We're excited to announce the finalists for our fourth annual DroneDeploy Awards, which will be presented during our After Dark celebration at Horizons 2025 in beautiful Newport Beach, CA.
These awards honor reality capture champions and innovators who have done extraordinary work with drone, robotics, and 360-degree capture technology using the DroneDeploy platform. With many exceptional submissions from 15+ countries spanning construction, energy, agriculture, education and environmental sciences, this year's competition showcases the growing maturity and strategic importance of reality capture programs worldwide.
The awards are divided into six categories:
- Operational Excellence
- Guardian of Safety
- Innovation of the Year
- Steward of Sustainability
- Community and Workforce Development
- DroneDeploy Champion
Operational Excellence
The Operational Excellence category recognizes those who have transformed their businesses through systematic adoption of reality capture technology. They've seamlessly integrated drones, cameras, and ground robotics into their operations, creating digital workflows that enable real-time insights and proactive decision-making.
This award honors not just technological prowess but also a commitment to scaling innovation across entire organizations. These trailblazers prove that when strategic vision meets consistent execution, reality capture becomes more than a tool – it becomes a competitive advantage.
Here are the selected finalists for the Operational Excellence award:
Skanska — Started with a single drone in 2015 and scaled to 100+ pilots across the U.S., proving that enterprise-wide adoption is achievable with the right strategy and commitment to field engagement.
Laing O'Rourke — Integrated DroneDeploy into UK megaprojects with BIM and AR/VR workflows, demonstrating how reality capture becomes the backbone of modern construction coordination.
Programmed New Zealand — Leveraged drones to digitize assets across NZ and AU facilities management, showing how reality capture transforms ongoing operational oversight.
Guardian of Safety
The Guardian of Safety Award celebrates organizations that have made worker protection their cornerstone by harnessing reality capture technology. These champions understand that preserving human life and preventing injuries isn't just moral obligation – it's operational excellence.
By replacing hazardous manual inspections with efficient, data-driven processes, these companies demonstrate proactive risk mitigation. Their work creates safer jobsites where every team member returns home unharmed.
Here are the selected finalists for the Guardian of Safety award:
ConocoPhillips — Uses drones and 360 cameras to document site hazards and train teams, eliminating dangerous manual inspections while building comprehensive safety protocols.
Weddle Bros. Construction — Improved safety planning and training through integrated 360 and drone workflows, proving that visual documentation drives better safety outcomes.
Proform Group Ltd. — Generated coastal 3D models for training simulations in Unity for rescue operations, pushing the boundaries of how reality capture enhances emergency preparedness.
Innovation of the Year
The Innovation of the Year Award celebrates trailblazers who are actively shaping the future of reality capture. These visionaries go beyond adoption, leveraging cutting-edge approaches like Gaussian Splatting, AI-assisted analytics and VR-ready 3D modeling to redefine what's possible.
Their groundbreaking work offers a glimpse into tomorrow's workflows, where efficiency, accuracy and actionable insights are seamlessly woven into every project phase.
Here are the selected finalists for the Innovation of the Year award:
Joeris General Contractors — Developed a 360° crawlspace inspection robot that enhances worker safety by eliminating dangerous manual inspections, demonstrating how robotics and reality capture combine to solve real field challenges.
GEA Group — Scaled reality capture-first indoor workflows using Gaussian Splatting technology, creating photorealistic digital twins that push visualization boundaries.
Chevron — Built and scaled internal workflows for comprehensive documentation and planning, proving that systematic approach to innovation drives measurable operational improvements.
Steward of Sustainability
The Steward of Sustainability Award honors organizations using reality capture technology to champion environmental responsibility. These companies leverage aerial and ground-based data collection to monitor ecosystems, manage resources, and ensure minimal ecological impact.
They demonstrate that technological progress and environmental stewardship go hand-in-hand, inspiring the industry toward a greener future.
Here are the selected finalists for the Steward of Sustainability award:
The Nature Conservancy — Led kelp restoration across more than 15 acres with partners, using reality capture to track biodiversity improvements, urchin removal effectiveness, and canopy growth—proving that data drives successful conservation.
Sumo Solutions — Uses DroneDeploy to educate youth on composting, agriculture, and carbon capture, demonstrating how reality capture technology can inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
Edge Perma — Created VR farm tours and conferences that educate the public on regenerative farming practices, showing how immersive technology amplifies sustainability education impact.
Community and Workforce Development
The Community and Workforce Development Award celebrates organizations using reality capture technology to uplift communities and expand workforce opportunities. They provide training, access to technology, and pathways to career advancement—demonstrating that innovation thrives when it's inclusive.
These champions understand that the future of our industry depends on building diverse, skilled teams equipped for tomorrow's challenges.
Here are the selected finalists for the Community and Workforce Development award:
Citrus College — Educates students in GIS, drone mapping, and flight planning, building the next generation of skilled reality capture professionals through hands-on technical training programs.
SPICA Viet Nam — Used multispectral imagery to assess infrastructure and educate engineers, expanding technical capabilities and knowledge transfer in developing regions.
FlyGuys — FlyGuys trains pilots from underrepresented groups through classroom presentations, workshops, and community partnerships, actively working to diversify the reality capture workforce while building pathways to opportunity.
DroneDeploy Champion
The DroneDeploy Champion Award honors individuals who push boundaries within their organizations. They tirelessly introduce cutting-edge workflows, drive adoption, and prove the transformative power of reality capture technology through results, not just enthusiasm.
These champions are the internal advocates who turn pilot programs into enterprise mandates, transforming how their companies build, inspect, and operate.
Here are the selected finalists for the DroneDeploy Champion award:
Meg Wilson — WM — Supported advanced reporting, scheduling, and data practices that scaled drone workflows across a massive operational footprint, proving that systematic approach drives lasting change.
Stuart Drahota — DPR Construction — Formalized training and field testing protocols to evaluate DroneDeploy tools, building the foundation for company-wide reality capture standards.
Blake Gruenewald — Pogue Construction — Expanded the VDC department and mandated 360 capture across all job sites, demonstrating how leadership commitment transforms good ideas into operational requirements.
Join Us at Horizons 2025
These finalists represent the pinnacle of innovation, dedication and measurable impact within the reality capture space. Their work proves that this technology doesn't just streamline operations it builds safer, more profitable and more predictable project outcomes.
We can't wait to celebrate these incredible finalists and reveal the winners at our Horizons After Dark celebration. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with the leaders who are proving reality capture's value, one project at a time.
Secure your ticket to Horizons 2025 today and witness these inspiring stories firsthand. These aren't just awards they're blueprints for what's possible when field teams, technology and commitment align.