services and considerations we’re able to provide to a client, and in some cases increases the amount of billable time we spend on a design project overall.” He says they’re up and running with
design concepts much faster with this approach. He says the drone data has also saved them from having to make a site visit in the field because they can open the drone model and get their answer almost immediately. “Flying a property and having refer- enceable data within a couple of hours is a powerful tool that can greatly reduce the need for future visits to a property,” says CeLynn Siemons, media specialist for Pellettieri Associates, who is also an FAA-certified drone pilot. “Models can be shared internally with staff so those who have not visited the property can still have a solid understanding of the site conditions. With our drones, we are able to determine exist- ing forestry and plant health, terrain elevations, and overlay property boundaries, setbacks, and more on the drone data in post-production. These are
all essential factors to take into consid- eration before starting on a landscape design concept. Having this wide range of information to refer back to is well worth the innovative investment.” Making the most of drone data does call for a fair amount of technical hardware and software. Pellettieri says third-party software like Drone Deploy, Pix4D, StructionSite and Droneify are key for post-production work. “We use DroneDeploy software in our business and fly DJI and Skydio drones for hardware,” he says. “It’s also important to note that to fly drones commercially, your pilot(s) will need to be FAA-certified (Part 107) and comply with the growing list of regulations, and the drones will need to be registered with the FAA.” For those thinking Google Earth is just as good as drone imagery, Pellettieri says
the level of detail is significantly different. Siemons adds that Google Maps images are generally one to three years old. “Often working on new home builds or houses that are undergoing renova- tions means the existing site conditions can be drastically different than what you see on Google Maps,” Siemons says. “A 2D map is just scratching the surface of our drone’s abilities. We can pull site elevation information, determine hot spots on the property, pinpoint trees in declining health, and even 3D model unique features to provide accurate measurements and location informa- tion. Performing flights during different seasons also allows us to draw compari- sons between seasonal view potential or evergreen versus deciduous cover.” Fletcher agrees the usage of drones is
extremely powerful and it’s revolution- ized his way of thinking on how they do their work. The only drawback is they don’t have enough pilots to take advan- tage of it regularly.
AI AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGY Dystert and Fletcher are both interested to see how AI with influence the industry in the future. Bishop believes there are certain aspects that are easy for a computer to take on, but as design professionals, they are still the ones designing for people. “I would say creativity is a really hard
thing for computers to learn, especially when computers designing for humans is a kind of a backwards process,” Bishop says.
Photos: Pellettieri Associates
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