Drones are growing in popularity and capability, and within the industry we’re constantly hearing announcements about exciting new features and applications of drone technology. In fact, drones are the way of the future: Goldman Sachs predicts that the drone industry will be worth $100 billion+ by 2020. 

Unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) were once reserved for specialised operations, like police work, military operations or aerial photography jobs, and while they are used extensively in those fields, opportunities abound for using drone technology in other industries too. 

And it’s very exciting. 

Drone technology is crossing industry lines 

Creative uses for drones are cropping up in industries like agriculture, law enforcement and emergency management, and UAVs are quickly becoming staple tools for photography, mapping and imagery. There are hundreds of ways that drones are being used for good in the world, and your industry might be next in line for a total transformation driven by drone technology.  

More accessible than ever  

Back when computers and mobile phones were new to the world, prices were sky-high and only a small portion of people could purchase them. As the technology became more prevalent, tech that used to cost hundreds of dollars dropped to a fraction of the original price.  

The high-powered drones used in business applications are still relatively young, but there are options for organisations at all levels. Once you’ve identified your problem, as well as the resources and technology you’ll need to resolve it, you can get a clearer picture of the budget requirements for the project.  

But it has to start with an effective drone program. 

Where do you start? 

When used properly, drones are capable of eliminating risk to your staff, solving complex problems and reducing unnecessary costs. Creating a drone program is similar to building a marketing strategy or crafting a business plan.  

It requires a lot of thought, knowledge and creativity, and the program itself is the backbone of your drone strategy – the latest and greatest drone hardware is useless without a clear understanding of why you are rolling the technology out.  

In order to implement a successful drone program, you will need to consider the following: 

  • Think about the problem you’re trying to solve. The problem is what you are attempting to resolve by having a drone program. 
  • Understand the physical system. A drone is more than a simple air vehicle; it has multiple parts that work in tandem to achieve a desired result.  
  • Consider the enabling system. The enabling system refers to all the non-physical components of your drone program, including extenuating factors that impact drone operations and your organisation.  

The points above are just an overview; you can learn more about the components of a successful drone program, starting with the problem you are trying to solve, here. 

Conclusion 

There are many options to use drones within your organisation, to help to keep your people safe, to reduce costs and to increase capability. Now is the perfect time to start investigating how drones can benefit you. 

If you are interested in implementing a drone program, we can help you identify some of these opportunities, through our Strategic Flight Path Workshop. Let us know, at admin@mirragin.com.au.