The Explosive Drone Industry

Over the last few years, drone popularity has exploded. The versatility of drones is one of the biggest drivers behind the increased popularity. It has quickly become clear they are a game-changing technology for society as a whole. Drones support modernization in how some industries work and improve the quality of life and availability of services for many people. We have seen exponential growth in the sector and steadily increasing numbers in both recreational hobbyists and commercial drone pilots.

As of June 30th, 2021, there were 61,451 registered drones according to Transport Canada.

• Number of Basic Pilot Certificates issued: 57,119

• Number of Advanced Pilot Certificates issued: 5,920

Personal Drone Usage

Many people enjoy flying drones for recreational purposes. They are an excellent resource for gathering beautiful photographs and video footage. Hobbyists rave about this hobby, with the ability to capture footage of some of the most beautiful places on earth. The best part for some- your feet never even have to leave the ground. The ability to record sporting events and get all of the footage with one device is a game-changer. Not to mention the sheer fun that comes with operating an RPAS.

Depending on the experience level of the hobby pilot, the opportunities to explore aerially are truly endless. Add that to the long list of available drones to choose from, there is something for everyone.

Commercial Drone Usage

The use of drones in the commercial world has skyrocketed over the last decade. Some benefits of drones are well known to the public, however, some of the newer innovations seem to leave people new to the drone industry a bit blown away by the diversity. Some of the more common uses are:

Agriculture

Some drones give farmers the ability to collect high-quality data on the status of their crops. Some high-end drones also enable remote crop care with their ability to spray pesticides and other materials.

Cattle & Livestock Management

Using a drone to check and count cattle on feedlots or grazing cattle.

Aerial Photography/Videography

Aerial photography is used in cartography, land-use planning, archaeology, movie production, environmental studies, commercial advertising and much more. Drones have given people a more cost effective way to provide this service than what previous methods have.

Cinematography

Drones are often used in filmmaking since becoming legal only a few short years ago. Drone cinematography allows you to share the world from a bird’s perspective.

Public Safety

Used by law enforcement, fire departments, and search and rescue.

Wildlife Conservation & Data collection

Wildlife conservation is an extremely important part of maintaining balance in the wild. Wildlife conservation aims at maintaining healthy wildlife populations, keeping track of current habitat conditions and breeding populations, as well as preventing total extinction of species. Drones give researchers the ability to collect more data than ever before.

Mapping & Surveying

Survey drones generate high-resolution orthomosaics and detailed 3D models of areas where low-quality, outdated or no data are available.

Real Estate

Drones give real estate agents the ability to advertise a home appropriately with photos, including aerial.

Delivery of Goods to Remote Areas

We are lucky to live in a country with such a large landmass; however, it does come with its own set of barriers. Some of our population does live in quite remote areas that limits their accessibility to services. While the delivery of goods is still a new practice (legalized in Canada in 2020) it’s a unique opportunity for growth.

Inspections

Inspecting towers, bridges and other high infrastructure is now something covered by drones as well. Taking high quality photos and videos allow these inspections to be studied from the comfort of an office instead of in the field.

The Growth of Drones

Of course, listed above is only a small number of all the amazing innovations that the drone industry has introduced, but it does show the diversity of these incredible machines. The use of drones is quickly accelerating, and the number of sectors that they will positively impact will continue to increase with time. The number of registered drones and pilot certificates is projected to continue growing rapidly for years to come.

Transport Canada has expressed that drones are profoundly transforming the transportation sector and redefining aviation with ground-breaking technologies. With a landmass of 9.9 million square kilometres, Canada is the second-largest country in the world. Drones provide solutions to address this vastness of Canada’s great geographic landmass and the economic realities that we face with many remote areas.

This exponential growth is one of the biggest motivations behind forming the DroneStripe community and we look forward to welcoming you to our group of Dronies.  The drone industry is exploding, and there is no better time to join in on it than now! You don’t want to miss out on being a part of this incredible evolution.