Pros and Cons of Drones for Business

November 5, 2015 9:03 am

Drones have been all over the news as of late.  They are a hot button topic that has stirred up may questions about their use.  How will they impact business?  What kind of safety issues should businesses and individuals be concerned about?  Are they a violation of privacy? How can my company use drones?  The federal government has been looking at just these kinds of questions to formulate regulations that will allow for business development while at the same time providing safety and privacy guidelines.  Let’s look at some of the potential pros and cons of drones in business as this fledgling service “takes flight”.

Pros

  • Better for the environment – A single, battery-powered drone traveling to bring your order versus a large emissions-spewing delivery truck is a vast improvement when it comes to emissions and energy efficiency. (TreeHugger)
  • Positive Economic Impact – A recent study estimates over the 10 year span from 2015 to 2025 UAV integration within national air space will account for $82.1 billion in job creation and economic growth. Over a ten year span, job creation from commercial drone use will consist primarily of manufacturing jobs. Notably, commercial use of drones will predominantly affect agriculture and public safety more so than commerce. Due to the ability to cover large areas, drone use in agriculture is anticipated to effectively feed and hydrate plants while also limiting exposure to diseases. (Investopedia)
  • Physical Access to Hard-to-reach places – Drones can assist in law enforcement, farming, media coverage, and maintenance to areas that are difficult to reach manually.
  • Business Growth – Depending upon the industry, business can grow exponentially whether it is in the area of providing service, delivery of products, photography or just for fun!

 

Cons

  • Privacy Concerns – The drone will use GPS to find your house and will almost definitely have a camera in order to safely land and navigate its surroundings.  It is unlikely that this information will be used in nefarious ways but privacy protections may need to be implemented.
  • Physical Safety – Questions have been raised about using drones near airports and causing dangerous situations.  Other questions have been raised about the impact on predatory birds that may see drones as a threat.
  • Legal Issues – Permits and Logistics may be costly or time consuming depending upon the guidelines that will be put forth by the FAA and the Federal Government.

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