Dive Brief:
- Drone data-management platform startup DroneDeploy has raised $20 million in a series B funding round led by Scale Ventures Partners. This latest funding brings total company investment to $31 million, according to TechCrunch.
- Company executives said they will use the money to hire additional personnel, continue product development and to fund their sales and marketing efforts. The company's existing platform helps users to plan drone flights, coordinate multiple-drone missions and gather information necessary to generate maps and 3-D models.
- The company said its biggest customers are in the agriculture, construction, insurance and real estate industries.
Dive Insight:
The Federal Aviation Administration's new commercial drone rules are set to go into effect next week, clarifying what had become murky territory regarding proper use. The new regulations apply to drones weighing less than 55 pounds and limit their use to daylight hours, heights of 400 feet and speeds not surpassing 100 mph. Drone operators must also keep their drones within line of sight and avoid flying over people unless they are protected by some kind of cover like a building or vehicle.
Perhaps the biggest relief to commercial interests that want to utilize drones is the fact that their operation will be open to anyone over 16 who can pass a background check and a written test every two years. Previously, the FAA mandated that only licensed pilots could operate commercial drones.
Before the FAA issued the new rules in June, the agency had to decide on a case-by-case basis through an exemption application process which companies could operate drones commercially. Officials said more drone regulations will be unveiled in the coming months and years.
Drones have emerged as a game-changing technology in the construction industry due to their ability to monitor construction sites, take photos, collect information, and then send that back to the project managers or design team. In April, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International reported that the construction and infrastructure industries were two of the biggest users of drones and that 40% of FAA-approved exemptions went to those sectors. In addition, a National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index survey found that larger builders (43%) were more likely to use drones than their smaller counterparts (12%).
