The World of Drones

Drones are the new hot item in 2015. Drone startups have already raised over $150M in 2015 and are all set to have a record year. But what are the killer use cases for drones and the reasons behind all this investment. 

1. Delivery of Products - This is the number one use case out there thanks to the announcement by Amazon to launch drone delivery service a.k.a. Amazon Prime Air at some point. Though this is not legal yet, it is likely that this will become a reality soon, maybe outside of US first. 

2. Surveying Land - Areas that are difficult to access but still require to be surveyed for government records or for commercial purposes can benefit from drones. A lot of drone companies are focusing on this as their primary use case. This could get extended to be used by services like Google Maps to build their database of maps and 'street views' for the 'not easy to access' locations. 

3. Consumer / Hobbyist - Several drone manufacturer's are selling their products to the end consumers who want to use them for - shooting videos, the fun of flying a drone either solo or as part of a community and participating in other activities like drone racing (yes, that's a thing!!). Drones are available for the consumer market starting at a price point as low as $50 to attract buyers.

4. Traffic Monitoring - Drones are being used to get real-time feeds of rush hour traffic to guide commuters during the busy times of the day. This provides the most up-to-date information and also reduces the cost for traffic sites & news channels, as they do not have to deploy choppers to get the most current information.

5. Sports Events - Sports is a perfect fit for drones as any event can be captured from multiple directions using drones. This ensures complete coverage. This coverage is then used for making decisions during the game and also provides better entertainment value to the viewers.

6. Wildlife Preservation - Drones are ideal for tracking wildlife and preserving it from poachers & other threats. Their ability to record animals in the wild helps in enriching our understanding of the animal kingdom.  This benefits research and improves how we coexist & protect wildlife.

7. Forest Fire Monitoring - Forest fires are a major problem that burn down thousands of trees every year, destroy homes and kill people. Drones are being used to detect forest fires and guide the fire department in getting it under control as quickly as possible. This has already saved property and lives.

8. Farming - Drones are being used in the farming industry for the last few years to spray pesticides and monitor the crop. With the advancements in the type of drones, some vendors are creating customized products to serve this industry even better. 

9. Movie Production - The movie business utilizes cameras from different angles and drones are a perfect fit to lower the costs of shooting a film. Drones are also being heavily used (already) for shooting wedding pictures.

10. Surveillance Activities - Police and private investigators are using drones  for surveillance activities. This has raised concerns around security & privacy but several states in the US have already permitted the commercial use of drones for these activities.  

There are several other use cases but these seem to be the big ones. If you are using drones for a different use case, please share.