1. In which sectors do you think drones have the greatest impact and usefulness for SMEs?

For SMEs, key sectors for the use of drones, one is the agricultural sector, where drones that are not very expensive - observation drones - are being used for monitoring and precision agriculture. In the construction sector, drones are also being used for topography, for imaging and photogrammetry, and for taking topographic points also with drones.

And another important sector where SMEs or small companies are using drones is for the security sector.

2. Can you give an example of a specific use that an SME could make?

There are companies that offer services to third parties, for example to large logistics companies, that are using drones for drone inventory, which is inventory using drones. So, large warehouses benefit from this to make sweeps inside the warehouses and be able to obtain inventories much faster and make them more efficient.

3. What are the first steps an SME should take to use drones?

The first steps for an SME company that is incorporated is to first explore the use case that it wants to give to drones. For example, see the drone as a tool to maximize its operation; this can occur for example in the sector of small construction companies, which with drones can make a monitoring of the works or a control of progress of works much faster.

4. Is it easy to learn how to use it, or do you need some training to take advantage of the potential of this tool?

There is, within the drone sector, an interesting range of training schools, but there can also be self-taught training: if a person buys a drone, he can access the AESA website, which is the Spanish aeronautical authority, and there he can obtain all the training materials to take a test that allows him to obtain a license of the most basic categories.

However, I highly recommend entering a pilot training school and, there, you can go step by step by the hand of professionals in drone training and in more specific categories.

5. What recommendations would you make regarding cheaper and easier to operate drones for SMEs with no previous experience?

There is a variety of drones on the market: many are of low quality for recreational use or learning flights. However, for a commercial activity, the ideal is to start with drones that have medium to high performance.

The DJI brand, which is the largest brand in the world, has consumer drones that have high performance and can be used to take images, for example, for the Real Estate sector.