Democratization of Satellite and Aerial Imagery: A Catalyst for AEC Design

Studies show the average cost of rework in civil engineering projects to be above 5%, occasionally exceeding 15%, even passing 30% among the worst cases. As a civil engineer and CAD manager designing projects such as sanitary landfills I found customers, contractors, and stakeholders asking for changes regularly. Rework was just routine. Then one project forever changed my tolerance of rework, and exposed the root of the problem; an incomplete understanding of real-world project site conditions, even after surveying. In this talk you’ll see how a tool created to use Google Earth in AutoCAD has now developed into a powerful platform, giving users access to high-resolution and up-to-date aerial and satellite imagery from the world’s premium image providers. See how in the early stages of projects such imagery helps you make better and faster design decisions, speeding up workflow, gaining greater insight and confidence, all while reducing the waste and cost of rework.