Rhode Island Ranks Last in the U.S. for “Drone Readiness”
GoLocalProv Business Team
Rhode Island Ranks Last in the U.S. for “Drone Readiness”
Drone commercialization is anticipated to be big business. The drone package delivery market is projected to grow from $228 million in 2022 to $5,556 million by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 49.0% from 2022 to 2030, according to Report Linker.
According to the study, "Many states have laws that allow cities to lease the air rights above public roads, vest property owners with air rights, and establish avigation easements. With these laws, states can facilitate future commercial drone operations in low-altitude airspace while Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) develop national drone policies. Creating a clear and coherent framework at the state and local level, such as a system of drone highways, will make parcel delivery faster, improve distribution of medical supplies, and create jobs in the technology and logistics sectors."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRhode Island is tied with Nebraska and Mississippi for last.
“Commercial drone companies are testing and creating agriculture, medical, and home delivery services in countries around the world. Yet progress in the United States has been slow, in part because of a lack of clarity about federal and state roles in drone and airspace management. To jump-start the drone industry, states can create drone highways—aerial corridors above public roads,” according to Brent Skorup, a Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
“Many states have laws that allow cities to lease the air rights above public roads, vest property owners with air rights, and establish avigation easements. With these laws, states can facilitate future commercial drone operations in low-altitude airspace while Congress and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) develop national drone policies. Creating a clear and coherent framework at the state and local level, such as a system of drone highways, will make parcel delivery faster, improve distribution of medical supplies, and create jobs in the technology and logistics sectors,” adds Skorup.
Airspace Lease Law: 0/30
Avigation Easement Law: 0/25
Task Force or Program Office: 0/20
Law Vesting Landowners with Air Rights: 0/10
Sandbox: 0/10
Jobs Estimate: 1/5
The jobs number is one of the most concerning. "Rhode Island is in the bottom quintile when it comes to the number of drone-related jobs per 100,000 people, receiving one out of five points," writes the study.
According to a recent study published in Cell Patterns, using quadcopter drones to deliver small, lightweight packages could reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 94 and 84 percent, respectively, per package delivered.
According to a study cited in Cell.com comparing the environmental benefits of drone delivery versus light tracks found a significant reduction in greenhouse gases when utilizing drones for "last mile delivery."
"We compared the energy consumption of quadcopter drones against diesel and electric medium-duty trucks and small vans and electric cargo bicycles. The total energy consumption per distance of small quadcopter drones is among the lowest across transportation modes, as the vehicle is small, light, and has lower payload capacity," reported Cell.com.
CVS, Walmart, and Amazon Investing in Drone Technology
Some of America's largest consumer and healthcare companies from Amazon to CVS are investing hundreds of millions in drone technology.
As GoLocal reported in 2019, Woonsocket-based CVS announced a drone delivery program with UPS.