Drone Industry Insights (DII) — the Hamburg-based research firm whose Drone Market Map 2026 I wrote about just last week mapping 1,413 companies across 70 countries — has officially opened the 9th edition of its Global Drone Survey. It’s the largest annual data collection effort in the drone industry, and it’s open to everyone whether you’re a pilot, operator, manufacturer, software developer, educator, regulator, investor, or just anyone else working in or adjacent to the drone world.
The survey takes 8-15 minutes and is open until July 31, 2026. You can take it here.
Why the 2026 DII survey matters
DII’s annual State of Drones white paper — which is produced from this survey data — has become one of the most widely cited references in the drone industry. Yes, I’m regularly using it to inform stories right here on The Drone Girl, such as why drone component manufacturers are crushing it right now, what the civil drone industry could look like over the next decade and why drone funding is back at record highs (and what’s driving it).
Decision-makers, investors, and policymakers around the world use it to understand where the market actually is, as opposed to where press releases say it is.
That’s only useful if the data reflects a broad cross-section of the people actually working in drones — not just executives at large companies or attendees at industry conferences. The survey has historically drawn around 1,000 responses from 70+ countries, which is meaningful but still represents a fraction of the global drone community. That figure could grow though!
“Eight years in, the data has become a reference point that decision-makers, investors, and policymakers around the world rely on,” said Kay Wackwitz, DII’s CEO. “This year, we’re pairing the survey with ASTRA — because the industry doesn’t just need a snapshot once a year. It needs living intelligence, every day.”
What is ASTRA, you ask? DII is launching a new drone industry intelligence platform called ASTRA on June 23, and survey participants get early access before the public launch. Combined with an early copy of the State of Drones 2026 report — four weeks before public release — and a chance to win one of five $100 gift vouchers, there’s a reasonable incentive to spend the 15 minutes filling out the form.
Who should take it
The survey is explicitly open to everyone in the drone ecosystem — not just manufacturers or enterprise operators. If you’re a Part 107 commercial operator, a drone photographer, an educator building a drone curriculum, a public safety pilot, or someone running a drone services business — your experience of the market makes this data useful. The survey captures business sentiment, revenue trends, technology adoption, regulatory challenges, and investment outlook. The more diverse the respondent base, the more accurately those findings reflect the real state of the industry rather than just the view from the top.
Key dates:
- Survey open now through July 31, 2026
- ASTRA Beta launches publicly June 23 (early access for survey participants)
- State of Drones 2026 report published Q3 2026 (early copy for all participants)
Take the Global Drone Survey here →
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