{"id":447712,"date":"2021-07-13T05:44:38","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T12:44:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=447712"},"modified":"2024-05-10T05:48:05","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T12:48:05","slug":"precision-drone-delivery","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/precision-drone-delivery","title":{"rendered":"New Rules Rev Up Drone Deliveries to Our Doorsteps"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1001,369792,1021],"tags":[141,295462,475292],"department":[488812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-447712","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commercial","category-location-intelligence","category-transportation","tag-drones","tag-faa","tag-home-delivery","department-emerging-technologies"],"acf":{"short_description":"Despite years of foreshadowing, drones aren\u2019t dropping packages at our doorsteps. Before they can, they\u2019ll need precise location intel. ","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"It\u2019s not a bird, or a plane, per se.\u00a0It might\u00a0finally\u00a0be dinner, though.\u00a0After years of research, testing, and regulatory changes, the idea of airborne\u00a0drone deliveries for groceries and other goods is closer to reality."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Article snapshot:<\/strong> New FAA rules allow drones to fly over structures and out of the pilot\u2019s sight, signaling that home deliveries of all kinds might not be far behind.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Grocery giant Kroger announced in May it would begin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wvxu.org\/post\/kroger-offer-grocery-delivery-drone#stream\/0\">a pilot program to deliver groceries by drone<\/a> from a store near its Cincinnati headquarters. That and other announcements have been sparked in part by recent FAA rule changes that\u00a0permit\u00a0small\u00a0drones to fly\u00a0above\u00a0populated areas, allowing them\u00a0to reach\u00a0more\u00a0destinations and increasing\u00a0the likelihood of doorstep drop-offs in the US.\r\n\r\nThe FAA\u2019s changes spotlight a\u00a0heightened need for precision. A drone can\u2019t merely get close to an address; it must reach its destination exactly and safely while navigating an aerial terrain filled with potential obstacles. That\u2019s where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/location-intelligence\">location intelligence<\/a> comes in.\r\n<h3><strong>Close Won\u2019t Cut It for Drone Delivery<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWhile it may have felt like a future of\u00a0drone deliveries\u00a0was\u00a0just around the corner, the deliveries that have been made by\u00a0unmanned aerial vehicles to date\u2014including\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/agenda\/2020\/05\/medical-delivery-drones-coronavirus-africa-us\/\">medical supplies<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mashable.com\/2017\/10\/16\/drone-delivery-burrito-project-wing-google\/#:~:text=Alphabet's%20Project%20Wing%20announced%20Monday,of%20the%20Australian%20Capital%20Territory.\">burritos<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2016\/11\/16\/dominos-has-delivered-the-worlds-first-ever-pizza-by-drone-to-a-new-zealand-couple.html\">pizza<\/a>\u2014have\u00a0often taken place\u00a0outside the United States\u00a0or\u00a0under tight testing parameters in limited geographic areas.\u00a0Still, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/under-construction-drone-highways-over-detroit\/\">forward-thinking cities and companies are making inroads<\/a> by mapping\u00a0the highways drones will eventually\u00a0travel in the sky.\r\n\r\nThe FAA\u2019s adjusted rules signal the agency could be open to expanding aerial drone deliveries, whether that means companies ferrying takeout lunches, life-saving medicine, or the latest gadget. Businesses looking to integrate drones into consumers\u2019 daily lives will find location awareness critical to that work.\r\n\r\nWith a geographic information system (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/enterprise-technology-behind-big-business-decisions\/\">GIS<\/a>), drone-flying companies can create the operational awareness to track where an aircraft is, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/arcgis-pro\/analytics\/calculate-drone-corridors-for-package-delivery\/\">where exactly it needs to go<\/a>, what might get in the way, and what to do if an obstacle sets it off course.\r\n\r\nThat location awareness will be key to assuaging fears that the small aircraft could collide or drop their payloads where they shouldn\u2019t, ensuring some peace of mind for both consumers and companies."},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":447702,"text":"Precision and accuracy will be essential for drones to safely deliver to homes and businesses, especially in populated areas.","author_name":"","author_profession_organization":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3><strong>Targeted Delivery through Geocoding<\/strong><\/h3>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"form","form_type":"aside","form_position":"Right","form_title":"THE ESRI BRIEF","form_desc":"A biweekly email connecting senior executives and business leaders with thought-provoking articles on location intelligence and critical technology trends.","form_button_label":"Sign up now","form_content":"https:\/\/go.pardot.com\/l\/82202\/2017-10-12\/jw1bmb","form_tag":"low-commitment-form\/sign-up-form"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Researchers from the University of Southern California\u2019s Spatial Sciences Institute say advances in technology, as well as lighter aircraft, have made it easier for fully autonomous drones to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/gis.usc.edu\/blog\/amazons-drone-project-and-gis\/\">navigate chaotic environments<\/a>.\u201d GIS data maintained by local governments can already help quantify risks that might exist on the ground, including the locations of\u00a0schools, hospitals, government buildings, helicopter pads, airports, and stadiums. Other relevant location data includes information about restricted airspace, land use, population density at different times of the day, rights-of-way, and local ordinances. The airspace designers of the future may even use GIS to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/lg\/industry\/transportation\/airspace-link-case-study\">create drone corridors or modify flight plans<\/a> and reservations based on volume and impact on the community below.\r\n\r\nGIS technology is also making it possible for drone deliveries to reach their exact target, not just land nearby.\r\n\r\nAny company that has used customer addresses from a CRM database to send mailers or conduct demographic analysis knows the information may not always be sufficiently exact. Geocoding\u2014using GIS to convert addresses into correct coordinates on a map\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/arcgis-blog\/products\/analytics\/analytics\/geocoding-delivering-high-location-accuracy\/\">has helped logistics companies and delivery drivers improve their performance<\/a>\u00a0and accuracy. Since close won\u2019t be good enough for sky-sent deliveries, location technology will be key to safe, precise operations.\r\n<h3><strong>Location Is Key, from Takeoff to Drop-Off<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nOne company already using location intelligence to help drones fly safely is Airspace Link. The Detroit-based startup has worked with the FAA to create the UAS Data Exchange, and created programs that allow drone operators to plan flight paths and seek FAA approval from within an app.\u00a0The company has also been involved in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/under-construction-drone-highways-over-detroit\/\">Detroit Region Aerotropolis<\/a>, a project aimed at boosting trade corridors in and out of the city, on the ground and in the sky.\r\n\r\nAirspace Link, Kroger,\u00a0and other innovative companies stand to benefit from FAA rule changes that loosen\u00a0drone\u00a0flight restrictions, which will raise the bar on location precision in the process.\r\n\r\nAccording to Reuters, there\u00a0were\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/new-rules-allowing-small-drones-fly-over-people-us-take-effect-2021-04-21\/\">more than 1.7 million drones registered in the US<\/a>\u00a0as of\u00a0December\u00a02020, and approximately 203,000 FAA-certified drone pilots.\u00a0Many of those unmanned aerial vehicles are already at work in industries that simply need a birds-eye view,\u00a0like companies inspecting power lines\u00a0or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-construction-monitoring\/\">construction sites<\/a>, agriculture operations spraying fields,\u00a0and real estate photographers showing off residential or commercial properties.\r\n\r\nLocation matters in those cases, too, but being able to land on a target beyond a pilot\u2019s line of sight, or fully autonomously,\u00a0will be the next important step\u2013and one that\u2019s only possible with precision location intelligence.\r\n\r\n<em>To learn how location software facilitates drone flight plans, imagery capture, and more, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/site-scan-for-arcgis\/overview\">visit this informational page<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Drone Delivery Gets Boost from FAA Rule Change<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Widescale drone delivery gets a step closer with recent rule changes, underscoring the need for precise location intelligence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/precision-drone-delivery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Rules Rev Up Drone Deliveries to Our Doorsteps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Widescale drone delivery gets a step closer with recent rule changes, underscoring the 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