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While the use of small aerial drones for a wide range of commercial applications has been increasing steadily over the past several years, market growth has been limited by regulatory restrictions requiring pilots to keep drone platforms "in sight" while in operation. In the recent past, significant advances in technologies and procedures that enable autonomous drone operations are leading regulatory agencies to approve more remotely operated drone flights.

Understanding the utility and efficiency that autonomous drones can provide, several companies have developed (or are developing) semi-autonomous or autonomous drones that can be recharged in, and protected, by weather-proof “drone stations.” Commonly referred to as a drone-in-a-box (DIB), each station can provide drones with auto-land systems, micro-weather information, data transmission services, and several other utilities.

The DIB solutions market is still in a relatively nascent stage of development but has shown a higher growth potential as regulatory agencies race to keep up with the pace of technological change and drone end users discover best practices to optimize aerial intelligence for decision-making in a wide range of industries.