Forecasting the future of the commercial drone industry isn’t an easy task, especially since talk about the potential of the technology continues to create headlines. As more and more people look to cash in on the commercial drone industry, it has become that much harder to separate hype from reality. Luckily, the 2017 Drone Market Sector Report from the team at Skylogic Research contains information based on research and reality as opposed to hype and hope.

The 88-page report takes a close look at worldwide drone sales, service providers, business users, and software services. It explores who’s buying what types of drones, the size and nature of service providers and which industries have traction, among various other topics. It’s a critical resource for anyone looking to make sense of how to best leverage this technology in 2017 and beyond.

The survey gathered 2,600 responses from people across the world, and the research found that businesses are increasingly demanding drone-acquired data in their day-to-day operations. It also uncovered fresh insights on major drone industry sector sizes and market shares. Unlike many drone reports that are available, this one is the first to provide a comprehensive view of:

  • Critical industry drivers
  • Vendor and service provider market share
  • Business adoption trends and issues
  • Market size for all drone makers with growth projections by segment

As an example of the sorts of insight the report contains, when we connected with Colin Snow, CEO and Founder of Skylogic Research, he mentioned that his research indicated more people were using DJI drones at an entry level, which he believed would increase their market share. This new report establishes that DJI has a 72% global market share for drone purchases across all price points, which confirms that initial forecast. However, what’s especially telling is how these drones are being used by professionals and in which industries.

For a long long while now, the research team at Skylogic has identified the photo/video market as the largest. This new research indicates the photo/video market still looks to be the largest, but might not be the most lucrative. These are insights that GIS professionals and anyone in the surveying & mapping community will find enlightening and potentially transformative. An update of the Skylogic Research Drone Use Vertical Scorecard is similarly instructive for anyone trying to identify the challenges associated with using a drone in various industries.

The report provides 10 key insights that offer high-level takeaways along with a breakdown of the facts and information that these takeaways were based on. It’s the kind of detailed insight and analysis the industry sorely needs, and you’ll be able to hear more about this research at the upcoming Commercial UAV Expo.

To learn more about the report and how to get a copy, go to http://bit.ly/2xZRJ4n