Drone Markets and Usage
While drones are most known for their defense and civilian applications, they provide a wide variety of solutions for industries across the world. The compact, lightweight nature of drones makes them a more viable and cost-effective alternative to manned flight in order to obtain key aerial visuals and data.
Civilian drones gained popularity with their contribution to the aerial photography and videography landscape. Their quad and multi-rotor configurations made remote operating possible for even the most inexperienced pilot. Due to their low price point, civilian UAVs are easy to obtain and maintain, providing remote operators an opportunity to enter into a previously unexplored and prohibitive market.
UAVs reinvented the commercial and residential real estate industry through their ability to obtain the aerial visuals that improve the task of selling property. UAVs have revolutionized the process of showcasing both interior and exterior details of available real estate. Due to their size, UAVs are able to fly inside the house, providing detailed, 360 degree walk-throughs to potential buyers. Additionally, these aerial videos and photographs can be repurposed as marketing materials, allowing real estate agents to post them on their websites, garnering the attention of more potential buyers.
UAVs also play a role in the insurance market. With their ability to efficiently and quickly survey accidents to expedite claims adjustment and monitor asset and inventory management, drones allow for the increased efficacy of insurance providers. UAVs have also proven their efficiency in inspection applications. By providing aerial visuals and relaying data to ground stations, UAVs prevent inspectors from placing themselves in perilous situations to assess safety of various objects, like, bridges, power lines, and roads. Additionally, UAVs are able to pilot in any weather, allowing inspectors to gather regular safety data, regardless of environmental conditions.
UAVs have also revolutionized the meteorology industry. Their autonomous characteristics enable agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to send unmanned aerial vehicles into the eye of growing hurricanes and tropical storms without risking human assets. With the ability to monitor and track a hurricane as it develops offshore, UAVs enable meteorologists to more adeptly categorize developing storms and communicate potential dangers to residents. In turn, this helps local law enforcement more efficiently evacuate residents, mitigating potential environmental damage.
Finally, one of the most common operations for UAVs are search and rescue applications. In most recovery missions, where time is a critical factor, law enforcement requires a more effective search method than simply deploying boots-on-the-ground for a recovery effort. The use of UAVs expedites recovery missions by allowing law enforcement to cover larger areas of land more effectively. Additionally, the ability to relay data and communications to a variety of officials simultaneously enables interoperability between agencies, increasing the chances of a safe recovery. Furthermore, an aerial view gives law enforcement officers a previously unrealized advantage during recovery efforts, allowing them an edge in these critical scenarios.
As drones expand throughout a variety of industries, they will provide operators a more efficient and streamlined process to obtain the critical results needed to maintain efficiency. As UAVs continue to position themselves as a low-cost, high-reward alternative to manned flight, the public will continue to see their prominence across a variety of applications.
