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Two staples of these “alternatives” are drone utilization and capitalizing on visual
data. As these technologies advance and become more accessible, more and more
companies are reaping the benefits. This year, DroneDeploy surveyed more than 600
users across 20+ industries spanning over 40 countries. The goal was to determine
how vital drone technology is – and has become – to their operations and how the
industry will evolve in the coming years. Even during the pandemic, and amongst the
uncertainty, the results are surprising.
Our study found that despite the pandemic, industries are still investing in drone
technology. 88% of respondents expect to increase or maintain their spend on drone
operations in 2021. This number is consistent with last year’s results, showing that even
with all of the cost-cutting amidst the pandemic, companies are still willing to invest in
drone technology – only 4% of respondents indicated they plan to cut their drone budget.
This data also suggests where drone technology had previously been (perhaps) a luxury
for many companies, more and more industries are now embracing it as a necessity.
However, many of our construction customers are looking beyond the sky for visual data
and mapping needs, with 57% of respondents planning to expand beyond aerial mapping
in the coming year. This number indicates growth in adoption, maturity amongst drone
programs, and increased demand for more comprehensive documentation tools. For
example, our newly released 360 Walkthrough enables companies to get interior and
exterior vantage points of their job sites from any 360 camera (25% of respondents said
they are already using 360 cameras on their job site). This new feature expands the
possibilities of visual data capture and digital reconstruction. Because of this, we believe
construction companies should be much more inclined to capture data with greater
frequency. It is exceedingly likely that the 15% daily capture number grows in 2021 and
the coming years. How much? Only time will tell.
DroneDeploy newly released 360 Walkthrough enables companies to get interior and exterior vantage points of their job sites
Last year, many respondents expressed a desire for interior data capture. And in the
years since DroneDeploy’s inception, customers previously requested more detailed
maps and models, thermal inspections, and Live Map – all of which DroneDeploy has
delivered. This year LiDAR/Point Cloud processing and analysis was the most requested
feature across all industries (36% indicated it was their most requested feature). This
makes sense: valued at $1.1B in 2019, the global LiDAR market is projected to reach
$2.8B by 2025 and expected to grow to $3.21B by 2027 – representing a 34% increase
in market size over an eight-year span.
As the market grows, so, too, does the enthusiasm for the product itself. LiDAR/Point
Cloud processing will mark one of the next milestones from DroneDeploy and our
customers. This proves that our base is looking for one solution for all reality capture.
It also reflects our customers are starting to grow and expand past just aerial drones –
marking a giant leap forward for visual data capture.
Construction:
h 57% of respondents indicated they plan to expand
beyond aerial maps in the coming year. This represents
a certain maturity in drone programs, as well as growth
in adoption.
h Construction respondents were by far the most
enthusiastic about LiDAR capabilities: 47% named
it as the number one feature they would like to see
implemented into DroneDeploy.
h 27% said they plan to implement LiDAR capabilities
into their program in 2021. This suggests that a
number of drone programs are maturing at rates
faster than initially anticipated.
h Insights are being taken from aerial and ground data
inside DroneDeploy with 67% using annotations and
measurements and 55% using Overlays (bringing in
multiple types of information into one source to check
QA/QC).
Energy
h We’ve seen a major increase in energy activity over the
last year. In 2020, the number of flights in the energy
sector grew by over 200% in Q2 and Q3 compared to
the same periods in 2019.
h The number of flights also increased by 142%, as did
the number of users on the DroneDeploy platform,
increasing 86% from 2018 to 2019.
h As far as DroneDeploy features go, 64% believe the
annotations and measurement features are the most
important tools – followed by Drone Operations
Management (42%) and Templates (39%).
h We see annotations and measurements as a
reflection of the energy industry’s requirement to
perform regular inspections and maintenance.
h Those in the energy have to ensure they are
following regulations and have the documentation
proving that they are safe and compliant, so it
Agriculture
h 66% believe annotations and measurement
are the most important tools - to help
with documentation (52%) and improving
operations (56%).
h Showing that companies are using
DroneDeploy to gather insights within our
solution to mark issues and successes
to share with clients. Creates better
relationships. Simplified in one tool.
Deeper utilization of the tool.
h Plant health is valued by 54% of respondents
helping in planning and regular evaluation.
For many industries, we ponder what priorities on which they’ll focus their
operations in 2021. For example, safety became a more potent driver for drone
usage in 2020 vs. 2019. While safety-related benefits were important last year,
respondents this year indicated that increased safety (39% vs. 29%), risk
management (38% vs. 21%), and compliance (25% vs. 19%) were the main issues
drone technology solved for them. These influxes could be attributed to the
pandemic, so it’s feasible these numbers will dip in 2021. Though, as companies
recognize the long-term benefits
of improved safety, risk
management, and compliance,
we’re unlikely to see much of
a dip.
A recent study from research and consultancy firm Forrester predicts that a fifth of
businesses worldwide will use commercial drones to automate business operations in
2021. And the Drone Market Report 2020-2025 by Research And Markets predicts the
global drone market will grow to over $42.8B in 2025, massively up from $22.5B this
year. This represents a 53% increase over the next five years. Unsurprisingly, when we
asked the respondents if they plan to grow their drone programs in the coming years,
53% indicated they would increase their spend.
As this year has taught us, it’s difficult to predict anything with absolute certainty. But
as this data suggests, companies are increasingly using visual data to improve their
operations and increase efficiencies. As this technology evolves and use cases grow,
the number of companies utilizing this technology will inevitably grow, as well.
DroneDeploy provides a complete, objective view of any job site; with that level of detail,
we’re confident these numbers will see an uptick in 2021.
Documentation
Improved Operation
Increased Productivity
Reduced Cost
Increased Safety
Risk Management
READ ON TO SEE A MORE DETAILED BREAK DOWN OF OUR SURVEY RESULTS BY INDUSTRY.
86% Documentation
Energy
h Respondents from the energy industry represented a split of: 42% in renewables,
21% oil & gas, and 18% in utilities
h Energy companies across renewables and oil & gas appear to be the most reliant
on advanced technologies compared to other industries. From facilitating site
inspections to ensuring compliance, 71% of respondents from the energy industry
said that automation was important to their operations. Newer technology like
machine learning has also gained traction, with 48% of respondents already saying
machine learning is important to their business.
h 46% of respondents said digitizing their job site was a 10/10 of importance.
Most said digitizing job sites mainly helped with planning & operations. 71%
rated it an 8 or higher.
h 43% rated automation a 10 out of 10 of importance, and 61% rated security a
10/10. Across all industry respondents, the energy industry represented the
most enthusiastic about automation and security.
h For energy customers, “increased safety” is the top benefit of using drones (66%).
Also highly ranked is “increased productivity” (64%), “improved operations” (61%),
“reduced cost” (50%), and “risk management” (50%). When compared across
industries, energy companies appear to prioritize safety (66% vs. 39% overall) and
risk management (50% vs. 39%), as well as productivity (64% vs. 54% overall) more
than others.
h Besides in the present, energy companies appear most invested in drone
operations for the future. 62% of respondents said that they expect their spend on
drone operations to increase in 2021 (above 53% overall), with 23% saying it would
grow by more than 50% (above 16% overall). These numbers reflect the Research
and Market Report which concluded energy is and will continue to be the largest
industry for the drone market.
Agriculture
h Agricultural drone usage is more seasonally dependent than other industries, as
farmers use drones to identify soil issues for planting, check on crop progress
during the summer, and aid with harvest in the fall. 46% of respondents said they
use drones a few times a month in their operations, with 33% using them weekly.
One out of ten (10%) said they use them daily.
Trusted by brands globally, DroneDeploy captures every dimension of job sites, structures, and assets, and transforms it
into meaningful insights for industries including construction, energy, and agriculture. Through ground, aerial, interior, and
exterior data capture, DroneDeploy enables professional mapping, best-in-class processing and analytics, 3D modeling,
and reporting on any device, anywhere in the world.