Nowadays, drones are being used in every sector and industry. Agriculture, filmmaking, reporting, architectural inspections, and various other operations are all aided by drones. But, flying a drone is a tough task. Before flying a drone, many things had to be taken care of, like approvals, weather forecasts, flying zones, and many others. However, with the help of technology and analytics, it is possible to make it simple. Today, apps like OpenSky enable you to fly with comfort, whether you’re piloting a single civilian drone or a fleet.
Simply because apps like OpenSky are gaining tremendous popularity nowadays, many entrepreneurs and business owners are looking forward to the development of drone apps.
Want to develop an app like OpenSky? But don’t know where to start? Don’t worry; through this blog, you will get to know everything about Drone App Development.
Key takeaways
In this blog, we will discuss what the key features of developing an app like OpenSky are. Besides this, we’ll also discuss the drone app development cost.
But, before heading to the features, here’s a brief overview on,
Table of Contents
OpenSky: Quick Overview & what it offers?
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OpenSky is a free mobile and computer application that offers drone operators airspace information, such as when and where it’s legal to fly so that they may traverse the skies safely. OpenSky is a platform that caters to all types of drone users, whether recreational or commercial. Drone pilots can use the OpenSky app to view information on airspace limitations, plan their flights, and obtain airspace approvals in only just a few taps.
OpenSky is a platform that caters to all types of drone users, whether recreational or commercial.
As you got the basic idea about OpenSky, now let’s talk about,
What does it offer?
For drone pilots across the United States, the OpenSky app provides a degree of ease, familiarity, and precision. Recreational and commercial drone pilots can use OpenSky to check FAA airspace information to discover where they can and cannot fly, get FAA authorization when necessary, and manage and document their flights and privileges in their pilot profile. When a drone pilot chooses a location, the OpenSky app generates a checklist that includes airspace limitations, recognized dangerous conditions, and proximity to airports and heliports, among other things.
Emergency response scenarios, neighboring sporting events, and other situations that may impact accessible airspace will be alerted to apps like OpenSky. It will assist drone owners in adhering to aviation regulations and allowing aircraft to fly safely at lower elevations.
And the best part, the FAA divides drone pilots into four categories, each of which is supported by OpenSky:
- Community-based organizations for recreational fliers and modelers.
- Commercial operators, as well as certified remote pilots.
- Users from the government and public safety.
- Users in the educational field.
So far, we have discussed OpenSky and how it works. Now, it’s time to discuss,
What are the key features you need to develop an app like OpenSky?
Well, features are the thing that matters the most. Features can make or break your application. So, you have to be absolutely sure that the features you include in your app are reliable and efficient for the user. For this reason, as the top drone mobile app development company, below we have mentioned the top features that you can include in your app. Take a look!
Push notifications
When the airspace is available for flight, the app will notify you, and if the airspace is limited, the app will notify you. If you are unable to fly, it will notify you of the precise flying rules that apply so that you can indeed make the necessary adjustments to comply with local regulations or alter your flight schedule.
Flight logs
All of your permissions will be stored in the “Flights” component of the main screen as long as you have been logged in and your approval goes complete properly. When you are logged in, they would always be accessed on just about any device.
Forecast
This functionality would provide comprehensive wind and weather information that will assist users to determine if it is best to fly, to begin, enter the specifications of your drone into the app. After that, it can tell you whether or not today is a good day to fly. Hourly forecasts on a variety of piloting information will be presented for a week, including wind speed and direction, wind chill and temperature, weather patterns, visibility, and much more.
Plan flight
Novice will find it simple to learn how to use this functionality and get the most out of the app. This feature allows the user to set your flight path simply by swiping and a point of interest by putting a pin. In order to create a plan, users have to enter some details like time, date, duration, max altitude, and flight rule. Furthermore, excellent still images and intricate aerial recordings are just a couple of clicks, and switching between camera and video modes is seamless.
Red zone
This functionality will provide information about regions that fail the checklist due to aviation regulations or other circumstances. All you must indeed do is tap on the region or place a pin in the red area to get additional information.
Locate other fliers
Get to meet the local drone pilots and interact while flying. When you first open the app, you’ll see a map of the area with pins indicating other users. This functionality can help you find out who is flying in your area by notifying you of any user-submitted flying sites in your area, as well as the profiles of the pilots flying there. You can indeed also create your own profile and share any amazing photos of renowned destinations with other pilots.
HQ Image Quality Resolution
While your drone mobile app needs to be speedier, it also needs to have high-quality image resolution. If your app doesn’t have the required image resolution, it’s possible that your users won’t want to use it, and you’ll lose clients as a result. As a result, the first and most important need that you should never overlook is high-quality image resolution.
Orange zone
Users can use this capability to locate places where drone pilots must take extra caution. For more information regarding the nature of these conditions, simply touch on the region or place a pin in the orange area.
Advanced search
Give users of your mobile drone app a search function so they can quickly discover the details they require. Lots of material makes for amazing mobile app design, but if it’s not made easily available to the mobile user, it rapidly becomes burdensome and unusable. OpenSky, for example, has a specific search tool that allows users to find content that is relevant to their needs. This makes the drone mobile app more accessible and easier.
User feedback
Sometimes, all a user needs to do is express themselves. It’s satisfying to provide users the chance to provide immediate feedback. Allowing customers to provide feedback provides you and your mobile app development team with valuable information into what you need to add, remove, and change. But it goes beyond that. Allowing users to submit immediate feedback allows them to express any frustrations they may have.
Offline Mode
Allow your mobile app like OpenSky to function even when there is no Internet connection. Additionally, when doing so, one must consider the issue of data security. Even though sensitive data should not be stored on mobile devices, certain tasks should be able to be done offline.
As you have seen the top features and functionalities, now take a look on,
Top tips for developing an app like OpenSky!
Developing an application is not easy, be it a mobile app or a web app. There are many things that need to be considered before starting drone app development.
Below we’ve mentioned the top tips that you need to consider while drone app development!
1. Do some market research
Before designing an application for your product or service, you must first conduct market research. Competitive market research provides precise insights into your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. You should conduct research on the following topics:
- Who are your main rivals?
- What is their company’s business plan?
- What are their advantages and disadvantages?
- What do their consumers have to say about them in online reviews and on social media?
- What distinguishes them from the competition?
You may describe your business purpose and avoid making the same mistakes as your competition by conducting research.
2. Choose the right platform
The functionalities and users play a major role in determining the best platform for an app. Whether you design your app like OpenSky on iOS or Android, you must think about your business strategy, user demographics, and the market you’re targeting. A large number of people are using both operating systems. Choosing the correct platform is entirely dependent on your business needs, budget, and completion deadline. It’s a good idea to research your target audience’s preferences before beginning drone app development.
3. Consider app store optimization
To keep ahead of the competition, you must plan ahead of schedule for the logo, content, and color choices for your app, and consistency must be kept throughout. You must choose the channels via which you will contact your target consumers and devise a strategy to reach them using the material, photos, and videos. To get your app like OpenSky in front of your target audiences, find the influencers in your niche and approach them immediately. App store optimization aids in the discovery of your app in stores. So think of a catchy name for your drone mobile app development, as well as a distinctive description with character constraints. Plan to upload some high-resolution screenshots and videos of your app to the app store to help people learn more about it.
4. Look for the best mobile app development company
The developers are solely responsible for the development of a successful mobile application. You should always prioritize hiring only seasoned iOS or Android engineers with at least one technological specialization. It is preferable to recruit Android developers with prior expertise developing high-quality mobile apps rather than someone with a jumbled knowledge of various technologies.
5. Test your app
Even after all your hard work and time hours, if you don’t evaluate your application across all platforms, it won’t be a breakthrough. A bug-free mobile app is a valuable asset, and specific steps must be taken to accomplish it. Alpha testers should test the app first, followed by beta testing in the second step. Well before final deployment, any faults or inconsistencies identified during the testing phase must be addressed. Running your application through a number of device simulators to sort out the issues can save you money and help you build your application a success by enhancing accessibility.
How much will drone app development cost in 2021?
The cost of an app like OpenSky development is entirely dependent on the features you wish to include and the number of person-hours required. Apart there are some more factors like:
App's complexity
Platform
Mobile App Development Company
Technologies used
It’s difficult to evaluate the true cost of developing an app like OpenSky. The right mobile app development company can tell you and estimate the cost depending on your requirements to some extent.
Conclusion
To be competitive in the global, drone mobile app development is a somewhat costly and time-consuming undertaking. If you consider the above mentioned points in mind before beginning development, the app development process will be much easier, and you will be able to tap the market easily.
Have you had a great app core idea? Matellio, an app development company, has the competence to make it a reality. Hire Android or iOS developers for quite a reasonable price to develop an app like OpenSky.
