Agricultural Drones Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2016 to 2022

Published: Apr, 2016 | Pages: 288 | Publisher: WinterGreen Research
Industry: Automotive | Report Format: Electronic (PDF)

Agricultural drones use automated process to make farming more productive. Drones provide better, more flexible visualization. Smart drone agricultural uses cameras and provide the prospect of trillions of dollars in farming economic growth. Smart commercial drones connect seamlessly and securely to the Internet and to each other.

Agricultural drone technology has reached a level of maturity that has put these systems at the forefront of farming modernization. Farmers around the entire world are adapting to drone availability, using aerial cameras to visualize plants. Use cases are evolving rapidly. Video, specialized video, targeted video, and agricultural spraying systems are offered.

Agricultural Drones Use Technology for Spraying, Mapping, Pest Control, Seeding, Remote Sensing, and Precision Agriculture

Agricultural technology uses drones to leverage a data-driven future. Inexpensive sensors, cloud computing and intelligent software used in a drone system hold the potential to transform agriculture and help feed the world’s growing population.

Venture investment in agricultural drones has been strong. Investment of venture capital in agricultural technology start-ups reached $2.06 billion in the first half of 2015, 4.25 billion in 2015 doubling the amount of capital invested in this area in 2014.

Agricultural drones leverage the Internet of things (IoT). IoT brings sensors to supplement images of the land from above, making it possible to communicate and use analytics to understand changes in vegetation.

Digital electronics brings significant change to the ancient manual processes of farming. Markets portend to reach multitrillion-dollar payoff from the emerging technology that increases the production and distribution of food. There are technical and policy issues to leverage the potential of the drone use of the Internet of Things (IoT). Challenges include security, privacy and standards. Hackers can enter apparently secure networks to remotely control engines, brakes and steering. This could create a problem on a farm if the network was hacked.

Agricultural industrialization has been brought in some measure by tractors and columbines. Drones bring far greater automated process. Preindustrial agriculture, dating from before Christ to about 1920, consisted of labor-intensive, essentially subsistence farming on small farms. This took two acres to feed one person. With industrial agriculture, from 1920 to 2010, tractors and combine harvesters, chemical fertilizers and seed science opened commercialization of farms. Gains in productivity achieved one acre feeding five people.

Digital agriculture brought by drones is part of the next stage in industrialization of agriculture. It involves exploiting data from many sources — sensors on farm equipment and plants, satellite images and weather tracking. The use of water and fertilizer is measured and monitored. Growing can be monitored on a plant-by-plant basis.

Plant factories are being implemented worldwide that use 97% less water than an outdoor growing environment. Drones are anticipated to be used in those environments indoors.
The data-rich approach to decision making represented a sharp break with tradition. It is a totally different world than walking out on the farmland, kicking the dirt and making a decision based on intuition.

Transparency is a significant aspect of sensor use in farming logistics. Consumers care that their food is cared for in the proper manner: end to end.

According to Susan Eustis, lead author of the study, “Transparency is one of the benefits of IoT that drones bring to digital farming. The benefits of digital farming are higher productivity and more efficient use of land, water and fertilizer. Transparency in farming is being asked for by consumers. Consumers want to know where their food came from, how much water and chemicals were used, and when and how the food was harvested. They want to know about consistent refrigeration during transport.”

Use of drones represents a key milestone in provision of value to every industry. Customized cameras are used to take photos and videos with stunning representations. Digital controls will further automate flying, making ease of use and flight stability a reality. New materials and new designs are bringing that transformation forward. By furthering innovation, continued growth is assured.”

The worldwide market for agricultural drones is $494 million anticipated to reach $3.69 billion by 2022. The complete report provides a comprehensive analysis of drones in different categories, illustrating the diversity of uses for remote flying devices in farming. Analytics makes the images more cogent to farmers, letting them anticipate problems that only become visible to human farmers days or weeks after the drone images detect issues.

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Companies Profiled

Market Leaders
Yamaha
DJI
AeroVironment

Market Participants

3D Robotics
Aeryon Labs
AgEagle
Airogisitic
Airware
BlueSKy
Boeing
China Aerospace
Intel / Cyberhawk Innovations
Delair-Tech
Denel Dynamics
DJI
Draganflyer
EHang
Finmeccanica
Flirtey
FT Sistemas
Google
GoPro
Gryphon
Hobbico
Hubsan
HUVRData, LLC
Intel
Ascending Technologies
Israel Aerospace Industries
Japan Drones
L-3 Communications
Parrot/senseFly
Prox Dynamics
Proxy Technologies
Roketsan
RUAG Aerospace
Safran Morpho
Schiebel
Secom
Skycatch
Sky-Futures
Yahama
Yuneec

Key Topics
Agricultural Drones
Drone Crop Dusting
Aerial Crop Dusting
Aerial Inspections
Aerial Mapping
Aerial Crop Photography
Aerial Vineyard Photography
Camera Drone
Drone Ecosystem
Drone Inspections, Drone Regulations, Drone Technology, Industry Trends, Precision Agriculture
Drone Regulations
Drone Farming Research
Drone Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Drone 3D Mapping
Drone Commercial Pipeline Observation
Drone Border Patrol
Drone Package Delivery
Drone Photography
Drone Agriculture
Aerial Refueling
Law Enforcement Drones
Video from the Air
Delivery by Air
Photography from the Air
Military Mission Support
Cameras On Stable Flying Platforms
Package Delivery Systems
3D Mapping
UAV

 Table of Contents

Agricultural Drone Executive Summary	27
Agricultural Drone Market Driving Forces	27
Agricultural Drones For Crop Surveillance	31
Drone Agricultural Inspection and Planting Aerial Systems Market Shares	33
Agricultural Drone Market Forecasts	35

1. Agricultural Drones: Market Description and Market	Dynamics		37
1.1	Venture Investment In Agricultural Drones	37
1.1.1	Agricultural Industrialization	38
1.1.2  Transparency Benefits Of IoT and Digital Farming	38
1.2	Smart Drones: Commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Description	40
1.3	Drone Enhanced Capability and Payloads	41
1.4	Nano Drones Applications	43
1.4.1	Drone Miniaturization	44
1.5	Follow Me Drones	45
1.5.1  US FAA Commercial Drone Permits	46
1.6  Unmanned Aerial Systems Payloads	48
1.6.1	Composites Key to Utility	48
1.6.2	Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Agriculture Mapping	49
1.7  Californian Wine Industry Uses Drones to Refine Sampling of the Vineyard51
1.8  Agri-Informatics	51
1.8.1  Drones Geo-Tag Images And Wirelessly Transmit	53
1.8.2  Drones Used in Japan for Agriculture	54

2. Agricultural Drone Market Shares and Forecasts	58
2.1  Agricultural Drone Market Driving Forces	58
2.1.1  Agricultural Drones For Crop Surveillance	62
2.2  Drone Agricultural Inspection and Planting Aerial Systems Market Shares 64
2.2.1  Agriculture Commercial Drone Market Vertical Growth:	68
2.2.2	Yamaha RMAX	70
2.2.3  DJI Agricultural Spraying Drone	73
2.2.4  Prox Dynamics PD-100 Black Hornet	74
2.2.5	Draganfly Draganflyer X4-P	75
2.2.6	AscTec Firefly	76
2.2.7	3D Robotics	77
2.2.8  AgEagle Aerial Systems Agricultural Crop Map Functions	78
2.3  Agricultural Drone Market Forecasts	80
2.3.1  Agricultural Drone Unit Analysis and Unit Forecasts	83
2.3.2  Agricultural Drone Unit Shipments	85
2.3.1  Agriculture Surveying Via Drones	88
2.3.2	Drone Agricultural Surveying	89
2.3.3  Agricultural Crop Dusting Drones	90
2.3.4	Agricultural Drone Trends		91
2.3.5  Agricultural Drones Provide Farmers With Detailed Views	93
2.4  Drone Shipments		94
2.4.1  Drone Market Shares and Sector Forecasts	100
2.4.2	Drone Market Forecasts		102
2.5  Agricultural Drone Prices		107
2.6  Drone Systems by Application		108
2.7  Agricultural Drone Regional Market Analysis	109
2.7.1  Smart Drone Commercial (UAV) Industry Regional Summary	112
2.7.2  U.S Accounts for 73 Percent of The Worldwide Research, Development,
Test, And Evaluation (RDT&E) Spending On Smart Drone Technology	113
2.7.3  U.S. State Department Drone Export Guidelines	115
2.7.4	Canada		115
2.7.5	Europe		116
2.7.6  UK Trade in Drones		117
2.7.7  Drones for the Netherlands		117
2.7.8	Japan		118
2.7.9	Sony Drone Services		121
2.7.10 Japanese Drone Works Inside the Nuclear Power Plant	123
2.7.11 China		125
2.7.12	Chinese Smog-Fighting Drones That Spray Chemicals To Capture Air
Pollution	127			
2.7.13	China Desires Exports, Steps Up Research In Drones	129
2.7.14 Chinese Commercial Drones		132
2.7.15	Singapore		133
2.7.16	Africa		134
2.7.17	East Africa		135
2.7.18 Expansion of US Drone Base in Africa	136
2.7.19	Ethiopia		138
2.7.20	Brazil		138
2.7.21 Morocco		139
2.7.22	India		140
2.7.23	Australian Research on Agricultural Drones	140

3. Agricultural Drone Product Description	143
3.1  Yamaha Crop Dusting Drones		143
3.1.1	Yahama		148
3.1.2	Yamaha RMAX		149
3.1.3	Yamaha Unmanned Helicopters For Industrial And Research		
Applications	153			
3.1.4	Yamaha Rmax Helicopter Agricultural Drone For Crop Spraying	154
3.2  AeroVironment		157
3.2.1	AeroVironment: RQ-11B Raven for Agriculture	157
3.2.2	AeroVironment: RQ-11B Raven		158
3.2.3	AeroVironment Raven Specifications	160
3.2.4	AeroVironment RQ-20A Puma AE	165
3.2.5	AeroVironement Ground Control System	167
3.2.6	BP and AeroVironment FAA-Approved, Commercial Drone Operations
Presage Agricultural Applications		168
3.2.7	AeroVironment Integrated LiDAR Sensor Payload	173
3.2.8	AeroVironment AV’s Family of Small UAS	175
3.3  DJI Inspire 1		176
3.3.1	DJI Technology Chinese Crop Spraying Drone	177
3.3.2  DJI Technology Turning to the Rural Market	181
3.3.3	DJI Phantom	183
3.3.4	DJI Ronin	185
3.4	3D Robotics	189
3.4.1  3D Robotics Launches Line of Mapping Drones	191
3.4.2	3D Robotics	193
3.5	FT Sistemas	195
3.5.1  FT Sistemas Drone Applications	197
3.6	AgEagle	200
3.6.1	AgEagle Aerial Systems	202
3.7	Raven Industries	203
3.7.1  Raven and AgEagle Partner on UAS Solutions for Agriculture	203
3.8	HoneyComb AgDrones	204
3.9	Parrot / SenseFly	209
3.10	Precision Drones	210
3.11	PrecisionHawk Lancaster Drone Monitors Livestock Temperature To Check
For Fever		214

4. Agricultural Drone Research and Technology	216
4.1	Agricultural Research and Technology	216
4.2	Regulations in the Agricultural Drone Industry	217
4.2.1	Drone Regulation Exemptions	217
4.2.2	FAA Plans Final Regulation on Commercial Drone Use by Mid-2016 219
4.2.3  FAA Approved Drone Projects	219
4.3	Agricultural Drone Sensors & Capabilities	229

5. Agricultural Company Profiles	230
5.1	3D Robotics	230
5.1.1  3D Robotics Acquisition of Sifteo	230
5.2	AeroVironment	231
5.2.1	AeroVironment Revenue 2015	232
5.3	AgEagle	236
5.4	Airogisitic	240
5.5	Airware	242
5.5.1  Airware Components of its Aerial Information Platform	244
5.5.2  Airware’s AIP Business Model	245
5.5.3  Airware Investment from Intel Capital	245
5.6	Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)	246
5.7	China Aerospace CASC Space Technology	247
5.7.1  China Aerospace CASC Revenue	247
5.8	Deveron Resources Ltd	248
5.8.1  Eagle Scout Drone Imaging	249
5.9	DJI		251
5.9.1  DJI Agricultural Spraying Drone	253
5.9.2	DJI Inspire 1	254
5.9.3  DJI Technology Chinese Crop Spraying Drone	256
5.10 FT Sistemas	259
5.11 Honeycomb	259
5.12 HUVRData, LLC	261
5.13	Parrot / Sensefly	263
5.13.1	Parrot / Sensefly	264
5.13.2	Parrot/senseFly	264
5.13.3	Parrot Group / senseFly	265
5.13.4	Parrot Group senseFly CTI Certified	265
5.13.5 Parrot Drone First Quarter Sales For 2015 Up 356 Percent	266
5.14 Precision Drone		268
5.15 Raven Industries		269
5.16 Skycatch		269
5.17 Tekever Drones To Detect Vine Disease	270
5.17.1 TEKEVER Group drone Project In The Wine-Growing Region Of Minho
(North of Portugal)		271
5.17.2 TEKEVER		272
5.18 Topcon Positioning Group		273
5.19 Yahama		274
5.19.1 Yamaha Crop Dusting Drones		278
5.20 Yuneec		279

List of Tables and Figures

Table ES-1		28
Agricultural Drone Market Driving Forces		28
Table ES-2		29
Agricultural Drone Market Factors		29
Table ES-3		30
Agricultural Drone Geo-Referenced Image Advantages	30
Table ES-4		32
Benefits of Agricultural Drones		32
Figure ES-5		33
Commercial Drones Took to the Skies First for the Agricultural Industry	33
Figure ES-6		34
Agricultural Drone Market Shares, Dollars, 2015	34
Figure ES-7		36
Smart Commercial Drone Agriculture Aerial Systems Forecasts, Dollars,	
Worldwide, 2016-2022	36
Table 1-1	42
Ability Of Commercial Drones To Perform Delivery Function in Agriculture	42
Table 1-2	43
Nano Drones Applications	43
Figure 1-3	47
DJI Share of FAA Drone Operations Exceptions	47
Table 1-4	55
Drones Used in Japan for Agriculture Access Benefits	55
Table 1-5	56
Drone Farming Plot Infrastructure Access Barriers	56
Table 2-1	59
Agricultural Drone Market Driving Forces	59
Table 2-2	60
Agricultural Drone Market Factors	60
Table 2-3	61
Agricultural Drone Geo-Referenced Image Advantages	61
Table 2-4	63
Benefits of Agricultural Drones	63
Figure 2-5	64
Commercial Drones Took to the Skies First for the Agricultural Industry	64
Figure 2-6	65
Agricultural Drone Market Shares, Dollars, 2015	65
Table 2-7	66
Agricultural Inspection and Planting Drone Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)	
Market Shares, Dollars, Worldwide, 2015	66
Table 2-8	68
Drone Uses in Agriculture		68
Figure 2-9		71
Yamaha Helicopter Drone Spraying		71
Figure 2-10		72
Yamaha RMAX Helicopter Drones		72
Figure 2-11		73
DJI Agricultural Spraying Drone		73
Figure 2-12		75
Draganfly Draganflyer X4-P		75
Figure 2-13		76
AscTec Firefly		76
Table 2-14		76
Technical Data – AscTec Firefly		76
Table 2-15		79
AgEagle Aerial Systems Agricultural Crop Map Functions	79
Figure 2-16		81
Smart Commercial Drone Agriculture Aerial Systems Forecasts, Dollars,		
Worldwide, 2016-2022		81
Table 2-17		82
Agricultural Drone Markets Worldwide, 2016-2022	82
Table 2-18		83
Agricultural Inspection and Planting Smart Drone Aerial Systems (UAS) Market
Shares, Units, Worldwide, 2015		83
Figure 2-19		86
Agricultural Drone Market Forecasts, Units, Worldwide, 2016-2022	86
Table 2-20		87
Small and Mid-Size Agricultural Drone Systems, Dollars and Units, Worldwide,
2015-2021		87
Figure 2-21	88
Agriculture Surveying Via Drones	88
Figure 2-22	90
Table 2-23	94
Drone Systems Market Share Units, 2015	94
Figure 2-24	96
Drone Aerial Systems Market Forecasts, Units, Worldwide, 2016-2022	96
Figure 2-25	98
DJI Overcomes Technological Barriers to Drone Manufacture	98
Figure 2-26	99
Agriculture, Business, Environmental and Entertainment Use of Drones	99
Figure 2-27	101
Drone Systems Market Shares, 2015	101
Figure 2-28	103
Drone Aerial Systems Forecasts, Dollars, Worldwide, 2016-2022	103
Table 2-29	105
Drone Aerial Systems by Sector, Military, Agriculture, Oil and Gas, Border Patrol, Law Enforcement, Homeland Security, Disaster Response, Package Delivery,
Photography, Videography, Dollars, Worldwide, 2016-2022	105
Table 2-30	108
Drone Systems by Application, Military, Law Enforcement, Homeland Security, and Border Patrol, Agricultural, Package Delivery, Consumer Photo Drones, Utility Infrastructure Inspection, and Mapping, Market Shares, Dollars, Worldwide, 2015 108
Figure 2-31		111
Drone Aerial Systems (UAS) Regional Market Segments, Dollars, 2015	111
Table 2-32		112
Drone Aerial Systems (UAS) Regional Market Segments, 2015	112
Figure 2-33		119
Japanese Hexacopter Smart Commercial Drone	119
Figure 2-34	121
Sony Commercial Drone	121
Figure 2-35	123
Drone Model Envisaged For Work Inside The Reactor Buildings At The Crippled
Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant	123
Figure 2-36	131
Chinese Vendors Seeks to Sell Drones to China	131
Figure 2-37	137
Expansion of US Drone Base in Africa	137
Figure 2-38	141
Australian Research on Agricultural Drones	141
Figure 3-1	143
Figure 3-2	145
UC Davis Using Yahama Helicopter Drones For Crop Dusting	145
Figure 3-3	146
Yamaha Crop Dusting Initiatives	146
Figure 3-4	149
Yamaha Helicopter Drone Spraying	149
Figure 3-5	150
Yamaha RMAX Helicopter Drones	150
Figure 3-6	151
Yamaha Agricultural Spraying	151
Figure 3-7	152
Yamaha Rmax Drone	152
Figure 3-8	153
Yamaha Unmanned Helicopters For Industrial And Research Applications	153
Table 3-9		154
Yamaha Drone Unmanned Helicopters Agricultural Applications	154
Figure 3-10		155
Yamaha R-Max Agricultural Robot Spraying	155
Figure 3-11		156
Yamaha Rmax Spraying		156
Figure 3-12		159
AeroVironment Raven Used for Agriculture	159
Figure 3-13		160
AeroVironment Agricultural Inspection		160
Figure 3-14		161
AeroVironment Raven Features		161
Figure 3-15		162
AeroVironment Raven Specifications		162
Figure 3-16		163
AeroVironment Raven Flight		163
Figure 3-17		164
AeroVironment Agricultural Drone Applications	164
Figure 3-18		165
AeroVironement RQ-20A Puma AE		165
Figure 3-19		167
AeroVironement Ground Control System		167
Figure 3-20		169
BP and AeroVironment Drone for Comprehensive GIS Services	169
Table 3-21		172
AeroVironment BP Services		172
Table 3-22		173
AeroVironement Inspection of Critical Infrastructure	173
Figure 3-23	175
AeroVironment Raven	175
Figure 3-24	176
DJI Inspire 1	176
Figure 3-25	177
DJI Crop Spraying Agricultural Drone	177
Table 3-26	179
DJI Agras Agricultural Drone Features	179
Table 3-27	180
DJI Agras Agricultural Drone Functions	180
Figure 3-28	182
DJI Technology Farm Drone Can Spray Pesticides Over Up To 4hectares Of Land
Every Hour－40 Times More Efficient Than Manual Spraying	182
Figure 3-29	183
DJI Phantom	183
Figure 3-30	184
DJI Phantom Series	184
Figure 3-31	185
DJI Ronin	185
Table 3-32	187
DJI Agras MG-1 Worldwide Large Farm Challenges	187
Table 3-33	188
DJI Agras MG-1 Drone Challenges	188
Figure 3-34	190
3D Robotics	190
Figure 3-35	191
Figure 3-36		193
3D Robotics Vineyard Inspection		193
Figure 3-37		195
Figure 3-38		196
FT Sistemas Drone Designs		196
Figure 3-39		196
FT Sistemas Naval Drone Designs		196
Figure 3-40		197
FT Sistemas RGB Drone Perspectives		197
Figure 3-41		198
FT Sistemas Drone Applications		198
Figure 3-42		198
FT Sistemas Brazilian Military Drones		198
Table 3-43		199
Brazilian Land Force FT100 Mission Targets	199
3.6  AgEagle		200
Figure 3-44		200
AgEagle		200
Table 3-45		201
AgEagle Aerial Systems Agricultural Crop Map Functions	201
Figure 3-46		203
AgEagle Agricultural Drone		203
Figure 3-47		205
HoneyComb AgDrone		205
Figure 3-48		206
HoneyComb AgDrone System Controller		206
Figure 3-49		207
HoneyComb AgDrone Flying	207
Table 3-50	209
Parrot Sensefly eXom Drone Functions	209
Figure 3-51	210
Parrot Sensefly Agricultural Drone	210
Figure 3-52	211
Precision Drone on Farm	211
Figure 3-53	212
Precision Drone For Agriculture	212
Figure 3-54	213
Precision Drones Mapping View of Cornfield	213
Figure 3-55	214
PrecisionHawk Lancaster Drone Monitors Livestock	214
Figure 4-1	218
US FAA Drone Exceptions by Use Case	218
Table 4-2	229
AeroVironment Integration Of Sensors And Capabilities For Delivering Actionable
Intelligence	229
5.3  AgEagle	236
Figure 5-1	238
AgEagle NIR Camera Proprietary Index Filter	238
Figure 5-2	239
AgEagle Transport Van	239
Figure 5-3	240
AgEagle Dependable Component Of A Precision Agriculture Program	240
Figure 5-4	241
Airogistic Drones	241
Table 5-5	250
Eagle Scout Drone State-Of-The-Art Camera, Sensor And Software Technology
Applications	250
Figure 5-6	252
DJI Phantom	252
Figure 5-7	253
DJI Agricultural Spraying Drone	253
Figure 5-8	255
DJI Inspire 1	255
Figure 5-9	256
DJI Crop Spraying Agricultural Drone	256
Table 5-10	258
DJI Agras Agricultural Drone Features	258
5.10 FT Sistemas	259
Table 5-11	260
HoneyComb AgDrones Mission	260
Table 5-12	261
HUVD Drone Services Industries Targeted	261
Figure 5-13	267
Parrot Consumer Drone	267
Figure 5-14	270
Tekevervines	270
Figure 5-15	275
UC Davis Using Yahama Helicopter Drones For Crop Dusting	275
Figure 5-16	276
Yamaha Crop Dusting Initiatives	276
Figure 5-17	278
Figure 5-18	281
Yuneec Drone	281
Table 5-19	282
Yuneec Hobby RC Fixed Wing Aircraft	282