IAS Event Provides Full Overview of Latest Drone Developments
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IAS Event Provides Full Overview of Latest Drone Developments

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or ‘drones’) is still only in its infancy, with a phase of rapid development just around the corner. Despite signs of professionalization, the UAV industry is still mainly dominated by startups, and this is likely to be reflected at the sixth edition of Europe’s leading commercial trade show for drones. Interaerial Solutions - part of Intergeo (IAS) will take place from 17-19 September 2019 in Stuttgart, Germany. Besides the world market leader DJI and other established drone providers, the show is expected to feature a particularly high number of companies presenting new business models based on industry-specific drone applications, such as for infrastructure inspections or surveys.

“Right now, the construction industry is the main one providing the proof of concept. UAV applications are approaching maturity and becoming increasingly widespread in both construction and surveying,” observes Lelia Miklós, a UAV expert from CopterCloud. Drones have also proven their suitability for various urban planning-related tasks. UAV-based 3D surveying makes it possible to efficiently identify vacant plots, for instance, which is essential in order to make optimal use of the available space in urban environments.

Most of the technological innovation is currently happening around the integration of state-of-the-art sensors and increasingly advanced specialized cameras. RIEGL, one of the market leaders and an IAS partner right from the start, is experiencing a significant increase in demand for drone-based laser scanning, for example.

This September, the three-day ‘IAS - part of Intergeo’ event is expected to attract approximately 300 exhibitors and more than 10,000 industry professionals from Europe, North America and Asia. An extensive conference programme will run alongside the trade show to optimally showcase and discuss hot topics and innovative solutions for drone applications, including in particular a strong link to the smart-city concept. Leading drone suppliers will be holding live demonstrations in the ‘Flightzone’ on all three days of the event. Europe’s leading drone conference, the European Drone Summit (EDS), is being held in parallel on 18 and 19 September 2019.

8 current UAV trends according to the organizers of IAS

  1. UAV applications are in an advanced state of maturity in the construction and surveying sectors and are already highly automated
  2. A clear increase in the use of drones for inspection purposes (e.g. of buildings and infrastructure)
  3. Good future market prospects for providers of industry-specific services
  4. High degree of innovation relating to the use of sensors and special cameras
  5. Rising demand for drone-based laser scanning
  6. Growth in smaller projects related to environmental protection and urban development
  7. A lack of standards (e.g. for bridge inspections) continues to hamper market developments
  8. There is still no uniform drone legislation at EU level
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