Author: Tim Bean / Source: The Next Web
The drone industry is on the cusp of a revolution, with consumer adoption expanding and commercial applications growing, yet the tight regulations stand in the way of exponential innovation.
The industry is forecast to reach $100 billion market opportunity by 2020 (Goldman Sachs). The drone industry could impact our day to day lives through applications in search and rescue, healthcare, humanitarian aid, package delivery, and security.
There is a two-fold issue faced by the industry in this regard. On one hand, there needs to be increased regulation and understanding of risk from a security standpoint as it pertains to public spaces and certain industries. On the other, current regulations restrict industry growth by placing a one-size-fits-all set of rules on UAS (unmanned aircraft system) that is simply too strict.
In order for the industry to thrive and advance to the next stage of invention and adoption, the following three conditions need to change. This goes for all countries, but I’ll focus on the US in this article for clarity’s sake.
1. The FAA needs to enforce safety guidelines for consumer and commercial drone operators
One of the first changes that must occur before the drone economy can scale is the implementation and enforcement of safety guidelines across consumer and commercial drone operators.
This involves more dedicated man power from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and an increased focus on UAS market. Manned aircraft pose a greater risk and resources are actively focused on this in place of drone regulation enforcement.
The sheer volume of drones in the sky make it difficult for the agency to address complaints or identify users to enforce regulations being violated.
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