Drone Industry Insights (DRONEII) has named this year’s top drone service providers.
Correction: a previous version of this article incorrectly identified Aerodyne Group as a US-based company. Aerodyne Group is founded and based in Malaysia.
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Winners were divided into two categories. “…to rank the best drone service companies in the world, we used the size, growth and public attention as reference to determine companies’ performance,” writes DRONEII’s Estaban Zanelli. “The ranking is split into the 5 best remote sensing companies and the 5 best companies for drone delivery.”
The U.S took the top spots in delivery, with medical drone delivery company Zipline landing the number 1 spot for drone delivery. Malaysia’s Aerodyne Group placing first for remote sensing.
Insights from the Listings: It’s a Wide Open Field
The full report lists the top 20 drone service providers in both categories. As commercial drone operations begin to scale, drone service providers take on more importance.
While 8 of the top 20, including the top 3 drone delivery service providers are based in the U.S., Zanelli points out that their primary operations take place in other countries. In remote sensing, the list is globally diverse. “…the best companies for remote sensing only feature 5 American companies in the top 20. So despite being a majority in the overall rankings, the role of the US in terms of operation and influence is not as large as it may initially appear.”
In addition to being geographically diverse, few of the companies that made the list of top drone service providers are backed by large corporations.
Energy is Still the Biggest Customer for Remote Sensing Drone Service Providers
Whether enterprise businesses outsource drone operations or establish an in-house drone team depends upon a number of factors. Right now, the biggest customer for DSPs is energy. “As may be expected, almost all of the top 20 remote sensing companies prioritize and are active in the Energy Industry (utilities). This is not only a major industry in terms of the importance of utilities and the money involved, but also in the way that drone technology provides unique improvements to efficiency, safety and savings of both time and money,” Zanelli writes.
Read more:
- From the Floor of INTERGEO: DRONEII on the Biggest Surprise in Drone Industry Projections
- DRONEII Drone Market Report: Where the Drone Industry Will Grow the Fastest by 2030
- DRONEII’s Drone Industry Barometer 2022 is Out: Why Most Companies Use Drones
- DRONEIIs Kay Wackwitz: 3 Observations on the 2022 Drone Industry
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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