Drones in Modern Construction: Resource Allocation, Inspection, and Regulatory Challenges

ABSTRACT This review analyzes the integration, functionality, and regulatory environment of unmanned aerial vehicles. In this review, the role of drone technologies with advanced payloads, Red-Green-Blue, and infrared sensors to revolutionize the process of surveying, inspection, and safety monitoring by providing extremely high accuracy in real-time spatial data delivery is considered. The technologies are essential in increasing productivity, minimizing expenses, and decision-making in project management. Other than the technical capability, the paper discusses the international regulatory frameworks and governance models developed by agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the International Civil Aviation Organization. Even though such systems guarantee the security of the airspace and responsibility of the operators, the analysis indicates that the operations of UAVs between countries remain cumbersome as the loopholes continue to persist. The economic analysis shows that there is a high return on investment in the form of less time spent in the survey, lower labor expenses, and better safety results. Further research should be oriented to artificial intelligence-related data analytics, autonomous UAV swarm control, and automatic connection to building information modelling to allow real-time monitoring of the project and predicting its maintenance requirements.