But what if routine field updates could be automated?

Across several sites, we’re now seeing teams take the next step: using drones — and even drones-in-a-box systems — to automate construction progress tracking.

Here’s how it works:

1. Automated Drone Flights Drones can be scheduled to fly over the solar site daily or weekly, capturing high-resolution imagery without any human intervention. With drone-in-a-box systems, these missions can run entirely autonomously — the drone launches, flies its route, and returns for charging and data upload.

2. Data Processing in Taskmapper Once the imagery is uploaded, Taskmapper automatically processes the data. Orthomosaics are generated, georeferenced, and aligned with the project’s CAD layers and workflows.

3. Activity Detection and Progress Updates Activities that can be detected from the drone imagery — such as pile installation, tracker assembly, module mounting, or trench excavation — are automatically marked as complete in Taskmapper. The corresponding P6 schedule and dashboards update instantly.

4. Beyond Construction: Smarter Site Monitoring The same automated data can be used beyond pure construction tracking. For instance - routine activities such as SWPPP inspections, earth work monitoring and perimeter fence security can also be automated.

5. Human + Automation = Efficiency Field teams still play a role — quality checks, reviewing automated detections, and handling exceptions. But instead of spending hours on manual updates, their effort shifts toward validation and oversight.