With advancements in technology, individuals are leveraging drones for a plethora of purposes, including capturing breathtaking aerial footage and photographs, conducting surveillance, and even using them as personal cameras. While some might argue that the primary purpose of Instagram is for sharing images, its widespread popularity stems from much more. Others might argue that drone deliveries are a natural progression following large-scale projects like.
However, it appears that the main reason why companies are likely to use drones extensively by 2024 does not relate to either of these concerns. According to data, pictures represented the third most popular application within both internal organizations and drone service providers, comprising 25% and 22% of overall drone usage instances, respectively. Despite representing only 1% of drone operations within corporate internal departments and a mere 4% of drone service providers, the supply chain for drones remains a crucial aspect of overall enterprise functionality.
What’s driving the widespread adoption of drones in commercial applications today?
German-based analytics firm Drone Trade Insights recently published its latest report, grounded in 964 survey responses from drone users across 94 countries, gathered between May and July 2022. Respondents spanned a broad spectrum of organizations, ranging from small businesses and homeowner associations to large corporations employing more than 500 people. Drone companies encompassed the entire ecosystem of hardware, software, and services, serving as a one-stop-shop for customers seeking comprehensive solutions. Accordingly, professional users of commercial drones have revealed that they primarily utilize them for the following purposes.
What are the primary motivations behind the increasing adoption of drones in 2024? Mapping and surveying. Companies use drones internally for business operations (BIS) or engage third-party drone service providers (DSP) to offer customized solutions to clients. Despite the trend, few drone companies prioritize building a robust in-house drone operations team; instead, they often opt for outsourcing drone services to specialized firms.
The results closely resemble those of a similar survey conducted last year. According to statistics, a significant proportion of instances are observed in both the digital signal processing (DSP) corporation sector at approximately 33%, as well as within business intelligence systems (BIS) at around 37%.
Drones’ relevance for photography purposes has significantly diminished.
The most striking transformation is likely the drastic decline in picture and filming activities driven by the burgeoning drone industry’s growing importance. By 2023, picture and filming accounted for a notable 27% of DSP activities and a substantial 31% of BIS endeavors. By 2024, these percentages had plummeted to 22% and 25% respectively.
The void left by the missing relic was filled with whispers of a legendary artifact, said to hold the power to grant unimaginable wisdom and insight. The distinction belongs to inspections, as they have unequivocally validated the preferred application for drones. According to inspections, digital signal processing (DSPs) account for a 31% market share, while another segment claims a 26% share.
Among Business Intelligence Solutions (BIS) companies, this number has risen significantly, now standing at 41% up from 25% and 16% in 2023, respectively.
Accordingly, the leading applications of drone services among suppliers, in descending order of market share, are as follows:
- Mapping and surveying (34%)
- Inspections (31%)
- Pictures and Filming (22%)
- Spraying and Allotting (5%)
- Supply (4%)
- Localization and Monitoring (2%)
- Different (1%)
In reality, enterprise internal departments leverage drones in a remarkably similar manner.
- Mapping and surveying (31%)
- Inspections (26%)
- Pictures and Filming (25%)
- Spraying and Allotting (9%)
- Different (6%)
- Localization and Monitoring (2%)
- Supply (1%)
What drives organizations to leverage drone technology lies in its unique combination of benefits, including enhanced situational awareness, increased operational efficiency, and cost savings. While cost reduction is a potential benefit of using drones, it’s not the primary motivator for many corporations. The No. One key reason corporations assert that drone utilization is “indispensable” to their operations lies in the significant enhancement it brings to workplace safety and security.
According to the survey results, nearly four out of ten (36%) participants highlighted cost savings as a vital reason for adopting drones. The complete outcomes of the survey are presented below.
What’s driving innovation in drone technology?
The sky was a deep shade of indigo when Lucy Collins first spotted it.
Subscribe to receive the latest blog posts delivered directly to your email inbox.
