Drone-Powered Business Solutions Market Analysis By Solution Type, By Drone Type, By Application (Filming & Photography, Mapping & Surveying, Data Acquisition & Analytics, Surveillance & SAR), By End-Use Industry, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2018 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global drone-powered business solutions market was valued at USD 692.6 million in 2015 and is anticipated to witness a profound growth in the near future. This growth can be attributed to the proliferation of the drone technology, which, in turn, is enabling new markets and giving rise to new applications in the commercial sector.

There has been an increasing need for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-powered business solutions across specific verticals that require high-quality data coupled with mobility. UAV-enabled commercial solutions possess the ability to address a long history of issues faced by various industries that manage assets dispersed over large areas, such as railway, utilities, roadways, and infrastructure.

U.S. drone-powered business solutions market, by solution type, 2014-2025 (USD Million)

Initially, a major portion of the industry perceived drones as an unknown new tool; very few were able to recognize their potential strength and the resultant impact on the business processes. However, the rising need to address various issues had led to an increasing awareness of the impact of this technology in large-scale industries.

The application of UAV technologies in the current commercial process permits organizations from those industries to create new operating and business models. Each sector has diverse needs and, as a consequence requires numerous Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) functionalities and different types of UAV-enabled business solutions. A part of the industry is focusing on payload and flight speed while the other is focusing on solutions delivering real-time, high-quality data in a cost-effective way.

Solution Type Insights

The two primary solution types analyzed in the report include services and software. Services accounted for the largest market share in 2015. The software solution type is anticipated to witness a profound growth, registering an estimated CAGR of over 70% over the forecast period. The growth in this segment can be attributed to the transformation of drone service providers from companies selling a vertically integrated solution to companies providing generic software solutions to service providers.

UAV service providers are now increasingly focusing their efforts on developing and providing their own exclusive software, acquiring data on the site, and processing and customizing it to their own target industry, thereby providing an overall end-to-end/turnkey solution. The majority of the companies start off as a fully integrated solution, a typical strategy for young tech industries/products.

Drone Type Insights

Multi-rotor UAVs dominated the overall market share in 2015 and are presumed to retain their dominance over the forecast period. Multi-rotors are increasingly being used for a wide range of non-military applications, including environmental inspection, sports coverage, aerial photography, and agriculture.

Others include hybrid as well as gas/fuel-powered drones. The segment is expected to witness the highest growth over the forecast period. Significant advancements in the UAV technology and aerodynamics have led to the emergence of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) UAVs, which combine the characteristics of both fixed-wing as well as multi-rotor drones.

Application Insights

Filming & photography held the largest market share in 2015. Aerial filming & photography is one of the most popular applications that involves the use of a high-definition camera. Drones equipped with 3-axis gyros, barometric sensors, and GPS are utilized by an advanced flight control system to provide a very stable platform for filming. Drones equipped with a gimbal on the camera enable panning, tilting, and rolling the view for smooth shots.

Data acquisition and analytics is anticipated to experience significant growth in the near future. Contemporary advancements in the drone technology, coupled with the expansion of sophisticated sensors, have led to significant cost reduction in collecting immense amounts of data on large areas of land, which is prospected to further decrease over the forecast period.

End-Use Industry Insights

The various end-use industries analyzed in the report include real estate & construction, media & entertainment, energy, agriculture, security & law enforcement, logistics & transportation, and others. Energy is further segmented and analyzed at a more granular level into oil & gas, utility & power, and renewables. Energy is anticipated to grow at a considerable rate over the forecast period.

Germany drone-powered business solutions market, by end-use industry, 2015 (USD Million)

Drones are increasingly used to carry out dangerous jobs in the energy industry that are otherwise performed by humans, thereby allowing for expedited maintenance of infrastructure. Utilities and transmission and distribution operators across the world are beginning to utilize UAVs to increase reliability and response times, improve safety, and reduce costs across their systems.

Regional Insights

North America is anticipated to emerge as a predominant region over the forecast period. The growth can be mainly attributed to the growing demand for drones and UAV-generated data across a broad range of industries in the region, typically in the U.S.

Europe is presumed to experience a profound growth over the next nine years due to increasing efforts made by the European Commission (EC) to harmonize UAS operation rules. EC has proposed to integrate all drones, regardless of their size, into the EU aviation safety framework.

Competitive Insights

The key players in the industry include 3D Robotics, DroneDeploy, Phoenix Drone Services LLC, PrecisionHawk, senseFly Ltd., and Pix4D. These companies are increasingly seeking opportunities in a rapidly growing space that exists between certified commercial UAV operators and potential clientele requiring UAV data.

UAV service providers across the world are increasingly widening the commercial application base, providing UAV training programs and innovating new technologies in order to leverage a strong competitive advantage. Other market players include Aerobo, Cyberhawk Innovations Ltd., Eagle-Eye Drone Service, Skylark Drones, Airware, Inc., and FlyWorx.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global drone-powered business solutions market by solution, type, application, end-use industry, and region:

• Solution Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014-2025)

  • Services

  • Software

• Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014-2025)

  • Multi-Rotor

  • Fixed-Wing

  • Others

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014-2025)

  • Filming & Photography

  • Mapping & Surveying

  • Data Acquisition & Analytics

  • Surveillance & SAR

  • 3D Modeling

  • Delivery Service

  • Others

• End-Use Industry Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014-2025)

  • Real Estate & Construction

  • Media & Entertainment

  • Energy

    • Oil & Gas

    • Utility & Power

    • Renewable Energy

  • Agriculture

  • Security & Law Enforcement

  • Logistics & Transportation

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014-2025)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

    • Poland

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

  • MEA

    • South Africa

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico