Drone Workflows in 2019 and Beyond.
Your phone is online, so should your drone.
Over the last two years alone, millions have been invested in drone software development, and the concept of “drones as a service” has begun to take root into the mainstream. At the same time, APIs and embedded sensors everywhere continue to push further integration between Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT). So why is such a burgeoning industry still relying on antiquated technology?
In the era of Slack, Trello, Hubspot, and Zoom — real-time work tools that have transformed how enterprises get things done — we at Auterion believe that drone workflows for drone operators also need to be online for the benefit of product developers, fleet managers, pilots, compliance regulators… and most importantly, the companies that have purchased and deployed commercial drones for a specific task. Below we will dive a bit deeper into why.
Real-time Info Sharing Makes Drones Safer and More Reliable
Drone software is now capable of forming an end-to-end system. This means that software elements that run on the ground, the drone, and in the cloud work together seamlessly and in real-time. This connectivity is more than just a convenience; by sharing information and analytics, it actually makes drones safer and more reliable. The performance of individual components is compared across fleets and outliers identified for maintenance before a failure occurs, thus critical systems can be replaced, saving both time and money.
Post-flight Logs and Compliance Belong in the Digital Realm
Data is the cornerstone of R&D. Think of how the mobile industry built better phones by seeing and acting on usage data. With online drones, and an end-to-end online approach, visualizations of data combined with video and image feeds can lead to quicker insights and decision making. As an added benefit, flight logs and compliance forms that exist in the digital realm can be quickly signed off and shipped for regulatory approval. I’m sure most businesses today would agree that a fleet manager has better things to do than sitting behind a desk and handwriting government compliance sheets.
Online Connectivity Streamlines Operations
As data is shared from pilot to HQ in real-time, everyone involved wins. Workflows are streamlined, data is consolidated into a single view where multiple decision makers can take action, cutting review time. This allows a company to leverage its best talent regardless of location, whether that’s in the HQ, onsite at the flight location, or anywhere else. With your fleet online, you can have pilots go fly and use connected analysis to help save time and resources. And when specialists are needed for a particularly tough case, the experts are only a click away.
I hope these three areas I’ve picked to highlight help to underscore the importance of online connectivity in the commercial drone space. Let’s continue to learn and improve together!