Deloitte predicts a steady increase in the popularity of non-military drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) costing £125 or more, with the number in use globally reaching the one million mark for the first time in 2015. Over 300,000 units are expected to be sold in 2015, worth between £125m and £250m.

Drones have been prominent in news bulletins recently, with attention focused on consumer usage. They blend the appeal of remote-controlled vehicles, high-definition photography and kite flying. But the bigger opportunity may be for businesses.

We don't think this will be for deliveries to our homes – the cost per trip at an average £6 is prohibitively high – but rather for the many tasks that require some form of aerial observation.

They are being deployed in a widening range of professional contexts, particularly for tasks that were previously too expensive to consider. For example, livestock owners can undertake aerial searches for lost animals or even herd them. Police forces and rescue units can use them to complement search and rescue missions, especially by using infra-red cameras. Geologists can use them to map unchartered territories, or to survey for oil. They can inspect wind turbines, which reach several hundred feet in the air, removing the need for someone to climb up a structure. They can be used to distribute medicines, in the absence of viable roads, as part of disaster relief or other humanitarian campaigns.

However, it is unlikely that there will be a surge in demand for drones, such that they become a mass-market. There are three reasons for that: risk of drone crash, uncertainty in regulation and cost: per drone and per flight.

Business implications

We expect drones will have multiple industrial and civil government applications, building upon the diverse uses they are already being put to. Any task requiring aerial inspection could be undertaken by a camera equipped drone, transmitting footage to ground staff in real time. However, enterprises should examine every potential application of drones while recognising their limitations: these are lightweight, battery-powered devices, many with modest payloads and short ranges.

Regulators considering how best to incorporate drones into existing air space will need to balance the many positive contributions they can make, as well as the obvious damage they can inflict. An irresponsibly piloted semi-professional 2 kilogram drone, whose battery expires in mid-flight above a crowd, may cause serious injury. A drone deployed on search and rescue missions may save lives.

The global aerial imaging market was worth about £0.6 billion in 2014. Much of that is currently from helicopters and drones will capture a percentage of this market. But some of this market will remain inaccessible as drones are not for purpose for all current aerial imaging work.