Cloud-based drone platform DroneDeploy today announced the opening of its App Market, the first drone industry app store.

The store launched with more than 15 apps directed at businesses using drones. It also provides access to the world’s largest dataset of drone 2D maps and 3D models.

The company’s new App Market will provide a one-stop shop for businesses and developers to obtain apps for all aspects of cloud-based drone data analysis. The App Market is also open to third-party developers seeking to extend already existing capabilities of DroneDeploy’s platform for the web and mobile devices (iOS and Android).

“Businesses have been asking for a more seamless integration of drone data into their workflows, and third-parties have been looking to develop solutions for our global community,” said Mike Winn, co-founder and chief executive of DroneDeploy.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the emerging global market for businesses using drones is expected to top $127 billion by 2020. These predictions have been bolstered considerably by the United States Federal Aviation Administration rules change in August that opened up the skies to commercial drones without the need for extensive licensing.

With so many businesses in the US now having increased access to drones, DroneDeploy expects the need for drone data analysis and curation apps will also follow.

App Market AirMap app, courtesy of DroneDeploy

Depth for developers

The first apps in the App Market include file sharing with Box, importing field boundaries from MyJohnDeere, exporting data to Autodesk, 3D printing of drone maps with WhiteClouds, on-demand flight insurance with Verifly and more. There are also a flight compliance app from AirMap, a roof inspection app from EZ3D, flight logging apps from DroneLogbook, Flyte, Kittyhawk, NVdrones and Skyward, and agriculture apps from Aglytix, AgriSens, Birds.ai, Skymatics, SLANTRANGE and TensorFlight.

The marketplace will also distribute drone data collected by DroneDeploy’s more than 10,000 users across 135 countries who have mapped over 8 million acres. The company claims this has created the world’s largest dataset of drone maps and 3D models.

The App Market will allow developers to distribute and make money from their own specialized app offerings in a way not provided by the industry before, the company claims. In addition, data producers such as cartographers and aerial photography outfits can package, distribute and monetize their own datasets.

“Until now, DroneDeploy has focused primarily on solving core challenges in the drone space around flight, data collection, processing and analysis,” said Nicholas Pilkington, DroneDeploy’s co-founder and chief technology officer. “Now we are opening up our stack so that developers can use these technologies themselves, and can focus on building specific solutions within their domain expertise without having to reinvent the wheel.”

Full developer documentation for companies wanting to use DroneDeploy APIs to build and distribute apps can be found on the company’s developer portal.

Featured image courtesy of DroneDeploy