AI and intuitive cameras pave way for future of aerial imaging

Photo: pics721/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Advancements in sensors, cameras and automation have fueled the growth of the aerial imaging industry, which is expected to reach $2.83 billion by 2022.

By Swamini Kulkarni

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones, often gain the spotlight with to their ability to capture the view from a vantage point. For years, airborne cameras have clicked never-seen-before pictures across planet. Now imaging technology is utilized to monitor natural calamities and borders of countries.

Drones have been quickly adopted in various industries including surveillance, geospatial mapping, post-disaster monitoring, and even entertainment. The advancements in sensors, cameras and automation have fueled growth of the aerial imaging industry.

Cameras mounted on balloons, kites and now drones are used widely across various verticals such as government, agriculture, civil engineering and research. Surveillance through satellite imagery has challenges, many of which drones can overcome. Drones can be used whenever we want and can be equipped with lidar systems, geographic information systems and advanced cameras. This has created lucrative opportunities in the aerial imaging industry.

According to Allied Market Research, the global aerial imaging market is expected to reach $2.83 billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 12.9% from 2016 to 2022. The launch of novel and intuitive cameras has further increased the popularity of aerial imaging.

Advent of novel, intuitive cameras for aerial imaging

AirSelfie, a prime market player in the aerial imaging industry, launched AIR PIX aerial camera at Consumer Technology Association (CES) 2020. The company announced that it has started shipping AIR PIX+ to customers the world’s smallest pocket-sized aerial camera. Moreover, it declared that it would make available AIR DUO, the aerial camera equipped with the dual parallel camera later in 2020. Both of these cameras offer state-of-the-art technology and would prove to be vital in aerial imaging and capturing videos from the air.

Skydio, the leading U.S. manufacturer of drones and autonomous flight technology, recently launched new software solutions and autonomous drone platform for situational awareness and inspection. It is observed that despite the potential drones showcase in aerial imaging, its adoption is still limited due to concerns regarding the risk of crashes of autonomous drones.

Moreover, the requirement to hire experienced pilots and data security concerns prevent firms from scaling their aerial imaging programs. That’s why Skydio aims to unlock the potential through this autonomy software and change people’s perspective toward drones.

In addition, the company has partnered with Eagleview, a leader in aerial imagery industry and data analytics to empower home insurance agents to offer accurate inspection of residential homes without the use of expert drone pilots. This technology is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Artificial intelligence: Future of aerial imaging

Today, every industry is searching for ways to operate devices remotely or at least with minimum physical contact. With the experience of global pandemic keeping in mind, the future is clearly bright for autonomous drones.

Several industries, including aerial imaging, rely on advancements in autonomous UAVs. Moreover, the success of aerial imaging depends on both autonomous drones and carefully dealing with the data gathered by aerial cameras. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes into the picture.

For use of aerial imaging for property surveillance, there is a dire need for a solution that can streamline data analysis, make sense of the data gathered by cameras, and scale up the level of details offered by aerial imaging.

AI-based aerial imaging can be used for automated property analytics and streamline facilitation of risk underwriting and claim management. Moreover, it can offer datasets to improve risk modeling. AI-powered aerial imaging technology can leverage AI to detect changes in property evaluation, which can benefit public safety and city planning.

COVID-19 increases data demand

We live during a period of drastic change. The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced almost every industry across the globe and has increased the demand for quality of data despite a lack of resources. Moreover, there is a need for faster and better data analysis to help industries scale up. The incorporation of AI and aerial imaging can benefit organizations to scale up their operations and streamline their processes at affordable costs.

Nearmap, a prominent aerial imagery company, has launched its innovative Nearmap AI for automatic aerial imagery insights at scale. This technology is the first among aerial imagery to offer AI analysis along with high-definition aerial images on a commercial scale. Moreover, it enables customers to automatically detect ground features and verify insight against aerial imagery at a larger scale.

It is clear that the use of aerial imaging will increase in the future. Moreover, the integration of AI in aerial imaging will help organizations to scale up their business and aid in data analysis to gain valuable insights.

It is safe to say that the aerial imaging technology has changed over time, but the desire of humans to see the world from a high above has been constant, which is exactly what should keep aerial imaging technology profitable in years to come.

Allied Market Research is offering a market report on aerial imaging.

Swamini Kulkarni

Swamini Kulkarni holds a bachelor’s degree from Pune University, India, and works as a content writer.