Breaking ground is a milestone in any land development project, but it shouldn't be your starting point for visibility and coordination. In fact, some of the most critical decisions (and preventable mistakes) happen before equipment ever arrives on site.
That’s where TraceAir comes in. By implementing our land intelligence platform early, during due diligence or entitlement, you set your project up for smoother execution, stronger collaboration, and fewer costly setbacks down the line.
Here are 5 key benefits of starting with TraceAir before sitework begins:
1. Start the Project Aligned—From the Top Down
Before construction starts, teams are often working from different versions of plans, PDFs, or emails. That lack of clarity can lead to miscommunication that snowballs later.
With TraceAir, everyone—developers, consultants, superintendents, contractors—can view the same high-resolution aerial scans and approved plans, layered in one easy-to-use platform. By aligning on the site layout, grading strategy, and phasing early, you avoid the "game of telephone" that leads to errors in the field.
✅ Bonus: Our tools are intuitive enough for even the least tech-savvy users—so executives, field crews, and external stakeholders can all jump in confidently. TraceAir is cloud-based, requires no apps or downloads, and includes unlimited user access, so the whole team can stay informed and in sync from day one.
2. Uncover Hidden Issues Before They Become Expensive Problems
Early-stage scans and overlay tools help you spot potential conflicts before they cause delays. Whether it’s outdated design files, unexpected site conditions, or grading plan inconsistencies—TraceAir helps you catch and correct them while changes are still cheap and easy to make.
Imagine identifying a misaligned utility corridor or missing import need months before it's excavated. That’s the kind of foresight that TraceAir delivers.
🔍 Did you know? Many TraceAir customers have reported avoiding multi-million dollar change orders by catching grading miscalculations, utility conflicts, and plan version discrepancies during preconstruction with TraceAir. Read how Brookfield Residential discovered a 250,000 cubic yard dirt discrepancy before breaking ground ›
3. Accelerate Buy-In From Consultants and Contractors
When you onboard TraceAir during the planning stage, your engineers, contractors, and site teams can familiarize themselves with the tools and collaborate before the pressure kicks in.
This early adoption builds confidence, improves accountability, and ensures smoother coordination once the project hits full speed. It also helps you get ahead on value engineering, bid reviews, and phasing conversations.
🎯 Outcome: Better-prepared partners = faster mobilization = fewer surprises during construction.
TraceAir is so much more than just a land development tool—it’s become the platform our entire division relies on. With unlimited licenses, everyone from acquisitions, construction, sales and leadership can access the same data, stay aligned, and make faster decisions without the miscommunications or delays we used to deal with.”
— Brandon Byrd, Land Development Project Manger, D.R. Horton, Memphis Division
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4. Keep Critical Milestones on Track (and on Budget)
Time is money in development—and misalignment between field teams, consultants, and contractors can quickly eat away at both.
TraceAir gives you the ability to proactively monitor cut/fill balance, phase readiness, design conformance, and contractor activity from the moment work begins. But the real value comes when you start early—because having baseline data, approved plans, and collaborative visibility in place before grading starts makes it far easier to catch small missteps before they turn into costly delays.
Whether it's a staking error, an out-of-date file in circulation, or a phase boundary being misread, TraceAir helps you stay on top of it—without having to walk the whole site.
🕒 Once the project is underway, things get hectic. Early implementation helps you stay ahead of issues, not chasing them after they’ve already impacted your schedule.
5. Build a Continuous Record That Reduces Risk
Getting TraceAir in place early means your entire site history is captured from day one—plans, scans, changes, and decisions.
This becomes your single source of truth throughout the project. Whether you’re dealing with permitting, contractor disputes,or verifying pay applications, having a complete digital record protects your team and makes handoffs easier across all phases of development.
When change orders arise, TraceAir gives you clear, date-stamped evidence to confirm what work was done, when, and why. Teams can quickly cross-reference field conditions, design revisions, and contractor progress to resolve billing questions with confidence.
📁 Need to revisit why a grading change was made 6 months ago—or validate an invoice tied to that work? It’s all in TraceAir—with clear visual context.
We incorporate TraceAir into nearly all our meetings, utilizing overlays, panoramic 360-degree views, and historical data to easily visualize progress and create a visual storyboard of our accomplishments. The feedback thus far has only been positive in the application’s ability to drive collaboration and decisions.”
— Garth De Blasio, Manager of Land Development, Mungo Homes, Raleigh Division
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Get Started
By implementing TraceAir before you break ground, you gain clarity, avoid preventable mistakes, and ensure your team hits the ground running—literally.
Want to see how it works? Book a demo or explore how TraceAir is helping top builders and developers stay ahead from day one.