The company that famously makes the annual, hyper-detailed Drone Market Map now has something a bit more interactive.
German-based research firm Drone Industry Insights (DII) this week launched a product called ASTRA Intelligence. Positioned as a live, interactive “matchmaking platform” for the drone and mobile robotics industry, ASTRA is intended to take its static charts and turn it into a fully searchable database covering hardware, software and services across what is for now 68 countries.
ASTRA, which stands for Automation, Safety, Transportation, Robotics and Applications, is essentially a live B2B lead-generation engine and supplier database.
According to DII’s latest Global Drone Industry Survey, client acquisition ranked as the second biggest challenge facing drone companies for the third year in a row (behind regulatory hurdles). Meanwhile, geopolitical shifts and domestic policy changes have pushed buyers toward regional sourcing.
ASTRA aims to solve both by giving companies a place to get found — for free, no less. As of now, ASTRA is comprised of more than 1,500 company listings and 6,500 products across the entire spectrum of robots that fly, drive, float and dive. As a user, you can create side-by-side comparisons of possible companies to work with. ASTRA has more than 200 filters that let buyers compare product specs directly online or map out regional supply chain components.
Unlike directories where the highest bidder sits at the top, ASTRA says it ranks search results based on profile completeness. The more thorough and updated a company’s profile, the higher it appears. For now, most of the results are AI-powered.
If you’re a company that wants to be featured on ASTRA, here’s what you need to know:
- Every company can claim and maintain a base profile for free permanently.
- It takes 1-2 days to get approved as the owner of that profile, upon which you can make edits.
- DII is also offering an Early Adopter Plan with all premium features unlocked for free until June 30, 2027, for companies registering before Dec. 31, 2026.
So naturally — as soon as I got access to ASTRA Intelligence — I typed “The Drone Girl” into the search bar to see how I was listed. And well… let’s just say it was very clear the profile wasn’t hand-written!
According to our initial automated listing on ASTRA, The Drone Girl is apparently headquartered at the Portland Convention Center in Oregon and boasts a massive team of 50 to 75 employees! Ah ha!
Now, as much as I’d love to have a 75-person media conglomerate running out of a convention center in the Pacific Northwest, the reality is a lot leaner! The Drone Girl is operated by just me and my business manager, Hamilton, alongside a small roster of freelance writers.
(And yes—we are always looking for more drone writers! If you’ve got a story pitch, technical breakdown or flight guide, please reach out and pitch me!)
As for the Oregon tie? I have no idea where the Portland Convention Center address originated from! My only real connection to Oregon is that my dad grew up there and is a diehard Oregon Ducks fan (Go Ducks!).
This points out two things: 1. Don’t trust everything you read online, especially now that so much is AI-powered. But 2. At last this highlights the benefits to why DII built owner-managed profiles into ASTRA. Because DII seeded the database with automated web data and public research, some details might be outdated or wildly off until a real human claims the profile (clearly).
If you run a drone startup, component manufacturing outfit, service provider or media platform, here’s what you can do:
- Register here. You basically just hand over your email.
- Claim your profile: Designate a company representative to fix your address, employee count and company description so buyers get the correct info.
- Add your product portfolio: Fill out your hardware specs, software features, and service capabilities to boost your “Profile Completeness” score.
- Unlock the early adopter plan: If you register and claim your profile before December 31, 2026, DII is unlocking all premium features (including product videos, testimonials,and press release posts) for free through June 30, 2027.
Have you checked your company’s listing on ASTRA yet? Let me know in the comments below!
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