AI-powered construction technology company Buildots has unveiled an industry-leading underground utility tracking solution, marking a significant step forward in visibility and control during the earliest phases of construction. The new capability transforms drone-captured aerial imagery into structured progress insights, helping project teams detect delays, monitor pace, and manage risks across critical underground works.
For years, tracking underground utilities, including drainage, water, power, gas, and telecoms, has relied on manual processes, such as site walks, hand-marked drawings, and verbal updates. Drone imagery, while increasingly common, has traditionally served only as visual documentation rather than a source of analytical insight. This fragmented approach often leaves teams with scattered data, hidden errors, and limited ability to forecast potential schedule impacts.
Buildots’ latest innovation addresses this long-standing challenge by combining AI-driven image analysis with 3D modelling to create a unified digital workflow for underground utility management.
“By bringing underground utility tracking into our platform, we’re eliminating a major blind spot in construction visibility,” said Roy Danon, co-founder and CEO of Buildots. “We’re helping the industry move beyond drone documentation, delivering the insights teams need to spot risks early and keep projects on track from day one. It’s another step towards Buildots’ vision of unifying construction delivery intelligence in a single platform.”
Transforming visibility in early-stage construction
The new underground utility tracking solution extends the proven visibility and control that Buildots already provides during later phases of construction. It enables site teams to track installation progress objectively, receive early warnings of delays, and monitor productivity trends, all through the same centralised Buildots platform used for above-ground works.
Key benefits include:
- Automated and objective reporting: Buildots’ algorithms analyse drone imagery against 3D design models to verify which elements are complete, removing the need for subjective reporting.
- Early delay detection: Real-time progress insights enable teams to identify slowdowns before they affect subsequent phases.
- Unified dashboards: Underground utilities are tracked through the same platform as other construction stages, eliminating duplicated effort and ensuring data consistency.
Real-world results on large-scale projects
The technology has already demonstrated its value through a pilot project with Mortenson Construction, which deployed Buildots’ underground utility tracking on a data centre megaproject in the Southern United States.
“The true value of Buildots’ underground utility tracking lies in its ability to provide near real-time visibility into our progress and pace,” said Abbey Mumford, Operating Group Integrated Construction Director at Mortenson. “This level of insight has become instrumental in how we manage the project. We’re able to leverage the data for early decision-making, safeguarding downstream activities, and maintaining full project alignment.” Mortenson Construction piloted Buildots’ underground utility tracking on a data centre mega-project in the Southern United States.
Designed for major infrastructure and brownfield developments
The new solution, according to Buildots, is particularly beneficial for large brownfield projects and complex infrastructure developments, such as data centres, healthcare facilities, manufacturing plants, and campus-style developments. By integrating seamlessly with existing drone workflows, Buildots enables companies to continue using their trusted drone capture providers. Only processed drone captures are required to produce detailed analytics, including visual overlays, completion percentages, and pace forecasts.
With this latest innovation, Buildots continues to position itself at the forefront of AI and digital construction technology, empowering contractors and project owners with the data-driven insights they need to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and control from the ground up.
Read next: Experts wanted to help shape the future of UK robotics – Build in Digital
Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
