Drones-On-Demand – The Service Sector for Drones

With global sales of drones expected to exceed $89 billion over the next 10 years, it’s no surprise that that drone rentals could become a lucrative supplementary business model for those who need to use an UAV but cannot afford to purchase one. 

That’s the idea behind Measure, a subsidiary of Washington D.C.-based consulting firm 32 Advisors. The company has not only launched the drone rental/consulting business model but has also obtained a service mark on the market-savvy tagline “Drone as a Service.”

On May 13, Measure CEO Brandon Torres Declet told BusinessWeek: 

“We have a lot of manufacturers trying to sell everything to everybody, and as a company we thought, ‘Look, there’s a space here to provide both advisory services for companies—let’s say in agriculture or oil and gas—to develop missions, to develop requirements and to develop the best drones they should use for those particular missions. And then to provide a ‘Drone as a Service’ platform, a turnkey solution. So if an oil and gas company tells us, ‘Look, we have to fly our pipeline very two weeks,’ we’ll provide the drone, the operator, the sensor or other payload, and fly it for them.”

A company press release describes the new service as a “turn-key solution” adding that the company will offer two primary services:

“The Advisory practice will provide consulting services to help non-military clients understand drone technology, map out specific missions, select the best aircraft and sensors produced by more than 1000 manufacturers worldwide, and realize the benefits of data derived from aerial imagery.”

The company will also offer “operational services so drones are airborne for clients as needed and on-demand.”

A Measure spokesperson said that such an approach “allows clients to pay for what they need, when they need it and make changes to aircraft, payloads and missions without having to make large capital investments.”

“Whenever a new, complex, game-changing industry such as drone services emerges, potential users seek expert advice,” 32 Advisors CEO Robert Wolf, said. 

As entrepreneurs and researchers develop better technology and a wider uses for UAVs – such as agriculture, search-and-rescue, videography, conservation, real estate and meteorology – consulting services for would-be drone users could reach a new altitude in business success. 

Other businesses offering similar services include Photojojo, which rents a variety of photography equipment including drones; aptly name Rent-a-Drone, which allows users to view drone photography via their computer; and Drone Dudes, which works with movie producers and directors like Zach Braff to film aerial footage.