This means repetitive capture can be performed at a consistent quality without human intervention, making it especially well suited to recording the progress of long-term projects or monitoring large sites.
Collecting and analyzing data using drones on construction sites is becoming increasingly important. To do this well, it is essential to choose a drone that fits your purpose.
If you have read this far and still find it hard to decide, please reach out to Meissa. For customers who adopt the Meissa platform, we help you purchase a drone that suits your site. Along with advances in technology, the drone market keeps changing. We hope you will keep up with the latest trends and choose the drone best suited to your site to maximize your work efficiency.
