Drone industry analysts DRONEII has announced the publication of the Drone Industry Barometer 2020: a commercial drone industry survey completed in cooperation with Interaerial Solutions in preparation for Intergeo 2020, which will be held digitally next month.

The Drone Industry Barometer surveyed almost 700 companies from 75 countries.  This research reveals some key trends in the drone industry, useful for all stakeholders trying to expand their drone business in 2020 and beyond.

Why Do Companies Start Drone Programs?

Drones are less expensive than manned aircraft, and can do more with fewer resources.  Cost, however, isn’t the primary reason that companies surveyed give for adopting drone programs.  In fact, cost savings was the last out of four choices.  According to the research, the top reason that most companies adopt drone technology is for the savings in time.  That makes sense – drones can perform most tasks like surveying much faster than they can be done manually: overall productivity can be boosted significantly.

The second most important reason that companies adopt drone technology, the report finds, is to improve work quality.  As sensors get better and drones get easier to fly, the data produced is getting more accurate and easily processed.    The third most common reason for using drones is to improve safety for workers – a no-brainer for robotic solutions, that can perform “dark, dirty, and dangerous” jobs without putting human resources at risk.

You can download your copy of the Drone Industry Barometer 2020 here – it’s a worthwhile read for all industry stakeholders.  In addition to industry trends and predictions, the report covers the most common mission performed by drone service providers -and what missions are usually done in-house.  Broken down by segment, the report describes which drone industry expect to grow in 2020, which segments expect to contract – and how expectations differ from last year, as 2020 continues under unprecedented conditions.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry.  Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

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