Current position and professional background
David is the Founder and CEO of Aerial Strategies. Aerial Strategies is a services company focused on serving the commercial UAS industry. Our three lines of business allow us to attract, engage and support the majority of our customers needs. Our three LOBs are:
1) what we call aerial Platforms-as-a-Service (we fly for you),
2) consulting (selection and implementation support), and
3) education and training.
These LOBs permit customers to use our services in the most efficient way for them for the short-term or long-term and for tactical or strategic purposes.
Perspectives in the UAV market:
Market forecasts for the commercial UAS market vary around the globe. The one thing they all indicate is the velocity at which this industry is growing and projected to grow is astonishing. I believe they conservative and will be realized sooner. Trends show wide adoption across developed and emerging markets in nearly every market and sector. The commercial industry is still evolving and technology is advancing rapidly, offering tremendous economic and social value across all commercial and industrial sectors. Adoption rates will continue to climb as regulatory environments stabilize and adapt to the innovation that is occurring.
Competition in the small UAS platforms will continue to expand and new leaders will emerge as markets mature and solidify. Beyond line of sight (BLOS) and autonomous capabilities will open new economic opportunities across the board. Service providers will expand rapidly as markets mature.
Biggest challenges in UAV industry:
Industry challenges will persist for some time. Challenges exist in all markets and regions around the world. Immediate challenges exist in regulatory environments, standardization, technologies, governance, and business operations to name a few. I wish to highlight two immediate challenges I see globally. First is the regulatory environment(s). Regulatory environments will struggle to keep pace the technological advances that are occurring in the UAS industry globally. Regulatory environments need to have policies that are more flexible to future advances and enable business adoption more quickly.
The second challenge I see is a dramatic shortage of qualified and skilled operators. Skills and competencies are difficult to acquire, monitor and manage. This is exacerbated in highly specialized fields and applications. A systematic approach to educating, training and certifying operators needs to be a high priority.
Additionally, I have just published a book, The Drone Age - A Primer for Individuals and the Enterprise (get your copy here). This is the book I wish was available when I entered the commercial drone industry over two years ago. Back then the industry was so new and finding timely and useful information was difficult.
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