Drone usage accelerated during COVID-19 pandemic

DroneDeploy took a look at drone usage in agriculture during the second quarter of 2021. The company says commercial drone usage accelerated during the pandemic. Even as many global restrictions start to relax, there appear no signs of a slow-down. Q2 2021 flights and users nearly doubled (+99.7% for flights, +82% for users) from the same quarter last year. That, says DroneDeploy, suggests drone adoption is here to stay beyond crisis operations.

Agriculture the most active industry

With planting season beginning in the northern hemisphere and growing season in full swing in the southern hemisphere, agriculture was, far and away, the most active industry in Q2 when it comes to drone usage. Globally, agriculture usage saw 84% more flights and 49% more users in Q2 compared to Q1 2021. DroneDeploy also saw a 27% Year-Over-Year increase in flights and a 17% Year-Over-Year increase in users from the same quarter last year.

Stand Assessment tool

The quarterly surge in Q2 vs. Q1 2021 was also almost double the increase in Q2 vs. Q1 2020 (+84% vs. +48%). DroneDeploy says this may have been due to the introduction of their Stand Assessment tool, which is to helps farmers analyse early crop emergence and make decisions about re-planting. The tool was co-developed with Corteva. According to DroneDeploy the feature has already proven to reduce traditional stand count times by up to 90%.

Also read: Getting started with drones