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23. July 2025
Construction Industry Rebooted: Ai-Powered Drone Technology Unveiled To Revolutionize Site Tracking And Monitoring
In a groundbreaking move, DroneDeploy has unveiled its latest innovation, Progress AI, an agentic vision-language model (VLM) that revolutionizes the way construction sites are tracked and monitored using drone flights and 360-degree cameras. This cutting-edge technology transforms aerial maps or 360 panoramas into instant progress reports, providing construction crews with a wealth of valuable insights in mere minutes.
The construction industry still relies heavily on manual walk-throughs, colored paper plans, and scattered field notes to track progress, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors. High-end progress-tracking software exists, but its high price tags and setup headaches often deter smaller projects. Progress AI flips this script by providing a cost-effective solution that empowers construction crews to make data-driven decisions.
With Progress AI, superintendents and project managers can free up hours spent on manual tracking and logging. The tool provides color-coded progress reports for every trade and floor, allowing users to quickly identify what’s complete and what still needs attention. Voice or chat queries enable instant answers, whether the data is from yesterday or two years ago.
One of the most significant advantages of Progress AI is its ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly. The tool uses a vision-language model trained on “billions of square feet and millions of acres” of ground-level and aerial visuals. It identifies installed work, cross-checks location, sequence, and visible changes, and flags what’s complete and what still needs attention.
During beta tests, superintendents used Progress AI to validate subcontractor pay applications in hours instead of days, spot out-of-sequence trade stacking before it triggered schedule slippage, and catch issues like mis-hung door frames purely from the AI’s room-by-room heat-map.
Wharton-Smith Construction, an early partner supporting 90 projects nationally, sees the system as a game-changer. The digital documentation team can now “check in on progress without setting foot on-site.” This enables them to provide real-time insights to stakeholders and clients, reducing the need for manual updates and improving overall project efficiency.
The workflow with Progress AI is straightforward: capture the site as usual, fly the drone or walk it with a 360 camera, upload the pano set or processed map to DroneDeploy, and let Progress AI kick in automatically. Users can then view the auto-generated dashboard or ask a question via voice or text.
Because Progress AI doesn’t demand BIM files or complex schedule integrations, field crews don’t have to overhaul their current routines. This makes it an attractive solution for mid-sized remodels, which may not justify the cost of existing solutions.
Progress AI benefits various stakeholders in the construction industry:
- Superintendents and PMs: Free up hours spent coloring drawings and compiling daily logs.
- Trade partners: Resolve sequencing conflicts faster with objective visuals.
- Owners and execs: Verify schedule health across entire portfolios without hopping on a plane.
- Drone service providers: Package instant progress analytics alongside imagery to upsell clients.
In essence, Progress AI acts like an extra set of superintendent eyes, only this “new hire” never sleeps and remembers every capture. By compressing what used to be days of manual progress tracking into a coffee-break-length task, Progress AI provides construction clients with the instant, room-by-room answers they crave.
As the rollout of Progress AI lives up to beta feedback, expect construction clients to start asking for more than just pretty orthomosaics: they’ll want the instant, data-driven insights that come with them. With its ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and provide real-time progress reports, Progress AI is poised to revolutionize the way construction sites are tracked and monitored using drone flights and 360-degree cameras.
The integration of Progress AI with existing construction management software and workflows will likely be seamless, ensuring a smooth transition for users. As the technology continues to evolve and improve, it’s likely that we’ll see even more innovative applications in the construction industry.
The use of Progressive AI technology in construction industry will not only improve project efficiency but also enable more effective communication among stakeholders. By providing instant, room-by-room answers, Progress AI empowers superintendents, PMs, trade partners, owners, and execs to make informed decisions and drive projects forward.
As the construction industry continues to evolve, it’s likely that we’ll see even more innovative applications of Progressive AI technology. With its ability to analyze vast amounts of data quickly and provide real-time progress reports, Progress AI is poised to become an essential tool for construction professionals worldwide.