Jul/Aug 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

EMERGENT DroneDeploy recently announced a major expansion across its prod- ucts, making it a single platform for all drone operations. The launch includes automated drone fleet management, enhanced workflow integrations, a low-altitude inspection mode and ad- vanced analytic capabilities. “Today’s product launch is a reflec- tion of the demand from our customers for a complete enterprise-grade drone operating system,” said DroneDeploy CEO and co-founder Mike Winn. “We have customers with fleets of 100-plus drones looking for a single enterprise platform for their entire drone pro- gram, and we believe this launch will reshape how they manage their drone operations and data.” DroneDeploy’s new product release includes drone operations manage- ment, which records all flight activity automatically; workflow integrations al- lowing customers to sync DroneDeploy with their preferred document storage or project management applications; inspection with manual flight; a com- prehensive training program; and advanced cut and fill capabilities and new 3D analytics. “With DroneDeploy’s Earthworks capabilities, I have the confidence I am providing my engineers with accurate information in surveying, tracking prog- ress and verifying contractor work,” said Greg Oetker, an inspector at Jones Carter. “I am able to use a map and model to help visualize the site, which makes planning more efficient and accurate. This new way of survey- ing has saved us hours of time each time we go out and capture data.” DroneDeploy Launches Managed Enterprise Solution AI Past Peak of Expectations? The “AI for everything” trend is still produc- ing early-stage startups at a fast clip, but deals and funding to early-stage companies appears to have peaked in mid-2018, according to an analysis of Series A deals by CB Insight. Another possible sign of the AI trend slop- ing toward maturity is that applications are getting extremely niche, said CB Insight re- searchers. The firm noted in May a seed to a company using machine learning algorithms for “fishmeal inventory management.” A month later, a Series A from New Enterprise Associ- ates and others went to a company using computer vision and smart cameras for managing fish farms. “Sure, fish farming is a big industry. But we’ve also seen AI for horse care and rac- ing, AI for roti making, and AI for bull match- making,” said the investment firm.  CB Insight asks: “Is this hyper-granularity a sign the market is close to nearing its frothy top?”   $22 Billion Expected annual global spending by retailers on AI services by 2023, up from an estimated $3.6 billion in 2019, according to Juniper Research. Demand forecasting, automated marketing and smart checkouts are a few of the leading applications 5G large-scale depl Source: McKinsey & Compan Demand Drivers fo AI Series A Deals Source: CB Insight Prefer not to say More than 200 2% 5% All operators Before 2020 2020-22 2022-25 31 61 8 0M 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 1B 2B 3B 4B 5B -200 0 -400 -600 -800 -1k -1.2k Funding Amounts ($) Number of Deals C annel Partner SD-WAN Customers to Date 8 Channel Vision | July - August, 2019