DroneDeploy speeds up mapping and adds AI schedule tracking, field tools and robotic capture
DroneDeploy rolled out a July release focused on faster mapping and automated jobsite tracking.
The biggest change is in Aerial Pro, which now processes large datasets up to twice as fast as standard mode. A 300-image map can be ready in under an hour, while a 1,500-image megaproject map can be delivered in under three hours. The company said Aerial Pro also produces denser 3D outputs, with twice as many 3D points on a 1,500-image map and up to 10 times more on the largest sites.
The release adds measurement upgrades aimed at heavy civil and earthworks teams. Users can apply a compaction or swell factor directly to a volume annotation, with adjusted values carried into CSV report exports. Volumetric measurements now calculate more precisely in the project coordinate reference system, polygons report perimeter length, and a redesigned interface includes one-click copy for reuse of figures. DroneDeploy also said new upload infrastructure lifts dock upload success to 99.9%, supported by a connection health panel for the dock, drone and network during remote operations.
The new Ground app is designed to turn routine site walks into field inspection workflows. Users can attach voice-dictated Field Notes to photos or panos, sync those notes both ways with Procore and Autodesk, view DXF overlays on mobile, connect cameras twice as fast, add photos from the phone camera roll and use guided BIM alignment so later models inherit the first setup. Ground Pro adds higher-quality 3D Walks, improved measurement accuracy and Mobile 3D Scan with RTK for handheld scans of trenches, in-slab sleeves, facade patches and object-sized conditions before backfill or closeout.
Progress AI now connects reality capture with project schedules by supporting P6 imports, automatic detected start and end dates, schedule deviation reports with quantities, actualized XER exports, progress trends, AI chat and morning reports. The release also introduces Capture Agent, a robotics-as-a-service offering in which an autonomous ground robot captures requested interior areas on a recurring schedule, typically after hours, and uploads the data into DroneDeploy. The update pushes DroneDeploy further from capture software toward an automated jobsite intelligence system that can map, measure, inspect and flag schedule risk with less manual work.