Drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have exploded in popularity in the past few years, especially with millennials and YouTube film makers. I am not talking about the drones that are flown by the military and drop bombs, but the ones that many people refer to as “toys.” The so-called toys are proving themselves to being a major asset to business and the economy, especially the high-end drones that are very effective tools. Yes, it is true that many drones are being purchased by hobbyists, but many of those hobbyists that are now finding ways of making money with their drones. Let’s talk about a few business ideas that you can start with a drone.
1 Aerial photography. More and more thousand-dollar drones are being used to replace expensive, million-dollar helicopters to get aerial photographs and videos. But they are also much safer to fly in populated areas than a several-thousand-pound helicopter with hundreds of pounds of highly flammable jet fuel. Besides being popular for use in television, film and sporting events for safe, low-altitude imagery, they are gaining popularity for use in documenting events, weddings and even helping to promote home real estate and commercial properties. Personally, I am waiting for delivery of a drone, so that I can use it to showcase the building that houses our office for rent space in Telsec Business Centres and the surrounding area attractions.
2 Building Inspections — Roofs, sidings, chimneys or other exterior elements. The real estate industry is learning that, beyond using drones to capture the wonders and charms of a property, drones can help facilitate more efficient and safe ways of doing exterior inspections of homes and multistorey properties. Inspectors no longer need to climb a ladder or be taken up in cherry pickers to view the condition of the roof, the sidings or other exterior elements that a potential buyer needs to know about. A drone can get close-up images of the exterior building and provide a documented copy of what they find. Many existing home inspection companies are starting to use drones to aid in their inspections, but most choose to hire an experienced drone pilot to do the actual flying. Why not become one of those pilots or learn the business of home inspection and take on the whole job yourself?
3 Commercial, industrial, and insurance inspections. As with roof and building inspections for homes, drones are increasingly being used in other industries to perform inspections that are costly or hazardous for human inspectors to perform. When disasters occur or damage is made to a commercial property, insurance companies want the claimant to provide as much evidence as they can to make their claim. This can be before-and-after images, so companies not only want post disaster footage, they want proactive images of how the property currently stands (in case of a disaster).
As a drone operator company, you could facilitate owners of commercial and industrial properties to take stock of their holdings of things such as:
4 Agricultural Surveys. The use of drones is revolutionizing the agriculture industry. The ability to survey crops from the air with inexpensive drones equipped with a variety of sensors enables a farmer or agriculture corporation to collect an unprecedented amount of useful data. Just some of the things that modified drones can do are:
Not to mention that drone crop surveys can be regularly taken monthly, weekly, daily or even hourly as required. Having accurate information on field conditions allows for optimal crop irrigation, fertilization and pest control. That same drone that checks pest control levels, can be modified to do micro pest control of areas that were missed by mass spraying.
5 Infrastructure inspections and audits for government. It is no secret that aging infrastructure has caught the eyes of governments around the world, fueled by disasters and media coverage. In an effort to survey as much infrastructure – such as bridges, highway over passes, damns, tunnels, roads and other facilities that service the public – governments are learning that the inspection and surveying of these can be done faster and more efficiently by drones. Many government agencies responsible for the inspection of infrastructure have realized that it is more cost-effective and time-effective to hire private contractors who have the equipment, rather than investing in the drones and having staff trained to use them.
6 Mapping and surveying. Land surveyors are also increasingly turning to drones to acquire highly accurate digital survey data from the air in a fraction of the time (and at a fraction of the expense) required by traditional survey teams working on the ground. With the help of drones and GPS, as well as base station reference data, surveyors can use this technology to create three-dimensional cartographic information with greater accuracy.
7 Drone training. When companies or governments start adopting drones for various uses, someone has to train their staff on how to use them properly. This is especially true when those groups utilize drones in regulated areas. Many of the modern drones seem like they can almost fly themselves, but the reality is that they still require a skilled operator to take the controls. In some jurisdictions, certain sizes of drones require a government license and operator testing. Why not build a business being that expert who trains drone operators?
1. Jennifer Smith
General Manager
The Omni King Edward Hotel
37 King Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1E9
Tel: 416-863-9700
Website: www.omnihotels.com/hotels/toronto-king-edward
2. Mark Perry
General Manager
Executive Hotels and Resorts (Boutique)
8 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E1
Tel: 416-350-2419
Website: www.spazen.ca or www.cosmotoronto.com
3. Emeline Boul
General Manager
Hotel Victoria (Boutique)
56 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1G5
Tel: 416-363-1666
Mobile: 647-574-5832
Website: www.hotelvictoriatoronto.com
4. Omkar Sawant
Reservations Manager
One King West Hotel
1 King Street West
Toronto, ON
M5H 1A1
Main: 416-548-8100
Reservations: 1-866-470-5464
Website: www.onekingwest.com
5. Van Nguyen
General Manager
Cambridge Suites Toronto
15 Richmond Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1N2
Direct: 416-601-3757
Hotel: 416-368-1990
Website: www.cambridgesuitestoronto.com
1. Michael Pagliaro
Carisma (Italian)
15 Toronto Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2E3
Tel: 416-864-7373
Website: www.carismarestaurant.com
2. Patti Shaw
Terroni (Italian)
57 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1K6
Tel: 416-203-3093
Website: www.terroni.com
3. Declan
Restaurant 20 Victoria – Michelin guide approved
20 Victoria Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2A1
Tel: 416-804-6066
Instagram for reservations: https://www.instagram.com/twentyvictoria/
4. Mana
Nami (Japanese)
55 Adelaide Street East
Toronto, ON
M5C 1K6
Tel: 416-362-7373
Website: www.namirestaurant.ca
5. Restaurant Lucie
100 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2W1
Tel: 416-788-9054
Website: www.restaurantlucie.com
6. Niam H
Cantina Mercatto
20 Wellington Street East
Toronto, ON
M5E 1C5
Tel: 416-304-0781
Website: www.cantinamercatto.ca
7. Siva Sathasivam
Uncle Tony’s
38 Wellington St E
Toronto, ON
M5E 1C7
Tel: 416-455-6650
Website: https://uncletonys.ca/
8. Pizzaiolo
104 Yonge Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2Y6
Tel: 416-860-0700
Website: www.pizzaiolo.ca
9. Robin Singh
Woods Restaurant and Bar
45 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E3
Tel: 416-214-9918
Website: www.woodsrestaurant.ca
1. Thom Tullo
Morpheus8 by Inmode
47 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E3
Tel: 416-863-6564
Website: www.amanspa.ca
2. Altitude Athletic Training
56 Colborne Street
Toronto, ON
M5E 1E3
Tel: 416-366-3838
Website: www.altitudeathletictraining.com
3. Physioheath Studios
33 Victoria Street, #130
Toronto, ON
M5C 2A1
Tel: 416-368-2525
Website: www.physiohealth.com
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