Economic importance of drones
Drones can also play an important role in the prosperity of an economy. At present, it is worth noting that several countries still have very strict measures when it comes to the use of drones.
In the recent past, a lot of research has been done to establish the role that UAVs can play in the economy. Just the other day, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) released a report that fully explained how to best use this equipment to drive economic growth.
In 2012, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was instructed to integrate the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) with the National Airspace System (NAS). This was after a report indicated that there were many opportunities left untapped by banning the use of drones. Realistically, the use of UAVs for commercial purposes will create more financial and employment opportunities considering the fact that the UAV is flexible and requires low operating and maintenance costs. However, for this to happen, there must be clear rules and regulations governing the purchase and end use of UAVs.
Drones are already being used in many applications, such as wildlife monitoring; disaster management; compliance with the law; meteorological surveillance; infrared thermal energy line monitoring; oil and gas exploration; television news coverage; law enforcement and aerial imaging, just to name a few. Of course, the use of drones in these fields has been very successful. In fact, in the recent past, several drone manufacturing companies have chosen to specialize in manufacturing drones that are used in a specific field. Good examples are those used in photography. They have quality and sensitive cameras.
Generally speaking, drones can be used in the following key industries: commercial and civil industries. The third category encompasses other markets such as public safety, precision agriculture, etc.
Precision farming
Precision agriculture refers to the main categories of the business market: precision application and remote sensing. In remote sensing, multiple remote scanners are used to locate disease outbreaks, record growth rates and hydration, among other factors. On the other hand, when it comes to a precision application; farmers can use efficient and effective spraying techniques that allow them to provide only the necessary nutrients and pesticides to each plant. This reduces the costs and environmental impacts associated with the spraying process.
Public security
Public safety is a very sensitive area. Drones have been used in rescue operations. Currently, a number of professional firefighters and public officials are being trained to provide emergency services using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Apart from these, the manufacturing process alone can create a lot of job opportunities. From engineers, sales people, users, etc. In the United States of America, an investigation that was carried out indicated that investing in UAVs can result in an economic impact of around $ 82 billion between 2015 and 2025. This is such a significant amount of income that it should not be wasted. The research also indicated that the regions likely to get a lot of revenue from UAVs are California, Washington, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Connecticut and Kansas.
This classification is based on existing infrastructure and airspace activity. From the report, it’s pretty clear that states with prosperous airspace are likely to make the biggest economic gains. He also indicated that the number to be created will also depend on other factors such as tax incentives, adoption of UAS technology, regulations and state laws.
The drone industry is one of the emerging industries, although terrorism remains a major threat. Several countries are investing in better security measures. China is one of those countries that plans to use laser light to shoot down drones.