The WeF collates articles and reports on both commercial and military drones. These can be accessed for free via: www.weforum.org You will need to create an account. The drone area can be found here .

Drones can grant anyone access to airspace, with very low barriers to entry. These unmanned aircraft systems are creating value as they increase crop yields, lower chemical footprints, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and act as a lifeline for rural populations in hard-to-reach places.

Advances in battery development, sensor miniaturization, and computational power are making drones a common tool; Goldman Sachs estimates that the related market opportunity between 2016 and 2020 will amount to $100 billion.

Longer term, autonomously-piloted drone systems are being developed to transport people within cities. However, the prevalence of drones may be limited by flight time capability, regulatory hurdles, and public perception of risk and privacy.