From Data to Value: Unlocking ROI in Enterprise Drone Programs from the Floor of Commercial UAV Expo

Commercial UAV Expo returned to Las Vegas September 2–4, 2025, bringing together industry leaders to discuss the latest trends, technologies, and challenges in the uncrewed systems sector. The event featured a wide range of panels and keynote sessions designed to help operators, enterprises, and government agencies understand how to maximize the value of their drone programs.

The show kicked off with two sessions led by Kaitlyn Albertoli, CEO and co-founder of Buzz Solutions, alongside Thomas F. Butler, UAS Manager at Dominion Energy, highlighted critical insights on proving return on investment (ROI) and avoiding the pitfalls of inaction in enterprise drone adoption.

The Price of Standing Still

Albertoli’s keynote, “What’s the Price of Standing Still? How Inaction on Drone Innovation Costs You,” emphasized that the greatest risk for organizations is not scaling too fast, but failing to act at all.  That being said, the only way to get a program off the ground, said Albertoli, is to prove the ROI.

“The number one reason I’ve seen drone programs fail is because they didn’t think about what they were trying to get out of it,” she told attendees. Too often, organizations invest in drone hardware without building the framework to process, share, and extract value from the data.

Albertoli outlined five key points for creating lasting impact with UAVs:

1. Focus on the outcome – The value lies not in data collection, but in how the data is used to create measurable benefits.

2. Treat data as the core asset – Once drones are deployed, the challenge becomes how to store, process, and share information for maximum utility.

3. Target early wins – Quick, visible successes can build momentum and support across the organization.

4. Identify risks to scale – Bringing IT, operations, and other stakeholders into the process early reduces the chance of obstacles later.

5. Build a repeatable ROI framework – Beyond monetary returns, organizations should measure safety improvements, reduced outage times, and other operational gains.

Albertoli urged organizations to recognize that in a fast moving environment, doing nothing is also a risk. Drone programs left unused, she noted, represent wasted opportunity and lost competitive advantage.

The Dominion Energy Use Case: Proving Value in Utility Operations

In a joint session titled “Unlocking ROI with UAVs: Proving the Value of Your Drone Program,” Albertoli was joined by Thomas F. (TF) Butler of Dominion Energy. Butler emphasized that one of the biggest challenges in extracting the maximum ROI from drone data is breaking down data silos within an organization. “There are so many silos within a business, and often those silos don’t talk to each other,” he said. Dominion Energy discovered that different departments were flying the same assets independently, duplicating efforts and costs. A coordinated approach to drone data allowed the company to “work smarter, not harder.”

Leveraging Data Across the Organization

Data is the most valuable output of drone programs. Butler highlighted how Dominion Energy integrates drone, helicopter, and fixed-wing data depending on the situation. For emergency response, speed often outweighs data precision. “In a storm, rapidly getting something done is the most important—identifying problems and getting lines back up,” he explained. More detailed inspections can follow later, but even data gathered in an emergency can often be reused for multiple purposes.

Albertoli pointed out that every organization should be making maximum use of all of the data assets available, “Let’s look at this data and evaluate the quality, and see if we can use it for three or four more purposes without mobilizing a team to do another data collection.”

The ability to leverage one dataset for multiple teams and over time was a major theme of the discussion. As data accumulates, its value can also increase.  Year-over-year analysis can support predictive maintenance and trend identification. For example, analyzing storm damage data against historical maintenance records can help utilities understand whether damage resulted from extreme weather or pre-existing infrastructure issues.

Building ROI Beyond Cost Savings

For Dominion Energy and other utility operators, safety and reliability remain the most important metrics. “Safety is number one in the utility industry,” Butler said. Reliability, affordability, and customer service follow closely. These priorities mean that ROI cannot be measured by cost savings alone. Reduced outage times, increased worker safety, and better planning are all part of the value framework.

Albertoli encouraged organizations to formalize ROI measurement in ways that reflect their own priorities. Whether it is reduced wildfire risk, improved emergency response, or streamlined maintenance, enterprises should document outcomes in repeatable ways that align with their goals.

Moving From Possibility to Practice

The opening keynotes at the Commercial UAV Expo emphasized this year’s theme: drones are now proving their ROI.  Drone programs must evolve beyond pilot projects and shelf-ready equipment. Success depends on building frameworks for data use, demonstrating early wins, and creating ROI models that resonate across the enterprise.

As Albertoli summarized, innovation requires action. In an industry where drones hold the potential to save lives, protect infrastructure, and improve customer outcomes, standing still is the costliest risk of all in a competitive and rapidly evolving landscape.

Read more:

• Dominion Energy, Skydio Drones: BVLOS Waiver for Power Generation Facility Inspection
• Energy Sector Looks Ahead to FAA Action on BVLOS Rule
• Southern Company to Deploy SwissDrones’ SDO 50 for Infrastructure Monitoring