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Sydney Build 2024
 

02 Oct 2019

Featured Interview with the founder of Diodrone

Featured Interview with the founder of Diodrone

In the build-up Sydney Build Expo 2020, we wanted to provide attendees with the opportunity to get to know some of our exhibitors! This month's featured exhibitor interview is with the founder of Diodrone, Zack Wasson, an extreme sports enthusiast and Indian food lover! 

What is it that your company does exactly? what is your main USP and how do you feel that you stand out from the crowd?

The success of industry's move towards digital engineering is dependent on a number of factors, but one key requirement is good data. And that's where Diodrone is making a difference. We're a team of engineers and surveyors, focusing our efforts on finding new and innovative ways to capture, process and present spatial and visual data for the infrastructure and construction sectors. We utilise laser scanning, LiDAR, photogrammetry and bunch of other technologies to create immersive survey, inspection and monitoring solutions. Our high precision aerial surveys - combining conventional ground survey, drone LiDAR and photogrammetry - are absolutely changing the game for our clients.

Over the coming 12 months what do you have planned in terms of launches or new initiatives?

We see laser scanning becoming a bigger part of what we do. Drone LiDAR and photogrammetry have proven super beneficial to our clients, but it's generally limited to outdoor areas. Our recent successes on a few laser scanning projects is proving that these data types, are just as beneficial to indoor environments. Oh, and a second Diodrone office to better support our interstate clients is also on the cards... but I can't say too much on that just yet.

What are the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the construction industry this year?

In my sphere of awareness, the biggest opportunities for the industry lie in better and more widespread adoption of digital engineering... from better documenting of construction at greenfield sites to capturing baselines and digital asset inventories of brownfield sites. Single source of truth across these very large, very complex projects and organisations improves efficiencies and reduces risk at so many levels.

Who has impressed you most in the industry and why?

The guys and girls over at PropellerAero have accomplished some incredible things in the past few years... a great success story if ever there was one.

What's your biggest achievement/proudest moment (In and out of the industry)?

We recently completed a really complex drone LiDAR survey for the RMS over a section of the Putty Road. In the field, the Diodrone team executed an incredible operation which really was the culmination of everything we've learnt over the past 4 years: drone operations, LiDAR, and ground survey, all working together to create an incredibly detailed and accurate spatial data set. That project is so much more than an incremental improvement to the way road corridor survey is carried out... it's a total step change.

What do you do to let off steam?

When the winds are right, you'll find me letting off steam in my paraglider. When the winds are wrong, I'm usually rock climbing, mountain biking or trail running.

Best place to get dinner?

Directly across from our office in Caringbah is an Indian restaurant which surely must have the best butter chicken and garlic naan ever to grace this fine earth.... Mumtaz Mahal.

Karaoke song of choice?

Karaoke was once my ultimate fear... that was before I learnt the words to INXS "Mystify"

Who would play you in a movie?

I reckon I could have a decent go at one of Jim Carey's characters...

What would you do if you won the lottery - what are you going to do and where?

Sailing a yacht around the world has held the number one spot on my bucket list for a while.... I'd probably spend a couple of years doing that.

Favourite country/place to visit?

It's pretty hard to beat Whistler BC.

 

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, Zack! Check out the Diodrone and the other companies scheduled to exhibit at Sydney Build Expo 2020.

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