Aerial drone photography has become a transformative tool for capturing and documenting work processes. While they are often used to provide a comprehensive view of industrial worksites, photography drones are increasingly being deployed to capture video of elevated perspectives of work activity, and edited together with close-up ground-level footage to produce highly informative process documentation and work instruction.
But what are the practical benefits of drone video capture for work documentation? How can businesses take their first steps in adopting this technology? And what advanced use cases can further enhance the value of drone usage?
Practical benefits of drone video capture
Commercial drones with advanced camera systems are already widely used in industry for tasks such as geographic surveying, maintenance inspections, security surveillance and even rapid tool delivery. In the agricultural sector, they are utilised to replace traditional equipment in crop management for tasks such as spraying fertiliser and spreading seeds.
Yet even basic drone photography can deliver significant value. By efficiently capturing information-rich views of critical work activities, drones can enhance standard operating procedures, work instruction, process improvement, training content and safety inductions.
Drone footage can quickly convey a holistic understanding of critical work activities to important stakeholders who may not have physical access to the work environment. The ability to see movement, perspective and spatial relationships between personnel, equipment and the surrounding environment enriches decision-makers' understanding. This improved insight better highlights project issues and supports more effective operational planning.
Additionally, drones provide a safer way to capture visual data from hazardous or hard-to-reach areas, minimising risk to personnel while offering invaluable insights into task workflows, site layouts and environmental conditions. This capability also helps monitor progress and identify inefficiencies more effectively.
How to get started with drone technology at work
Introducing any new technology to a business can be challenging. It is considered good practice to document the intended use case: What problem are you trying to solve? How will the technology be implemented? What does success look like?
However, rather than overcomplicating the process, and considering both how mature drone technology has become and how mainstream its usage now is within the industrial sector, a more agile approach may simply involve seeing a basic photography drone as a standard tool in the toolkit of an operations manager—and getting on with it.
With high-quality drones now costing less than a basic laptop, the required investment is easy to justify.
Here are some minimum considerations in a practical, phase-one drone strategy:
- Identify work sites (internal and external) and critical activities for initial capture.
- Define project objectives and agree on the intended uses of the captured footage.
- Establish safety measures for drone capture and data security protocols for the resulting assets.
- Decide if an internal or external operator will fly the drone, and purchase a drone if required.
- Decide who will edit the footage and how it will be integrated into your business processes.
Regulatory requirements for commercial drone use
A common misconception is that drones under 250 grams are exempt from registration and accreditation requirements. This is true only for recreational use.
All drones used at work in Australia must be registered with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and be operated by an accredited pilot.
The good news is that meeting these requirements is straightforward. CASA’s operator accreditation is free, it takes an individual about 30 minutes to complete online and is valid for three years. Drone registration involves a small annual fee and is similarly quick and easy.
Refer to the CASA website for more information about operator accreditation and drone registration.
While more advanced accreditation, such as the Remote Pilot Licence (RePL), is required to operate larger drones, it is not needed to fly smaller drones typically used for basic photography.
However, it’s a good idea for all project participants to familiarise themselves with Australian drone regulations. Completing the CASA operator accreditation is a practical and sensible safety measure for those even providing support to drone operators.
Build internal capability or engage specialists?
A critical business decision to make is whether to build internal drone capability or hire external specialists. Both options have merit.
- Internal capability: Ideal for long-term initiatives. Train an in-house pilot, purchase a drone and integrate its use into regular operations. The DJI Mini 4 Pro and Air 3 are excellent starting options.
- External specialists: For high-stakes projects or content intended for external stakeholders. Engaging an experienced drone operator for capture, editing and asset delivery ensures high-quality results.
Regardless of the approach, someone within the business must take ownership of the project and ensure compliance with CASA regulations.
This project lead should ensure that the business use case is properly defined, a robust implementation plan is in place and then follow through to see that the footage is utilised effectively. Simply buying a drone without integrating it into workflows is a missed opportunity.
Once basic drone operations have been established for work documentation, more advanced use cases can be explored to deliver additional business value. However, this is the point at which the expertise of experienced drone services businesses should be engaged.
Drone specialists may not always have first-hand experience with the specific use cases of your particular industry, but they will be able to provide essential guidance on how to apply a range of established drone technologies, including site surveying and mapping, inspections and condition monitoring and live streaming to remote stakeholders.
Feel free to reach out and see if we can provide assistance or direct you to the right partners.
Unlock the potential of drones in your business
Drones are an accessible, cost-effective tool for improving work documentation, safety and decision-making.
Start by capturing critical work sites and activities, then use the footage for operational planning, safety assessments, training materials and internal communication.
Evaluate how drone capture can contribute to your operational improvement goals and make exploration of advanced use cases part of your organisation’s digital transformation strategy.
Take the first step today—you won’t regret having these valuable visual assets.
