DroneView Technologies: Year in Review and Outlook for 2017
As 2016 has come to a close and we set our “wings” on a new year, much has happened both at DroneView Technologies and more generally, in the commercial drone industry.
With almost two full years of commercial drone operation under our belt, we have flown hundreds of successful missions for clients in over 20 different states throughout the country. We find ourself an industry leader, very clearly focused on what business we are really in, for whom we provide true value through our services and importantly many things drone related that we have chosen not to pursue.
Aerial Mapping and Geospatial Services
At our core, DroneView Technologies has quickly evolved into a leading aerial mapping and geospatial services company. Many ask, "What does that mean?" It means we work throughout the United States for civil engineers, land surveyors, earth moving, construction, landfill, mining and aggregate companies, among others, collecting aerial images using drones or piloted aircraft. We stitch these high resolution images together using specialized photogrammetry software from which we are able to build highly detailed, three dimensional models which in turn allow us to deliver to our clients precision mapping, topography and/or stockpile volume measurements.
Technology Enabled Services Company Delivering a “Whole Product”
We have found that success in the commercial drone services industry requires us to have a plethora of skills and domain expertise. The requisite skills for DroneView Technologies to deliver this “whole product” solution extend far beyond our ability to safely fly a drone and capture pretty pictures and videos. We have assembled a team of industry leading professionals that bring not only drone expertise but moreover photogrammetrists, surveyors, AutoCAD and LiDAR specialists, software engineers, IT data storage, security and networking professionals, among others.
The Commercial Drone Industry Has Arrived and is Here to Stay
Prior to September 2014, the FAA did not permit the commercial operation of drones in the United States. From this time, the commercial drone industry has grown from practically non-existent to a “real industry” today. We saw over 5,000 FAA section 333 exemptions issued [the original FAA commercial drone credentialing process] and in the last four months of 2016, with relaxed FAA regulation, almost 23,000 pilots received their FAA Part 107 commercial drone pilot credentials [the new FAA commercial drone credentialing process].
Market analysts and forecasts all point to significant market growth over the next several years, albeit with wide disparity in projected market size [PriceWaterhouseCoopers report: $127B by2020; Markets and Markets report: $21B by 2022]. Market insights from Colin Snow, Drone Analyst and CEO of SkylogicResearch, Jeremiah Karpowicz, editor of Commercial UAV News, and Mike Blades, senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan all substantiate the anticipated market growth and are notable as they provide well researched, credible and insightful industry perspectives.
Delivering Value to Customers
We have found four common threads that weave through all of our successful client engagements, namely: (1) improved accuracy (2) increased timeliness of relevant data, (3) enhanced safety and (4) lower costs. While each is somewhat self-explanatory, it is the combination of all of these, consistently delivered, that has allowed our clients to derive real ROI, operational benefits and improved workflow.
“Full Stack” Solution
Drones on their own are just a tool, much like a camera or a LiDAR sensor. Their value comes from how you use them to deliver solutions to real problems. DroneView Technologies has recognized that in order to achieve accurate, consistent, repeatable results from drones requires numerous discreet skills and expertise, properly integrated together that range from (i) Project Planning (ii) Equipment/Software Selection (iii) Image (or LiDAR) Acquisition (iv) Photogrammetric Data Processing (v) Reporting (vi) Data Storage and Archival.
Outlook for 2017
1. The commercialdrone industry is facing a Tipping Point where large organizations will move from exploring how to incorporate drones in their operations to widespread mainstream implementation in 2017
2. Technology Enabled Service Offeringscoupled with the requisite domain expertise will be the pathway for widespread enterprise drone adoption
3. Accuracy Matters. Sophisticated companies are recognizing that high precision mapping utilizing drones (and piloted aircraft) for image (or LiDAR) acquisition is not simple and to consistently achieve desired results requires a team of specialists
4. Strategic Partnerships – aligning organizations with symbiotic expertise and relationships to deliver solutions to enterprise customers will become more prevalent in 2017
5. Acquisition, Consolidation and Contraction. Many are finding that a drone and a business card does not constitute “a sustainable business”. The drone industry will face a shakeout in 2017 – fewer companies with more focused and specialized offerings
We offer our gratitude and sincere thanks to the many people that have helped guide us on our journey. With clarity to our business and strength in a market leading team of professionals, we are extremely excited for what lies ahead for DroneView Technologies in the upcoming year (and beyond).
Our best wishes to all for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
michael
Michael Singer | ceo
DroneView Technologies
Aerial Mapping and GeoSpatial Services: Full Service. Trusted Solutions