School of Building Construction Assistant Professor Dr. Javier Irizarry was recently awarded $74,984 from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to evaluate the potential uses of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or "Drones" for use by the transportation department for applications ranging from safety inspections, surveying, bridge inspections, and many others.  Dr. Eric Johnson, Associate Professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering, will serve as co-PI on the research project.

This study will investigate various divisions and offices within GDOT and determine the user requirements for specific divisions that have the potential to implement UAV technology. This will lead to a set of UAV design characteristics that fulfill user requirements of each previously identified division.  A cost benefit analysis will be finally performed to realize the financial feasibility of applying UAV technology in each selected division within GDOT.

Dr. Irizarry joined the School of Building Construction in 2008 and is the Director of the CONECTech Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology. He specializes in Mobile Computing in Construction, Human Factors, Construction Safety, and IT Applications in AEC Education and practice. He teaches graduate-level courses in Virtual Construction Operations Analysis and Sustainable Construction Technologies and serves as the Graduate Coordinator for the Residential Construction Development Track in the master’s program in the School of Building Construction at Georgia Tech.