For example, a client in the real estate space may have a lot of data about a particular property, but Dronfi is allowing that data to be imported in a way that reveals so much more about spatial relations, even things like the quality of roofing using thermal detection. “What we’ve learned is that data that already exists is critical to mesh with aerial data,” Tull said. “With aerial imaging, you get a picture with facts. The imagery can now be converted into a useful form. Clients are starting to get a sense that the aerial imagery is telling them a story.” There’s an eco-friendly benefit to the technology, helping clients lessen the use of chemicals to treat swaths of land by pinpointing problems down to a few blades of grass. “The same is true for fertilization,” he said. “You can apply less fertilizer and you can save time and money.” But for the technology to truly reach its fullest potential, policy changes are needed. “The policy for the use of drones is constrained right now,” Tull said. “As those rules become better connected to the evolution of the technology, I think we will see more autonomous machines.” Amazon has already famously proposed using drones to deliver packages to customers. And while this isn’t likely to happen overnight, Tull predicts that there are some other advances we should count on coming to market sooner. “Everyone is expecting the arrival of autonomous cars in the next few years,” he said. “Drones will not be different.” Photography and video is still one of the most popular uses of drones, but that’s being fast eclipsed by the real estate industry. More and more drones will become autonomous, meaning they will not require an operator to fly. Drones are already being used to fly over areas and make detections on their own without human intervention. We saw it during the hurricane season of 2017, when drones were used to search for stranded people and to monitor floodwaters and even environmental hazards. “This technology exists,” said Tull, “but I expect it to become much more commonplace.” It’s estimated that the drone market size could grow to upwards of $80 to $120 billion internationally. “In the years ahead,” he said, “we could have millions of commercial drones in the air. I think they will become a normal robotic tool in the world to gather and solve problems.” He went on to say that a failure of large enterprise users to adopt drone technology in scale has caused the industry to hit a pause button. “But I think this will turn around abruptly in 2018,” Tull added.
Jon Tull, Dronifi
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CompTIAWorld | SPRING 2018
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