Public Safety Top of List for Drone Tech, Survey Finds

Fortem Technologies, an innovator in AI-enabled airspace awareness and intelligence, today released its consumer survey findings which characterize public opinion of a future with drone technology. Fortem identified that the majority of consumers rank public safety the highest as an application for drone technology they want to see most– police and security efforts, search and rescue, etc.– when compared to entertainment and air taxi services. Yet, 96 percent of consumers surveyed also cited concerns about the use of drones. This discrepancy points to the need for more awareness of public safety rules, technologies, regulation of airspace and drone safety and security in order for public adoption of these benefits to continue to emerge.

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“The drone industry is growing rapidly only because these safety and security measures now exist,” continued Fortem Technologies CEO Timothy Bean.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projects a fourfold increase in commercial drone use by 2022. With the rapid growth of the industry and increased public desire for drone technology, safety and security will become even more important. Radar technology is prioritized by the FAA and NASA as a top airspace security solution and will play a major role in drone safety in the future.

The survey was created in conjunction with International Drone Day, taking place on May 5, 2018. Other key findings of the survey include:

• Consumers believe there should be established no-fly zones. Over 50 percent of respondents believe hospitals, government buildings, schools, city centers, and concert venues should be no-fly zones.
• Most respondents hold a neutral perspective about drones, as opposed to a negative one. 39 percent said they felt curious when they saw a drone flying near them at a safe distance, and 14 percent said they felt neutral.
• Findings indicate the age requirement to fly a drone should change. 70 percent of respondents believe the thirteen year old age requirement to register a drone is too young.

This survey was conducted using the SurveyMonkey platform, and the 716 consumer respondents were sought out via the platform and social media. The gender of respondents was 47 percent male and 51 percent female, and the age ranges are as follows: 18 percent 18-29 years old, 27 percent 30-44 years old, 21 percent 45-60 years old, 33 percent over 60 years old.

Source: Fortem