TL;DR: Site evidence holds up in a claim or dispute when it is dated, located, complete and made at the time. Drone platforms give a dated, site-wide record. 360 tools cover interiors. Fixed cameras show when events happened. Photo apps capture close detail. Most contractors need two or more, set up before anything goes wrong.
Key takeaways
- Contemporaneous records carry weight. According to the Society of Construction Law's Delay and Disruption Protocol, progress photographs should carry the date taken and, if possible, GPS coordinates.
- The stakes are large. According to the US Census Bureau, construction put in place in the US was worth $2,164.4 billion in 2025.
- Missing information costs time. According to an FMI and PlanGrid study, construction professionals spend 35% of their time on non-productive work, including looking for project information.
- Rework follows bad information. According to the same study, rework from miscommunication and inaccessible information cost the US industry more than $31 billion in 2018.
- Agree the records early. The SCL Protocol recommends that the parties agree record keeping at the start of the works.
What makes site evidence hold up in a claim or dispute?
Site evidence holds up when it is dated, located, complete and made at the time the work happened. A photo with no date or location is easy to challenge. A record that covers only the areas someone chose to photograph leaves gaps. And records reconstructed after a dispute starts carry far less weight than ones made as the work progressed.
The Society of Construction Law's Delay and Disruption Protocol makes the same point. Its list of typical records includes web cam footage and progress photographs "with date taken and if possible GPS coordinates". It also recommends that the parties agree on record keeping before the work starts. That agreement is what turns a pile of photos into evidence both sides accept.
Why sharing records at the time matters
Records shared with the other party when they are made are harder to dispute later. An owner who received a dated site map every fortnight is less likely to challenge what it showed. For more on routine progress records, see our guide to drone progress reports.
How did we choose and compare the tools?
We chose tools that contractors use to document site conditions, and compared them on what they capture, whether coverage is site-wide or spot, the date and location record, access for the other party, data types in one view, and pricing. Birdi (birdi.io) is listed first, and the order is not a ranking. Facts were checked on October 7, 2026.
None of these tools is legal advice, and none guarantees that a record will be accepted. Whether evidence is admissible, and how much weight it carries, depends on the contract, the jurisdiction and the facts. Take legal advice on any specific claim.
The best software to document site conditions in 2026
The site documentation tools compared here are Birdi, DroneDeploy, OpenSpace, Multivista, EarthCam and CompanyCam. They range from drone platforms and 360 tools to a documentation service, a fixed camera and a photo app. Each entry carries the same fields, so you can match each tool to the evidence it produces, checked on October 7, 2026.
1. Birdi
Best for: Contractors and owners who want a dated, site-wide aerial record, compared by date and shared with the other party at the time.
Typical customer size / segment: Mid-sized construction and civil teams of roughly 30 to 500 staff.
Key strengths:
- Every map of one site sits in a Site, filtered by capture date on the timeline.
- Split screen compares two dates side by side, and annotations mark issues on the map.
- An annotation report exports as a PDF, and a view-only link shares a map with an owner without a login.
Coverage: Site-wide, from each drone survey, plus 360 photos placed in the same map.
Date and location record: Each map is dated and georeferenced.
Access for people outside the paid team: Guests view and download without using a paid seat.
Data types in one view: Orthomosaics, elevation models, point clouds, 360 photos, video and PDFs.
Watch-outs: Not for a GIS analyst who needs a full desktop GIS. It also does not suit anyone who wants existing aerial imagery of the site supplied.
Pricing: Growth is $287 USD a month, billed annually. Ultimate is priced by quote (checked October 7, 2026).
2. DroneDeploy
Best for: Contractors who want drone, 360 and phone records from one vendor across many projects.
Typical customer size / segment: Individual pilots through to large contractors.
Key strengths:
- Aerial maps and 360 walks, including for dispute protection, as its Ground product describes.
- Progress AI reports with visual evidence tied to location, date and trade.
- Integrations with Procore and Autodesk.
Coverage: Site-wide aerial plus interior 360 walks.
Date and location record: Captures are dated and located.
Access for people outside the paid team: View-only links; reports shared without a full seat.
Data types in one view: Orthomosaics, 3D models, 360 walks, panoramas and video.
Watch-outs: Team plans are by quote, and viewers need a paid account to use the tools.
Pricing: Flight & Analysis is $4,188 USD billed annually for one pilot; team plans by quote (checked October 7, 2026).
3. OpenSpace
Best for: Building contractors who need an interior record of every floor, mapped to the drawings.
Typical customer size / segment: General contractors and owners on building projects of all sizes.
Key strengths:
- 360 walks mapped to the drawings, so each image is located on the plan.
- A visual record of each floor at each walk.
- Two-way sync with Procore and Autodesk.
Coverage: Interiors along the route walked; OpenSpace Air adds drone maps.
Date and location record: Each walk is dated and mapped to the plan.
Access for people outside the paid team: Pricing is by construction volume, not per user, according to OpenSpace.
Data types in one view: 360 captures, drawings and drone maps.
Watch-outs: In 6 of the 12 most recent App Store reviews we read, users reported recording or upload problems.
Pricing: Contact for pricing.
4. Multivista
Best for: Owners and contractors who want a professional documentation service to capture the site at key stages.
Typical customer size / segment: Commercial, infrastructure and campus projects.
Key strengths:
- Reality capture services across every stage of construction, including 360 photos.
- Visual documentation linked to digital project plans.
- Done for you, so no one on the project team has to capture.
Coverage: Defined stages and areas, captured by Multivista's team.
Date and location record: Captures linked to project plans.
Access for people outside the paid team: Through Multivista's platform; terms by quote.
Data types in one view: Photos, 360 photos and video linked to plans.
Watch-outs: It is a service, so coverage follows the scope you buy. Ongoing site-wide records between visits come from another tool.
Pricing: Contact for pricing.
5. EarthCam
Best for: A continuous record of one or more views, showing exactly when events happened.
Typical customer size / segment: Owners, developers and contractors on longer projects.
Key strengths:
- 4K construction cameras with 360-degree pan, tilt and zoom.
- Continuous recording and archiving.
- Time-lapse films for owners and investors.
Coverage: The fixed views where cameras are installed.
Date and location record: Continuous, timestamped footage.
Access for people outside the paid team: Web viewing shared with stakeholders.
Data types in one view: Live video, stills and time-lapse.
Watch-outs: It sees only where the cameras point and measures nothing.
Pricing: Contact for pricing.
6. CompanyCam
Best for: Crews who need to photograph details, defects and completed work on the spot.
Typical customer size / segment: Trades and contractors of all sizes.
Key strengths:
- Fast photo capture by anyone on site.
- Notes, checklists and reports, with AI to draft them.
- Photos organized by project.
Coverage: What each person chooses to photograph.
Date and location record: Photos tagged by project, with date and location as the app records them.
Access for people outside the paid team: Sharing with customers and teams.
Data types in one view: Photos, notes and checklists.
Watch-outs: Coverage depends on what people remember to capture, which leaves gaps in a dispute.
Pricing: Subscriptions from its pricing page.
Delay claims, variations and defects: what does each need?
Each claim type needs different evidence. A delay claim needs a dated record of progress across the whole site, showing what was and was not done on each date. For a variation, you need the condition before and after the change. Defect claims need close detail of the item and its location. No single tool covers all three.
Matching tools to claim types
- Delay claims: regular site-wide records, such as drone surveys, plus a fixed camera on the critical area.
- Variations: a dated record before the change and after it, compared side by side.
- Defects: close photos with location, plus a wider record showing where the item sits.
- Ground conditions and dilapidation: a baseline record before work starts. See our guide to dilapidation report software.
How often should site conditions be recorded?
Site conditions should be recorded on a regular schedule agreed at the start of the works, plus extra captures around key events. Many projects record weekly or fortnightly with drones and 360 walks, continuously with fixed cameras, and as needed with photos. The schedule matters because a gap in the record is where a dispute is hardest to settle.
Record more often during critical phases, before and after any change, and when a delay event starts. Then share the record with the other party as you go. For keeping records in one place, see our guide to managing site data across teams.
Frequently asked questions
What evidence do you need for a construction delay claim?
You need records made at the time showing planned and actual progress: programs, daily reports, correspondence, and dated progress photographs or site records. The Society of Construction Law's Protocol lists web cam footage and progress photographs with date and, if possible, GPS coordinates among typical records. Take legal advice on any specific claim.
Are drone photos admissible as evidence?
Drone photos and maps can be used as evidence of site conditions, but whether they are admitted and how much weight they carry depends on the contract, the jurisdiction and the facts. Dated, georeferenced records made at the time and shared with the other party are generally easier to rely on. Take legal advice.
How often should site conditions be recorded?
On a schedule agreed at the start of the works, often weekly or fortnightly for site-wide records, plus extra captures around key events, changes and delay events. Fixed cameras can record continuously, and photos fill in detail as needed. A regular schedule avoids gaps where a dispute is hardest to settle.
Should you share progress records with the owner?
Sharing records with the owner as they are made usually helps. An owner who received dated records throughout the project has seen the evidence at the time, which makes it harder to dispute later. Agree what is shared, how and how often at the start, as the SCL Protocol recommends for record keeping.
What is a dilapidation survey?
A dilapidation survey records the condition of a site and neighboring properties before work starts, so later damage claims can be checked against a baseline. It usually combines photos, video and notes, and can include drone imagery for site-wide coverage. A repeat survey at the end shows any change.
About the author
This guide was written by the Birdi team. Birdi (birdi.io) is a geospatial AI workspace that construction, civil and mining teams use to share drone surveys, 360 photos and site data in one map. We read the SCL Protocol and the other sources below, and checked every product fact on the vendor's own website, on October 7, 2026.
Related reading
- Drone progress reporting software: the wider set of progress tools.
- Dilapidation report software: tools for condition surveys before work starts.
- Choosing progress tracking software: six questions to ask before you choose.
- Birdi vs OpenSpace: drone and 360 documentation compared.
Sources
Independent
- Society of Construction Law. "Delay and Disruption Protocol, 2nd edition." February 2017. https://www.scl.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/SCL_Delay_Protocol_2nd_Edition_Final.pdf
- U.S. Census Bureau. "Monthly Construction Spending, December 2025." https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/pdf/pr202512.pdf
- FMI and PlanGrid. "Construction Disconnected." 2018. http://pg.plangrid.com/rs/572-JSV-775/images/Construction_Disconnected.pdf
Vendor documentation (read October 7, 2026 unless stated)
- Birdi Help Center. "How to use Sites in Birdi," "How to use Birdi's timeline view," "How to use Birdi's split screen view" and "How to create an annotation report in Birdi." https://help.birdi.io/en/articles/16767430
- Birdi Help Center. "How do I share a map with a user?" https://help.birdi.io/en/articles/6113402
- Birdi. "Pricing." https://www.birdi.io/pricing
- DroneDeploy. "Pricing" and "Progress AI." https://www.dronedeploy.com/pricing
- OpenSpace. "Pricing" (read September 24, 2026) and App Store reviews (as counted in our OpenSpace profile). https://www.openspace.ai/pricing
- Multivista. https://www.multivista.com/
- EarthCam. https://www.earthcam.net/
- CompanyCam. https://companycam.com/
