Study Suggests Commercial Drones Realize ROI in One Year or Less

A 2018 study by Skyward technologies, showcases a dazzling future for the commercial drone industry. It’s one rife with global growth and opportunity across multiple industries.

According to the studies findings, one in 10 companies with revenues of $50 million or more use drones today. Even more impressive is that 92% of those companies experienced a positive ROI on their drone investment in just one year — and in some cases less.

Adoption rates vary from industry to industry, with construction and engineering leading the pack, followed by government applications.

“In the last two years since the FAA passed Part 107, we’ve seen drone use accelerate across small businesses and multinational firms, and watched our customers build drone programs into sophisticated operations that increase efficiency, worker safety, and access to data,” said Mariah Scott, President, Skyward

Key Findings

1. About half of surveyed respondents reported that their company’s bottom line would suffer if their company did not use drones.

2. A majority of respondents realized a positive ROI on their investment in one year or less.

3. Drone adoption is highest in the construction and engineering industry, followed by government.

4. Four in five companies expect their drone flights to increase year over year.

5. Three in four expect to increase spending on their drone program over the next 12 months

To learn more visit www.appliedaeronautics.com

5 Ways Drones Will Revolutionize Agriculture

The Albatross UAV

In recent years, farms of all sizes have begun embracing more advanced strategies for streamlining their processes to increase output. Drone technology is a central figure of this technological revolution. The following are five ways that drones like the Albatross UAV can be used throughout the crop cycle:

1. Soil and field analysis: Drone’s can play a vital role in the daily life of the farm right from the onset of the crop cycle. When equipped with high-quality onboard sensors, they can produce precise 3-D maps of the farm. These maps can then be used to conduct early soil analysis as well as aid in the planning of seed planting patterns. Once crops are planted the data derived from drone imagery can be used for irrigation and nitrogen-level management.

2. Crop Monitoring: One of the biggest challenges that farms face is the sheer size of their vast properties. The challenges posed by this footprint is amplified by the increase in unpredictable weather conditions that can subsequently drive up maintenance costs and stall productivity. Drones allow for real-time monitoring that is far more accurate and cost-effective than previously used methods like satellite imagery. Platforms like the Albatross UAV, offer users custom tailored drone packages designed to monitor nutrients, moisture levels, and overall crop health.

 3. Crop spraying: Distance measuring equipment allows a drone to adjust it’s altitude as topography and geography change, thus avoiding collisions. This same onboard technology can be used to assist with the task of spraying crops. Drones can scan the ground and in real time modulate distance from the field to spray the correct amount of liquid. The result is increased efficiency as well as a reduction in the number of chemicals penetrating the groundwater. Experts believe that aerial spraying will allow this task to be completed five times faster than if done with traditional machinery.

4. Irrigation: Drones equipped with hyperspectral, multispectral, or thermal sensors can identify areas that require changes in irrigation. Once crops have started growing, these sensors can calculate their vegetation index, an indicator of health, by measuring the crop’s heat signature. 

5. Health assessment: By scanning crops with visible and Infrared (IR) light, drones can identify which plants may be infected by bacteria or fungus, helping to prevent disease from spreading to other crops. With Multispectral images, you can detect diseases and/or sickness before its even possible to identify it with a human eye, potentially amounting to substantial savings.

For more information on commercial drones, please visit www.appliedaeronautics.com.

Advantages of Fixed Wing UAV vs. Rotary Wing

The Albatross UAV from Applied Aeronautics

UAV aircraft can be distilled into two categories, fixed wing and, rotary wing. Today we’ll be addressing fixed-wing platforms, which we believe offer significant advantages in most commercial applications.

1. Increased Operational Efficiency: Fixed-wing platforms are more operationally efficient than quadcopters. This translates into longer flight times, extended range and consequently more ground covered per mission. Where the average quadcopter can get around 15-25 minutes of flight time, fixed wing systems gets anywhere from 1-5 hrs, making them better suited to missions with extensive data collection needs as well as long-range ISR, search and rescue support and emergency management. 

2. Better Aerodynamic Performance: Fixed wing systems also offer better aerodynamic performance and are only marginally influenced by environmental conditions so they can accomplish missions in high winds making them well suited for use in a range of environments. 

3. Greater Payload Versatility: Fixed-wing platforms are capable of carrying far greater payloads for longer distances than quadcopters. This allows the end user to carry more and bigger sensors as well as twin sensor configurations and vital supplies for things like search and rescue missions, humanitarian projects. etc.

For more information on long-range fixed wing platforms, check out the Albatross UAV at AppliedAeronautics.com