Market Trends of Drone Analytics Industry
Construction Segment Holds Highest Shares in the Market
Drones have been rapidly replacing traditional land surveillance methods. They offer a significant reduction in labor and time to capture the necessary data while eliminating the scope of human error. The demand for drone analytics in the construction sector is driven by the rising adoption of drones annually.
For instance, compared to 2019, in 2023, the adoption of drones in various sectors rose to 7.56 million in volume, with a growth of 36% compared to 2019. In the field of construction, drones are being increasingly utilized to perform visual inspections of high-risk areas of a construction site. The efficiency of on-site communication and management is also bolstered by collecting real-time data from drones. Drones also help engineers and surveyors conduct high-rise structures and visualize project progress through aerial shots to provide an overview of potential issues and facilitate key decision-making to streamline operations at a construction site. With the help of advanced data analytics and the images captured by drones, companies involved in the construction business have strengthened their infrastructure and optimized daily business operations. The data generated by drones help construction managers develop accurate 3D BIM models, along with high-resolution ortho mosaic maps to measure elevation and true distances.
For instance, in January 2024, DJI launched DJI Terra, the company’s first 3D model editing software. DJI Terra is an all-in-one solution for aerial surveying, modeling, and editing. The software can process large data sets captured by drones and generate high-quality 3D maps and models with ease, making it ideal for professionals in industries like construction. Such developments are expected to drive the growth of the segment during the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific to Exhibit the Highest Growth During the Forecast Period
The recent changes in drone regulations in several countries across the region are expected to support the growth of the market. China has become the global hub for drone manufacturing in the past six years. More than 70% of the global civilian drone market is supported by China. For instance, in June 2023, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Industry Association in China announced that the registered drones across the country reached 95,000 in 2022. The drone industry’s annual output reached 117 billion yuan (USD 18.39 billion) in 2022, up more than 34 per cent than the previous year. The report also stated that the drone-related enterprises in China surged to more than 15,000 by the end of 2022 which was 25% higher than in 2021. The growing application areas of drones are simultaneously propelling the demand for these UAVs in China.
Furthermore, an increase in demand of drones for monitoring, inspection, surveying, and surveillance applications in the construction, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, mining, and insurance industries is propelling the growth of the drone analytics market in China. For instance, in 2022, China's Civil Aviation Administration released its 14th five-year plan to develop aviation logistics and to promote the deployment of delivery drones to build up China's logistics infrastructure. Additionally, countries like India are providing various subsidy schemes and other favourable domestic policies for drone purchases to promote the adoption of drones in various industrial sectors. For instance, in August 2023, as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat policy, the Indian Government approved the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and allocated a fund of INR 120 crore (USD 14.5 million) for three years for the development of drones and drone components. Such developments are expected to favourably impact the market for drone analytics in the region during the forecast period.
