Cool Ways To Utilize Drones for Commercial Use
You have probably read a recent news story discussing how a big company is taking advantage of a commercial drone. Drones for commercial use is a concept that is growing rapidly. The technology for drones continues to increase while the overall costs decrease, making them ideal for a variety of industries. Learning more about the uses can help businesses to determine if drones are ideal for them.
Aerial Videography and Photography
Getting the perfect view for videos and photos is no easy task, but it is simpler with a drone. The people taking the video or photo have full control over the drone, ensuring that they get the exact shot they are looking for. This is obviously ideal for industries such as photography and cinematography. However, other businesses are also taking advantage of the technology to get the perfect shot, including real estate companies and marketing businesses. With a drone, it is easier to get shots of a location from a variety of angles, including above, techniques that are difficult with other means of videography and photography.
Mapping and Surveying
Drones are being used for photogrammetry, geophysical mapping, GIS mapping, cartography, and surveying. The uses in these areas continue to expand as the technology grows. When it comes to land surveying, drones make the process faster than current technology. For example, with a drone, the time needed to survey 12 acres is cut down to approximately two hours from about 100 hours with older technologies. Drone usage also allows for more accurate modeling and is a cost-effective option.
Drones also happen to be an eco-friendly solution for mapping and surveying. Traditional methods for geophysical mapping, for example, typically involve drilling and sampling, both of which can be disruptive to those living where the mapping is occurring. Commercial drones are considerably less invasive while allowing professionals to accurately collect and organize the proper data.
Performing Inspections
A number of industries need to perform regular inspections on their sites to ensure they are in good condition and to discover problems that might occur right away. For example, oil companies need to frequently assess and inspect for problems with pipelines in areas that are often remote. The same is true for wind engineers who need to keep an eye on their turbine props and wind turbines. A drone is capable of capturing high-definition video of such equipment. This means that it can easily spot the smallest issues while being much safer for people, who do not have to go into dangerous areas to perform the inspections.
Another use of drones for inspection is with bridges and similar infrastructure. The video filmed by drones can show every support, crevice, joint, and crack that might be present. In fact, this is considered to be more thorough than a human engineer could be. Such inspections help to make bridges and infrastructure safer since problems can be spotted faster and easier.
Farming and Agriculture
When running a farm, farmers need to constantly assess their crops to determine if they are viable or in need of intervention. Commercial drones can help farmworkers determine the hydration level of the crops by allowing them to assess the soil’s water content. They are also beneficial for finding irritation issues, drainage problems, and the rate of growth for their crops.
There are a number of pests that can wreak havoc on crops that farmers always need to be on the lookout for, and drones can help. They can provide high-definition video and photos of crops that allow farmers to see if any of these issues are present. This technology can also be used to apply pesticides to a specific area where pests might be present so that the entire crop does not get a dose if it does not need it.
One additional use in this field is livestock monitoring. When animals are out to pasture, it is important that they are monitored and kept together. Farmers can save time and energy by using a drone for this purpose instead of going out on their own and trying to manage the job.
Special Events and Entertainment
If you are planning a special event and want to ensure that it is adequately covered, a drone could be helpful for you. For example, this technology can be used to get detailed and clear videos of sporting events or concerts. You might also consider it for a special event, such as your wedding. A drone is able to capture footage that no wedding videographer is capable of, since humans are unable to fly. You will get aerial shots that can accompany those taken on the ground for a complete view of the day’s events.
Security and Weather Monitoring
Keeping people safe is important, and commercial drones can be useful for this purpose. This technology is commonly used on the border of Mexico and the United States. Drones have also been utilized to track fugitives and other criminals, leading to their apprehension.
For security, these devices can be flown to keep an eye on large crowds of people, such as at public gatherings, schools, and college campuses. Law enforcement and property administrators can watch the feed and quickly see when someone or something needs to be addressed. The technology can also be used as a form of general surveillance for companies, allowing for more complete visuals that are not possible for human security guards to accomplish on their own.
Those who track and monitor weather may consider using drones to look at areas of severe events. This means people do not have to put themselves into dangerous situations to get real-time photos and videos. For example, if there is an area of significant flooding, it is not safe for people to go and capture footage, but a drone can be flown in from a safe distance to get a look at the situation.
Search and rescue can also be aided by commercial drones. For example, if an area is ravaged by a flood, fire or natural disaster, it is often unsafe for humans to check it out on foot. However, it is critical to get in there and find survivors as soon as possible. Technology designed for observing heat signatures can be combined with drones, making it easier to find people and animals that need to be rescued. The GPS information that the drone can provide can tell rescuers exactly where they need to go to find the person in need of rescue.
Retail and Shopping
More and more retail giants are starting to look into using drones to deliver packages. This allows customers to get their items faster, and the packages can be placed in the driveway or near the front door, just like a human delivery person would do. The drones do have a weight limit, with the average being about 55 pounds, but this is well above the weight for millions of items, meaning that people could get most of their small and medium-sized packages brought to them via drone.
On December 7, 2016, Amazon used a drone for the first time to deliver a package. For now, the customers would need to live close to the company or one of their warehouse facilities. With Amazon, the two-customer trial included two people who were close to a testing facility, and the drone delivery they promise would take about 30 minutes after ordering.
Insurance Claims
After a car accident, once you get medical attention, the next step is filing the insurance claim. Insurance companies can be particular, and they want all of the details to make the right decision concerning who is at fault. Drones can be beneficial for accurately surveying the scene of an accident and then delivering this data to the insurance company. They can take both video and photos from near-ground and aerial views, allowing for a comprehensive look at the scene. This could also be ideal for home insurance claims. As an added benefit, the drone would be able to assess damage and accident scenes safely, and insurance inspectors would not have to go into a potentially dangerous situation to get the required information.
Research and Science
Scientific research projects rely on a constant stream of data to analyze and test hypotheses. Drones can make information gathering not only easier but also safer for scientists. For example, drones can be flown to analyze volcanic eruptions, explore plant species in dangerous and remote areas, check out archeological sites and advance meteorological studies. This not only keeps scientists out of harm’s way while collecting the necessary data, but it is often faster than a human having to travel to these areas to obtain information.