The Game of Drones

The global drone industry is booming and policy makers are having a tough time keeping up. While some countries have clear, established drone laws, many others do not, or the existing regulations do not take into account how much the UAV landscape has changed over the last several years. 

- Meenal Dhande

Drones, UAVs, UAS, RPAs, or whatever you may call them, unmanned aerial systems are set to become a defining feature of this century.Thousands are already in operation in most developed countries worldwide. And that is likely to grow to hundreds of thousands as drones of different shapes and sizes are deployed by armed forces, border patrols, government agencies, emergency services, fire departments, scientists and farmers, to sports enthusiasts, hobbyists, photographers and even wedding planners.

Drones can offer various advantages, not only in terms of potential economic savings but also environmental benefits — less fuel consumption, fewer CO2 emissions, and reduced noise. The increased use of drones for civilian applications has presented many countries with regulatory challenges. Such challenges include the need to ensure that drones are operated safely, without harming public and national security, and in a way that would protect areas of national, historical, or natural importance.

Feet on the ground or head in the sky?

According to a report by Markets and markets, the global UAV drones market size is expected to increase to $21.23 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 19.99% between 2016 and 2022. The drivers for this market are rapid technological advancements in drones, growing demand for dronegenerated data in commercial applications, and increasing demand for them in commercial applications. “UAVs are democratizing data and information. They are democratizing how we see the world,” says Jim Van Rens, President, Riegl, USA. In that way, UAVs are very similar in terms of their disruptive nature and impact as Google was decades ago, he believes. “Google came along and it transformed how we looked at the world, how we experienced the world and the UAVs are doing the same thing.”