The Whites Company Drone Program & Evolution
📌 The Whites Company, a 170-year-old construction firm, grew its VDC team from 2 to over 30 people and established a robust drone program with nearly 50 pilots and approximately 65-70 DJI drones.
✈️ Initial drone use was sporadic, mainly for basic progress reports; the directive shifted to using drones to collect high-value data for decision-making and protecting the company.
📈 Project teams now demand more frequent data, sometimes requiring drone flights daily or every other day, driving the transition toward automated solutions like Drone-in-a-Box (DooB).

Transitioning to Drone-in-a-Box (DooB) Solutions
🚧 Early testing involved leasing/renting third-party DooB systems, which presented integration challenges between non-DJI hardware/software and DJI drones, especially concerning complex airspace changes on job sites.
🛑 The primary challenge with non-integrated systems was the excessive time spent by VDC experts troubleshooting integration and airspace issues, leading the company to switch to a fully integrated DJI system.
🧐 DJI DooB implementation was cautious; success required learning from early failures and validating the solution before mass adoption, recognizing that failure when done early is a great way to learn.

DJI Doc 3 Features and Reliability
⚙️ The Doc 3 is an upgrade emphasizing reliability in extreme environments (operating temperature range increased) and is IP rated for both the dock and the drone, featuring built-in AC cooling.
⏱️ It offers extremely fast turnaround, with drone takeoff within 10 seconds of command, and supports accessories like the RTK relay station for extended coverage.
🛰️ The Doc itself acts as an RTK base station, ensuring high GPS accuracy for all collected data, while the Matrice 4D drone inside supports multiple sensors, including telephoto, wide-angle cameras, and a laser rangefinder.

Use Cases, Automation, and BVLOS Operations
🎬 Key use cases include site progress monitoring via orthomosaic mapping, aerial video for "storytelling" and marketing material for clients, and asset inspection (including interiors).
🛡️ Drones enhance safety by inspecting hazardous areas (e.g., roofs) instead of deploying personnel in lifts, and have been used to verify earthwork quantities, leading to monetary savings on one project by correcting an invoice.
☁️ FlightHub 2 enables automated workflows, such as splitting large mapping missions (e.g., capturing 6,000-7,000 photos per flight parcel) across charging cycles, with data timeline visualization for tracking progress and analyzing volume changes over time.
📜 Whites obtained a national BVLOS waiver for Class G airspace with DJI's assistance; the process involved working closely with the FAA and generally took about 90 days.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ The shift to Doc 3 was crucial for dependable, autonomous operation in harsh environments like West Texas (dust storms, high heat), eliminating the need for constant manual monitoring of the dock.
➡️ DooB systems act as a force multiplier, saving man-hours wasted on site setup/teardown, allowing experienced pilots to manage multiple sites remotely rather than being tied to one location.
➡️ Automated missions ensure data comparability over time, removing human variability associated with manual flight settings, making data comparison for volume tracking highly reliable.
➡️ FlightHub 2 facilitates data integration by supporting design file overlays (PDF/DXF) and allowing measurements/volume analysis between design models and captured 3D models, helping project teams avoid needing to sort through multiple software programs.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 26, 2025, 11:44 UTC