Participants from the service segment which provide services using drones (Drone-as-a-Service Providers and Business Internal Services) were asked about what purpose they use their drones for.
The results revealed that while inspections and mapping tend to be tasks that are commonly outsourced to service providers, surveying and monitoring are more likely to be done in-house.
Meanwhile, when asked to reflect on the past year, respondents were more negative in 2020 than in the past two years. This partly shows a rough year for the drone market as it consolidated, leaving some companies behind.
When it comes to the next year, respondents were also (possibly as a result of a poor year) more pessimistic this year than in 2019 or 2018. It remains to be seen whether these adjusted expectations will provide for a more satisfied drone industry in 2021.
When it comes to resource allocation, product development appears to have suffered funding cuts as more and more money is now being spent on marketing and sales by drone companies as well as staff development. This reflects a market maturity, as the market is now inhabited by many products and services which have to be sold.
When asked about the impact of the Coronavirus on their business, most respondents cited a negative effect such as a drop in demand or staff layoffs.
However, when asked about the long-term impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the drone industry, 54% of respondents were optimistic, expecting a positive overall impact.
Finally, when asked about market driving actors in the drone industry, respondents revealed that E2E solution providers and drone regulators will play a pivotal role in the industry in the coming years.
Learn more about the commercial drone industry survey and download the free white paper here.
About the Commercial Drone Industry Survey Barometer 2020 Whitepaper:
This joint DRONEII and INTERAERIAL Solutions white paper gives the reader an insight into opinions and perspectives coming from the drone industry. It is based on a joint survey which was conducted in May 2020 and which received almost 700 responses.
We gathered responses from industry stakeholders from across all three segments (hardware, software, services) and 75 countries. The survey covered a wide range of topics including application methods used, views on drone regulations and spending plans for the next year.
The aggregated results can be found inside the Drone Industry Barometer Survey 2020 white paper. To download the free publication, please go to the download page and fill up the form. Subscribe to our free newsletter to receive future publications directly in your inbox.
