Engineering the Future of Drones for Commercial Use

Once just a small community of drone-hobbyists, drones have become a worldwide phenomenon. When FAA regulations changed in 2016, it paved the way for UAV software technology improvements and dramatic changes to the drone industry in the coming years.

FAA Loosens Regulations on Drone Use

In June 2016, the FAA released new guidelines allowing the expansion of drones for commercial use. The new guidelines included:

•  Pilots must be at least 16 years old
• Pilots must hold a remote pilot airman certificate issued by the FAA
• Operation is only allowed during daylight or twilight with the appropriate lighting
• Drones must stay in visual line of sight of the pilot
• Drones cannot go beyond a maximum ground speed of 100 mph and an altitude of 400 feet

These rules are in place for UAV surveillance, survey, real estate photography, research, site inspections, and more. As technology improves and regulations are revised, other uses such as drone delivery may continue to expand the industry.

Engineering Drones for Commercial Use

Only recently have drones for commercial use reached the mainstream market, but universities have been engineering and building drones for decades. For many years, engineering students at universities have studied advanced control algorithms used to keep drones flying level and straight.

Engineers are continually working on drones and related technology including innovative UAV software, automation, and sensors. In addition, researchers are developing navigation systems that don’t need to rely on GPS satellites. This means drones could navigate underground, in deep canyons, or inside buildings where GPS signals are inaccessible. These technology advances could significantly expand the usefulness of drones.

Research groups are also working on ways to detect gas leaks from oil pipelines by using drones. This is a significant task given the millions of miles of pipelines across the country. By attaching methane-sniffing sensors on drones, it would make it easier for drones to fly the pipeline routes, register the location and volume of a leak, and signal repair and cleanup crews.

Expansion of Agriculture and Environmental Work

Drones for commercial use have largely expanded in agricultural and environmental work. Perhaps the most significant factor is how easy it is for drones to collect data.

Thermal cameras on drones allow researchers to learn more about water consumption rates on several varieties of crops. Data collected by the drones are so detailed that companies can gain better estimates of crop yield. Farmers can know precisely how big their harvest will be and how much money they’ll make. This allows them to make better budget decisions and forecasting for their business.

Drones are also useful for aerial UAV surveillance and survey mapping. In the past, researchers were limited to walking and taking pictures of areas which could disrupt wildlife. Drones can collect data more frequently and accurately while doing a better job of mapping and analyzing environmental information. This enables environmental workers to prepare local communities in advance of possible environmental disasters such as erosion or flooding.

At Insitu, we specialize in drones for commercial use and UAV software technologies. Contact us to learn more about our programs. 

Civilian Drones Increasing: Understanding Drone Use and Regulations

Soon you’ll see more drones hovering over you in the sky. It’s estimated that nearly two million consumer drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) will be sold this year around the world. By 2020, the world drone market could top $127 billion, according to PwC.

While drones have been used by the military for many years, civilian and commercial sales have risen, and so have safety concerns amongst regulators and law enforcement agencies. Their main concerns are about potential drone crashes into stadiums or collisions with airplanes.

In 2016, the government allowed new rules making it easier for companies to use drones for commercial purposes such as aerial survey, verifying insurance claims, and boosting agricultural crop yields. This has also led to new industries for aerial survey consulting and drone consulting.

What Are Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)?

Drones, or UAVs, are similar to what airplane hobbyists have used for decades, but are a much more advanced version. They come in helicopter and airplane options and are typically piloted from the ground by a human with a radio controller. Some varieties are capable of autonomous flight based on programmed coordinates.

What Can Drones Be Used For?

Many hobbyists buy drones for the entertainment and challenge of flying an object in the sky. One of the more popular reasons is capturing high-quality photographs and video from an aerial vantage point.

Since the government made it easier to use drones for commercial purposes, companies can use drones for several tasks including aerial survey consulting, drone consulting, aerial photography, emergency response, etc. Regulations currently do not allow package delivery, something Amazon and Google are eager to get approved.

Companies interested in using drones for their business has even expanded to include the real estate industry, news organizations, farmers, emergency responders, and more.

Do Drones Pose Any Risks?

Perhaps the biggest safety concern is if drones were to collide with an aircraft and endanger passengers. In some cases, drones capturing aerial footage of wildfires has hindered airplane and helicopter pilots trying to put out the blaze. In addition, drones have crashed near crowded events such as football games and the U.S. Open. Drones may also violate privacy or could be used in crimes to smuggle drugs and weapons into prisons. To combat these concerns, some drone developers are designing software to keep people from flying their drones into restricted airspace.

In 2016, new rules governing commercial drone use were released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This allowed a broad range of industries to use drones under 55 pounds with a few restrictions:

·         Drones must be operated by a pilot who is at least 16 years old and has passed a written test.

·         Drones can only be flown below 400 feet during the day.

·         Drones cannot come within five miles of airports.

The rules did not allow delivery of packages which Google and Amazon have pushed the FAA to allow to significantly reduce their ground-based delivery. Some experts suggest it won’t be long until their goal may become a reality.

In addition, rules from 2015 require all owners of remote-controlled recreational drones to register in a national database. Drone owners must submit their name, home address, and email address to the FAA.

Certain states are passing their own regulations. At least twenty states have passed increased restrictions on consumer drones in efforts to keep them away from schools, churches, parks, and neighborhoods.

Are you interested in learning more about commercial drones for your business? At Insitu, we offer drone consulting and aerial survey consulting services to help you find the right equipment and software to suit your needs. Contact us to learn how we can help you. 

Understanding Precision, Accuracy, and Error for High Accuracy Photogrammetry Survey

Accuracy, precision, and error are words often used interchangeably and can be confusing when trying to decipher what they mean. While some applications require high precision, others require high accuracy. When it comes to high accuracy photogrammetry (HAP) survey, it’s important to understand what each of these terms mean.

The dartboard principal is often used to describe the difference between precision and accuracy. When a player is aiming to hit the bullseye, this can be thought of as the reference or real value. Each dart throw could be thought of as taking a measurement. This measurement wants to fall on the real value or bullseye. After evaluating multiple throws, you can calculate the accuracy and precision of a player.

What Is Precision?

While precision is about the spread of the data, high precision is obtained by all throws (or measurements) being grouped together in a tight cluster. Even if they miss the dartboard completely, when the darts are grouped closely together, the precision of the throw is high. Variance quantifies the precision of a measurement which is found by calculating the difference between an individual measurement from the mean of all measurements.

What Is Accuracy?

Accuracy is about positioning the throws (or measurements) according to the bullseye (or reference). The spread of the measurements may be large but are still accurate when centered on the real value. When you average a series of measurements to find their mean, you can eliminate the variance and calculate the accuracy of the throws. This happens by finding the difference between the mean value of the reference and the throws.

What Is Error?

Error is discovered by the sum of the accuracy and the variance of a single measurement. Many surveyors use the root mean squared error (RMSE) for error distribution with approximately 68.3% of samples falling within +/- the value of the RMSE. Another popular measure of error distribution is the National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy (NSSDA). This is similar to the RMSE except it encompasses 95.5% of the sampled points. By averaging multiple samples, the variance component of error can be eliminated to reduce the error of a measurement.

What’s More Important: Accurate or Precise Data?

So far, we know precision is about the spread of data and accuracy is the average position of the measurements from the reference point. But what is important for High AccuracyPhotogrammetry survey?

Two main types of measurement are common for HAP survey:

1.      Relative Measurements – the measurement of one point in a survey with respect to another point in a survey.

2.      Global Measurements – the measurement of a positioned measurement with respect to an external reference (i.e. British National Grid).

If you are interested in measurements with respect to an external reference, such as British National Grid, high accuracy is required. If you are merely interested in measuring a property of something relative to something else in a survey, high precision is needed. High accuracy and high precision aren’t always required and can affect the costs of a survey. Understanding the differences and which you need can help save you money.

Interested in learning more? At Insitu, we create innovative UAVs and technology solutions for HAP survey. Contact us for more information.

UAV 101: Intro to LiDAR Mapping and High Accuracy Photogrammetry for Survey

Use of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mapping and high accuracy photogrammetry applications are rapidly increasing. UAVs with GPS are more cost-effective for aerial HAP survey compared to manned aircraft with traditional photogrammetry. These drones now contain cameras and small computers making survey accuracy down to the centimeter possible.

Learn more about drone mapping technology and industries benefiting from UAVs.

What Is UAV High Accuracy Photogrammetry?

High accuracy photogrammetry (HAP) survey involves the science of making measurements from photographs. It creates an output of a map, drawing, or 3D model of a land mass or object.

To create 3D maps from aerial photogrammetry, the camera is mounted on a UAV pointed toward the ground. If measuring a statue or monument, the camera is mounted horizontally on the drone.

As the UAV flies along a programmed flight path called a waypoint, multiple overlapping photos of the model or ground are taken at a rate of 80-90%. This rate of overlap would be impossible based on pilot navigation alone. Waypoint navigation technology is essential for a UAV to achieve 80-90% overlap accuracy. 

The Basics of LiDAR and Drone Mapping

With UAV LiDAR, a laser scanner is mounted on a UAV to measure the height of objects in the landscape below. These scanners can capture hundreds of square miles in a single day.

By achieving accurate measurements, 3D models can be created for design, planning, and decision making processes throughout many industries. LiDAR sensors are especially useful in agriculture where they can pierce dense canopy and vegetation, making it possible to capture the earth at a higher accuracy than satellites.

With UAV HAP survey and LiDAR mapping, many products can be created from aerial imagery, including:

·         3D building models

·         Contour maps

·         Surface models

·         Geospatially corrected aerial images (orthophotos)

·         Volumetric surveys

Precision 3D images can benefit the following industries by increasing efficiency and reducing costs:

·         Archaeology

·         Cellular network planning

·         Coastline management

·         Flood modeling

·         Forestry management and planning

·         Oil and gas exploration

·         Pollution modeling

·         Transport planning

·         Urban planning

·         Quarries and minerals

Top DJI UAVs for 3D Mapping and High Accuracy Photogrammetry

·         DJI Mavic Pro: Perfect for HAP survey and LiDAR mapping applications. Flight control and stabilization allows this quadcopter to fly still and create accurate point clouds and 3D maps with software.

·         DJI Matrice 100: With DJI’s easy-to-fly technology, this drone has additional expansion bays for cameras, infrared sensors, and LiDAR scanners for 3D maps. Enhanced GPS allows for high accuracy photogrammetry.

·         DJI Phantom 4 Pro: Uses dual navigation and flies perfectly smooth. It has a 4k camera and uses waypoint navigation. The Phantom 4 is one of the most popular quadcopters for 3D imaging.

·         DJI Phantom 3 and Inspire 1: These models now have waypoint navigation and can be used for photogrammetry. The best software to use with DJI drones is the Pix4Dmapper Mesh DJI edition.

Other Popular UAVs for Photogrammetry

·         SenseFly eBee Pro Mapping UAV: A fixed-wing, fully autonomous drone which captures high-resolution aerial photos for 2D orthomosaics and 3D models. It can cover 4.6 miles in a single flight and comes with two software packages: eMotion and Postflight Terra 3D.

·         3DR X8-M Drone for Aerial Mapping: Includes a quadcopter, Canon high-resolution 12 MP digital camera, and Pix4DMapper software for rendering photos into 3D maps. This drone offers the right balance of technology for precision aerial maps and surveys.

·         3DR Aero-M Fixed Wing UAV: This is the all-in-one solution for high-resolution visual-spectrum aerial maps. You can acquire detailed data for large-scale operations such as construction, farming, search and rescue, and conservation. Includes the Canon S100 high-resolution 12 MP camera.

At Insitu, we offer services and software solutions for commercial and military UAV. Contact us to learn more.

New Trends in Aerial Survey Service and LiDAR Survey

It’s an interesting time for geospatial technology. Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and 3D data acquisition tools are experiencing notable innovations impacting aerial survey service and mappers the most.

Many of these changes are leaving aerial survey consulting companies and LiDAR survey professionals wondering what will happen next. Could drones replace manned aircraft systems? Will LiDAR survey replace photogrammetry? To get answers to these questions, let’s look at industry trends.

Trends in Aircraft

Twenty years ago, aerial survey service businesses and mapping service providers needed extensive capital to buy manned aircraft, expensive cameras, and computing technology. Now, for just $5,000, almost anyone can put a quality camera in the air and collect 3D data for mapping.

High costs and safety issues were previously a deterrent. But now drones are easier and cheaper to use than planes and helicopters. As federal regulations catch up and allow travel beyond visual-line-of-sight, we’ll see small unmanned aircraft use will really take off.

3D Trends Through the Decades

In the mid-1990s, film cameras were still used which required significant time and manpower. Not long later, GPS technology launched followed by computer-based soft copy photogrammetry from scanned film.

The early 2000s brought more computer advancements making it possible to gather high-resolution data in a matter of weeks. Today, computer algorithms and small consumer cameras can be positioned in both manned and unmanned aircraft.

Drones have introduced a new dimension to the survey industry making a once elite and experienced industry affordable and available to just about anyone who wants to try it. While these innovations are positive, reliance on software can deliver challenges as new users may be unaware of the principles behind photogrammetry which play a role when their software fails.

LiDAR Survey or Photogrammetry?

Photogrammetric techniques can be used to derive a point cloud from the photography or can be collected directly with a LiDAR sensor. However, LiDAR is typically more expensive than using a camera.


Cost aside, a key difference between LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds is the ground. LiDAR survey uses active sensor technology to reflect off the ground below vegetation. LiDAR has a distinct advantage by providing the surface of both, including the bare earth elevations that photogrammetry can’t provide. This technology offers more accurate models of the earth’s surface.


Photogrammetry is still useful and important with its significantly lower cost and other application uses. For many projects, the 3D point clouds derived from drone photography are accurate enough for their purposes.

What Does This Mean for Surveyors?

While the entry costs with drones are cheaper for aerial survey service, Aerial survey consulting companies should know that they don’t necessarily make data collection any cheaper. In some cases, labor and incidentals may be higher. The learning curve of flying drones will likely result in a few crashes and burns. In addition, surveyors should understand the limitations of software to avoid misrepresenting the quality or accuracy of the product that comes out.

Despite all this, many companies see drones as an opportunity to bring complete survey or mapping projects in house versus perceiving drones as a threat. While it may appear just about anyone could become an aerial surveyor, the trade still requires knowledge of the whole photogrammetric process to achieve desired project requirements.

Precision Agriculture Drones – The Wave of the Future for Farming

Smart precision agriculture drones are sweeping the industry by helping farmers increase yields and reduce their environmental impact. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. By 2050, the world will need to grow 70% more food to feed the growing populations. This is a difficult task with water shortages and limited arable land available.

Smart farming uses drones for agriculture to gain advanced knowledge by tap into new technologies focused on gathering environmental, geographical, and biological data. This information can help increase the quality and quantity of food while reducing the agricultural industries carbon footprint.

While an array of smart farming methods and tools are operating globally, precision agriculture drones are the most promising innovation and the most widely used.

If you’re a farmer, drones are in your near future. If the idea of using drones for farming is difficult to grasp, just wait until the first time you pilot one and learn how affordable they are. Any apprehension will quickly disappear.

Revolutionizing Crop Planting

Precision agriculture drones are changing the way farmers plant crops. 3-D mapping technology allows drones to collect critical information including soil composition and geography for field configuration and patterns for seed-planting. While the crops grow, the drones collect more data about irrigation and nitrogen levels.

In a recent study, new planting systems using drone technology helped decrease planting costs by 85%, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For irrigation, drones with thermal sensing technology can collect crop moisture data and alert you to dry areas.

Better Crop Spraying

Crop spraying is time-consuming, expensive, and even hazardous. Thankfully, smart drones are aided by lasers and ultrasonic echoing technology which reduces over spraying chemicals. Not to mention, spray drones are nearly five-times faster than traditional spraying methods.

Higher Profit and Better for the Environment

Smart farming methods and drones for agriculture enable farmers to achieve financial success and create a better place to live. Farmers who use precision agriculture drones in their farming operations are reaping the rewards of efficiency needed to increase profits, lower environmental impact, and keep current and future populations fed.

Security from Above

Agriculture drones keep an eye on your crops and livestock from above while monitoring their health and well-being. Visible and near-infrared light sensors detect minute differences in reflected green and near-infrared light emitted by crops.

A basic drone camera can even monitor sick or injured animals. Once identified, they can be treated and monitored to ensure they heal. Previously, this knowledge and data were nearly impossible to collect.

Curious how drones could improve your crops and livestock? At Insitu, we specialize in precision agriculture drones. Get in touch to learn more about the financial and environmental benefits of using drones for agriculture. 

Precision Agriculture UAVs and Drone Mapping on the Rise

Across Australia, startup businesses using agricultural drones to assess crop health via infrared mapping are becoming more and more popular. Through mapping methods, drone surveillance can offer farmers early warning signs of crop health issues. Agricultural drones offer clearer, more detailed map resolution than satellite and plane surveying by measuring in centimeters rather than meters.

Using precisionagriculture UAVs are relatively fast and cheap, making it easier for startup companies to get on board. They utilize the technology to collect information and provide a service back to farmers.

Future Business Potential

A research project, held at the Deakin University’s Centre for Regional and Rural Futures, investigated drone and satellite technology for monitoring crop performance. Dr. Hornbuckle and his team were looking for ways to improve nitrogen use and water management decisions.

His findings show the potential for even more businesses to join the market. Drone manufacturers are creating UAVs and software capable of mapping a range of agricultural crops including vineyards, broad acreage, horticulture, and orchards. While some farmers prefer to handle crop performance on their own, others would rather outsource the task to experts.

Breaking Down the Cost

Status Imaging, a company based in Washington state, shared their imagery and processes were costing farmers $3.50 to $7.00 a hectare depending on the type of crop and size of the land. Even at that price, having information to determine what is stressing their crops in advance is worth the investment. This data could potentially turn a $3,000-$4,000 yield into a $5,000 yield depending on the crop issue.

In addition, the data helps farmers save costs by telling them when to stop spraying or to only spray in certain areas. Currently, most farmers spray everything and simply hope it fixes a problem.

It’s Just the Beginning for Crop Mapping Technology

Many businesses entering the marketing are still in their infancy stages of getting to know the technology and mining the data properly to better help farmers. In addition, drone manufacturers are continually coming out with newer, better products and technology bringing swift changes to the market.

Precision agriculture UAV technology won’t replace the fact that farmers will still need to go out and see their crops at ground level, but it can help target certain areas and provide feedback faster. Many farmers will be surprised by the speed and accuracy to detect issues earlier than other traditional methods.

At Insitu, we specialize in agricultural drones and data monitoring to help improve farming methods. Learn more about our services here.

Advancements in Military UAS via Civil and Commercial Technologies

The military unmanned aerial systems (UASs), or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), used in the first Persian Gulf war of 1991 are nothing compared to the technology used today. GovernmentUAS are now competing with a range of future and commercial versions for law enforcement, agriculture, and even package delivery.

Today military UASs are becoming a vital part of the military’s arsenal. At the same time, civil and commercial models are also improving. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other aviation authorities often feel pressured to allow non-military UAV operations in civilian airspace.

Civil and Commercial Technologies Bringing Change

Technology companies are working hard to bring higher levels of automation, high-speed data processing, and memory. While military branches are facing dwindling defense budgets they’re tasked with doing more with less while keeping up with advancing commercial technologies.

Experts see a changing militaryUAS market by increased use in civil law enforcement and a fast-growing commercial market. These markets may soon advance beyond government UAS markets or fail to materialize at all. But industry experts expect the following information processing software and technology trends coming soon:

·         Improved battery life and longer endurance for smaller electric UAVs

·         Better fuel efficiency for larger models

·         Military UASs offering stealth technologies intended to penetrate contested airspace

·         Smaller, lighter, and more efficient sensors

·         Sense-and-avoid systems enable government UASs to operate alongside manned aircraft in a congested battle airspace, including civil and commercial UASs in a civilian airspace

·         Increased onboard computing power to process significant amounts of raw data before transferring useful information

·         Lower costs for manufacturing and lifecycle operation

·         Multi-mission capabilities with reprogrammable sensors

Government UAS Needs

A key feature for future government UASs is survivability. Medium to large applications may need stealth and electronic countermeasures while small applications could use swarming to survive.

Better technology for small aircraft is a goal for future generations and will likely translate to civil and commercial applications. Technology is being pushed from massive applications to put massive capabilities into applications you can carry in your pocket.

Power-to-weight is always a factor. The more you put on it the bigger the applications must be. Altitude and speed are factors for medium-altitude, long endurance UAVs. The computing power needed for these applications require more weight, size, power consumption, and heat signature.

Uncharted Territory 

In 10 years, the UAV industry could become a $10 billion a year industry in the U.S. between manufacturing, sales, new jobs, etc. By the same time, we’ll likely see bigger UAVs helping agriculture industries deploy pesticides and packages delivered for Amazon.

The Industry Faces Delays

The FAA is late to developing rules for small UASs to be flown commercially. This delay is causing local companies to sell to overseas operations, yet they face restrictions designed to keep superior U.S. technology away from potential competitors or adversaries. These delays can be devastating to the nation’s current lead in information processing software and UAS design, development, and production.

Some compare the situation to the 1980s U.S. satellite technology. Efforts to protect the technology lead to much of it going overseas and we lost our lead. Many fear we’ll do the same with UAS technology. While the U.S. military is the biggest developer of military UASs, other countries such as China and Israel will likely catch up and may surpass us.

As civil and commercial markets bring advancements to the industry, these will help the U.S. military in adding a new level of speed and focus on technology evolution, just like we saw with lasers, computers, and cell phones.

At Insitu, we’re leaders in developing information processing software for government and military UAS. Get in touch to learn more about our technology and services. 

Get to Know Drone as a Service Aerial Drone Features

The drone as a service market is a booming sector for cinematographers and helps streamline infrastructure inspection in industries such as mining, oil and gas, military, and agriculture. Since regulations for drones as a service have relaxed, aerial drone technology is continually evolving to bring new investments and innovation to the expanding market.

As a fast-moving industry, staying up to speed on aerial drone technology and drone control requires keeping up with the latest and greatest innovations and features.

Aerial Drone 101

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aircraft are made of lightweight, composite materials to increase maneuverability and decrease noise. The composite material strength allows military drones to cruise at high altitudes.

An aerial drone comes in two parts: the drone itself and the drone control system. Drones come in a wide variety of sizes, with larger drones mostly used for military purposes.

Aerial Drone Technology Features

The following are popular features of drone technology.

Flight Radar & Return Home

Flight radar displays the current position and location of the drone in relation to the pilot. When the drone exceeds the control range of the remote control, “Return-to-Home” is triggered. The drone will fly itself back to the takeoff point and land safely.

Real-Time Flight Details on Mobile

This allows you to see what your drone sees and keep track of current flight telemetry on your smartphone.

No Fly Zone Technology

To increase flight safety, some models include a “No Fly Zone” feature to prevent accidental flights into restricted areas.

First Person View (FPV) Technology

First Person View is when a video camera is mounted on the drone and broadcasts live video to the pilot on the ground. This offers the viewpoint of flying onboard the aerial drone instead of looking at the craft from the ground. Pilots can fly drones higher and further with more precise flying around obstacles from a fixed position.

Flight Assistant Port and Firmware

The drone control system can communicate with a PC Assistant through a micro-USB cable. This allows configuration of the drone and to upgrade the firmware. Updates can fix bugs and add new features.

UAV Remote Control System

The drone and remote control system are paired before leaving the factory. The drone control is a wireless communication device.

Range Extender

If you go out of range, the range extender is a wireless communication device that operates on a lower frequency. It can extend communication between the smartphone or tablet and the drone in open, unobstructed areas. Distance with extenders can reach up to 700 meters and each has a unique MAC address and network name.

While some drones out of the box can fly up to 3.1 miles, range extenders are popular to push the distance even further.

Drone Operating Systems

While some aerial drones use MS Windows operating systems, more UAV innovators are using different versions of Linux. The Linux Foundation recently launched the Dronecode Project, a collaborative project bringing together existing and future UAV projects under a nonprofit structure. This offers a shared open source platform for UAVs.

Intelligent Flight Systems

The latest drones have intelligent flight control and modes including Active Tracking, Waypoints, Follow Me, Return to Home, and many others.

Drone Uses

Drones have so many uses for drone as a service. With cameras, sensors, thermal, and more, the list of drone uses continues to grow and expand.

At Insitu, we specialize in government defense and commercial UAVs and software solutions. Get in touch to learn more. 

2017 Brings Innovation and Technology to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

In recent years, Research and Markets announced the addition of two unmanned aerial systems reports in their offering:

·         Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Market, By Value and Volume Analysis and Forecast, 2015-2020 (released February 2016)

·         Innovations in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (released February 2017)

In the report released in 2016, Research and Markets confirm the UAV market has experienced record growth in the past decade as regulatory rules have decreased. Much of the growth is experienced in civil and commercial sectors with growth of 4.7 million units expected by the end of 2020.

As technology advances and UAVs become more accessible, the advantages of using drone technologies are reaching a global scale. Despite facing challenges with government regulations, UAV manufacturers have been successful at developing various systems to add value and reduce costs for industries including photography, filming, agriculture, product delivery, mining, wildlife monitoring and research, oil and gas inspection, and much more.

Demand for UAVs could be driven by ongoing international conflicts and terrorist attacks with a high-demand for actionable intelligence. In addition, growing agricultural challenges and the need for precision farming with hyperspectral imagery is driving drone use in farming industries. Despite this increasing demand, outlying government regulations and high accident rates in early models restrained market growth to some extent.

In their report on Innovations in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Research and Markets shares various innovations in unmanned aerial systems for Aerospace and Defense TechVision Opportunity Engine (TOE) including:

·         UAV validation, identification, and certification

·         Utility and other commercial applications for UAVs

·         Dual thermal/visible cameras for UAVs

·         Submersible UAVs

·         Exploration of the nocturnal boundary layer

Aerospace and Defense TOE dives deeper into applications and technology which are shaping commercial and military aviation and space exploration. The section on defense shares more about the many aspects of 21^st Century military technologies including UAV improvements and advances in medical care on the battlefield.

Check out the full Research and Markets reports for more fascinating information on advances in unmanned aerial systems for commercial and military use.