Drone research and consulting firm DroneAnalyst is back – and kicking off their new iteration with research on the top 3 drone industry trends of 2020. After the retirement of founder and respected drone industry figure Colin Snow, DroneAnalyst is now under the new leadership of DJI veteran David Benowitz as Head of Research. Benowitz helped grow DJI’s enterprise business from 2016 to 2020, providing him with a unique perspective on the drone industry.
“With Benowitz now at the helm of DroneAnalyst’s research program, the industry can expect the launch of its 2020 Annual Market Survey in September, and the continued expansion of its research product and advisory services in the coming years,” says a DroneAnalyst press release. “Since its founding in 2016, DroneAnalyst has always emphasized a realistic, fact-based approach to its research. DroneAnalyst will continue this focus, whether it be through its annual market sector report, advisory services or social media presence.”
Benowitz has kicked off his new project with a blog post identifying the top 3 drone industry trends of 2020. Don’t miss the whole piece – but here’s a summary of DroneAnalyst’s view of what’s driving the drone industry right now:
- Increased Hardware Competition Signals a Market Shift. DJI has dominated the drone market since the commercial industry took off. Commercial users largely followed the recreational industry. Now, says DroneAnalyst, a slew of new manufacturers and new commercial offerings are heating up the competition. Open source software companies like Auterion are powering even more commercial drone solutions.
- Rising Global Tensions and the Move Towards Dual-Use. The U.S.-China trade war could have a major impact on the drone industry, writes Benowitz. While DJI never tried to market to the U.S. military, their products were effective and inexpensive, making these commercial off the shelf (COTS) products attractive for a number of military operations. Lawmakers subsequently questioned the use of federal funds to purchase Chinese-manufactured drones that hadn’t been designed for a military level of security. Now, many new manufacturers are marketing dual-use commercial drones appropriate for both military and commercial use, like Parrot’s ANAFI U.S. model and Skydio’s X2 series.
- Improving Autonomy and Shifting Regulations. The “drone-in-the-box” solution is everywhere now. Truly autonomous drones are getting closer and closer – but what regulations are needed to make this a reality? Benowitz points out that Remote Identification and unmanned traffic management (UTM) are key to widespread implementation of autonomous solutions – even if the technology already exists.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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[…] this year, DroneAnalyst released a study identifying the top three drivers for the drone industry in 2020 – increased hardware competition, rising global tensions and […]