Dive Brief:
- San Francisco-based drone giant Airware purchased drone analytics provider Redbird last week to gain access to the mining and construction verticals and to add analytic power to a full roster of drone services available to corporate clients.
- Airware will continue to concentrate on roof inspections and claims management for insurance customers, while Redbird looks to broaden analytics services to mines and construction projects with aerial data on speed, safety, efficiency and productivity.
- The acquisition provides Airware with a vanguard position in the construction and mining UAV businesses, which are expected to lead market growth for drone technologies.
Dive Insight:
TechCrunch noted that the Airware acquisition of Redbird not only puts it front and center in the lucrative mining and construction drone service markets, but also provides the company with a "full stack" of UAV flight, data, analytics and job site management suite. As interest in application of drone surges, other companies are also making acquisitions or strategic partnerships to offer end customers a full suite of services. In March, Autodesk announced a collaboration with 3D Robotics to provide a single-source "drone to cloud" solution for the construction industry.
Since the FAA released its commercial drone regulations in June, UAV technology has taken off and is expected to generate significant revenues in the construction industry based on its promise in refining safety, security, pre-construction, development and even network security processes and practices. An April report from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International found that construction and infrastructure were the two industries that used drones the most, representing nearly 40% of all FAA-approved exemptions.
Mesh network expert Don Gilbreath of Rajant told Construction Dive that a single drone can provide secure access to manage a full suite of IoT driven systems and equipment for construction sites without relying on pre-development of wired infrastructure — providing email, video transfer, vehicle telemetry and more. However, in addition to new opportunities, the entrance of intelligent technology like drones in many industries raises concerns over risks as well.