A framework for adoption of drones in the Dominican Republic construction industry

Abstract

Developing countries face issues in adopting technologies for facilitating various tasks. It is happening mostly in sectors with low levels of innovation such as the construction industry. The adoption of technologies in developing countries is a challenge that affects health, economy, and consciousness advancement. The scepticism in what, how, and why certain technologies influence the cost-benefit of tasks has impeded the decision-making process of adopting them. Nevertheless, the cost-benefit decisions related to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) applications, cover the regulatory and practical implications. These are barriers in developed countries, but developing ones, seem to have another set of configurations that should be investigated in-depth. Therefore, the aim of this research is to develop an ontology for public, private, and non-profit organisations that explain the epistemological implications of the implementation of UAS for the Construction Industry in the Dominican Republic. This study was part of a longitudinal study by conducting 4 interviews and 30 surveys as a first study and a second study undertaking an iterative strategy of interviewing 24 participants in a semi-structured format to address an in-depth investigation of the topic. Then, the Nvivo 2020 software was used to identify cases utilising ground theory coding, thematic and content analysis to elaborate them. Later, a model and a framework were developed to map the process of adoption utilising the social technical theory and refining the factors of policy embedded in the problem. The model presents the theoretical composition of the adoption process and the framework reflects on the key ideas discussed. The outcomes contribute to understand, how the adoption process of UAS should be developed at a national level considering the stakeholders involved in construction. Further works are recommended in merging various emerging technologies with UAS.