Posts
Why I Think the Prosumer Drone Will Never Die
Innovations will flourish on drones that target the prosumer market for a long time THE FACTS: In the 1980 book, The Third Wave, futurologist Alvin Toffler coined the term “prosumer” when he predicted that the role of producers and consumers would begin to blur and merge. Today, the term is well accepted as a descriptor … Read more
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6 Tips for Avoiding Phony Dronie Consultants and Attorneys
How to steer clear of the wrong hire for your drone business By Jonathan Rupprecht, Esq. for Drone Analyst® It seems everyone is running toward the “drone” rush to make a quick buck. The way I see it is many of the consultants and attorneys assisting businesses with drone work are in reality experimenting on … Read more
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5 Tips for Evaluating Online Drone Data Services
Choosing the right service means choosing a trusted business partner THE FACTS: In early 2014, it was easy to see that drones themselves (the aircraft) would quickly become commoditized and their value would come not from what they could do but from the data they collect. In a piece titled “Drones Revolution Means Big Data … Read more
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Sense and Avoid for Drones is No Easy Feat
But development is vibrant, and you’ll see it work first in prosumer drones THE FACTS: “Sense and avoid” for drones is a popular topic in the press right now, but the phrase can mean different things in different contexts and for different people. To clarify, there is a difference between solving the problem of “sense” … Read more
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Can PrecisionHawk Tame Drone Traffic in the Sky?
PrecisionHawk’s LATAS delivers an innovative air traffic control system for drones, but it’s one of several that depends on the not-so-imminent success of all aircraft using ADS-B. THE FACTS: This past week (August 29, 2016), the FAA granted PrecisionHawk a waiver from Part 107.31’s visual line of sight (VLOS) limitations, which gives them the ability … Read more
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Will the U.S.’s New Drone Pilot Certification Accelerate Commercial Growth?
FAA testing and certification for small UAS remote pilot certificates begins in earnest this month, but does that mean the commercial drone industry will see rapid growth? THE FACTS: Beginning August 29, 2016, the new small UAS Rule for commercial drone operations in the U.S. takes effect. One very important change is that operators will … Read more
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DJI’s Foray into the Enterprise Drone Market
Will its reliance on channel partnerships address the real needs of commercial operators? THE FACTS: Without the usual fanfare associated with a new product release, consumer drone manufacturer DJI opened up a website (http://enterprise.dji.com) in July 2016 that is dedicated to commercial / enterprise use of their drones. The website lists five industrial uses: agriculture, … Read more
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The Truth About Drones in Mapping and Surveying
According to 2015 statistics from the US Department of Labor, there are 44,300 surveyors in the United States. But mapping is practiced by a larger population of cartographers, topographers, photogrammetrists, civil engineers, and geographers – it’s not exclusive to the surveying industry. The American Society of Civil Engineers lists more than 150,000 members in 177 … Read more
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Is Esri’s Drone2Map a Game Changer?
Features should appeal to Esri users, but will they appeal to non-Esri users? THE FACTS: In June 2016, Esri released an application called Drone2Map for ArcGIS. Drone2Map (D2M) takes raw image data from drones and creates digital surface models, orthomosaics, 3D-point clouds and 3D PDFs that can be shared. Data processed by Drone2Map can also … Read more
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New Report: Drones in Public Safety and First Responder Operations
It may not seem like it, but drones are still in their infancy and only proving themselves through the rigorous testing done privately, commercially, and by state and federal government agencies. Despite the tangible benefits that drones can provide, the public has mixed sentiments about their use by law enforcement, firefighting, and search & rescue … Read more
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