Research
Making the Business Case for Your Drone Program
I am happy to announce the release of Making a Successful Business Case for Drone Technology – a blueprint for enterprises to develop a successful business case for a drone-based technology program. Produced in partnership with PrecisionHawk, this reference guide offers enterprise leaders a clear, step-by-step process to analyze, evaluate, and communicate key objectives of … Read more
Evaluating the Economics of BVLOS Drone Operations
We just announced the release of our latest research on commercial drone operations. The Economics of Using Drones for BVLOS Inspections is a white paper sponsored by PrecisionHawk, the leading provider of drone technology for the enterprise, which provides a foundation for businesses to evaluate when it’s best to use traditional ground and manned aviation, … Read more
Three Forces That Shaped the Drone Industry in 2018
This was a big year for the commercial drone industry as a whole. It saw a significant increase in the business adoption, the expansion of the FAA’s LAANC program (the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability that provides access to controlled airspace near airports), the launch of the UAS Integration Pilot Program from the FAA … Read more
Measuring Success in the Drone Market
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Peter Drucker The $118M Airware failure is a cautionary tale for all potential commercial drone investors—as well as all existing commercial drone market participants. To avoid such failure—whether you are drone aircraft manufacturer, software vendor, service provider, business enterprise, investor, or public agency—you need the … Read more
New Report Benchmarks Drone Industry and Refutes Hyperbole
We just released the results of our third annual drone industry benchmark survey and it’s a kicker. The 2018 Drone Market Sector Report examines worldwide drone sales, service providers, business and public agency users, and software services. This independent research, which is sponsored by DJI, DroneDeploy, DroneInsurance.com, and Trimble, finds a growing demand for businesses to … Read more
Top 40 Drone Data Services
In this August 2018 report, we list the top software applications and data services for processing drone images. This one-page report includes Vendor name Product name URL link to the website Read more about drone data services in 5 Tips for Evaluating Online Drone Data Services. Complete the form to get your free report … Read more
New 2018 Drone Industry Benchmark Survey
We just announced the launch of our third annual Drone Market Sector Research survey, which promises to be our most comprehensive study of drone market trends and usage to date. The online portion of this research seeks to get information about who is buying and using small unmanned aircraft systems—otherwise known as drones. It improves upon … Read more
Four Commercial Drone Trends to Watch in 2018
In my last post, Five Biggest Commercial Drone Trends of 2017 and the Challenges Ahead, I used data from our 2017 Drone Market Sector Report to illustrate the major trends of the past year and describe the major challenges ahead for the drone industry. That post looked back, but this one looks forward, offering our … Read more
Five Biggest Commercial Drone Trends of 2017 and the Challenges Ahead
Last year at this time, I reflected back on the news and trends of the commercial drone markets of 2016 and wrote about the mixed state of affairs ahead for 2017. Throughout the year, I offered my perspective on how the drone industry was still motivated by hype and how assessing forward momentum required hard … Read more
Setting Realistic Growth Prospects for the Drone Market
I believe three of the biggest misconceptions in the drone industry is how fast it will grow, which sectors will grow, and which ones will lag. No one disagrees that drones—both consumer and professional—represent a new and emerging market. Drone market forecasts abound. We currently track 73 independent companies that provide market forecasts, and each … Read more