We recently reported on Verifly's smartphone app allowing recreational drone users to insure their unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the fly, by paying for insurance by the hour. Now it seems that drone company 3DR is partnering with Global Aerospace and Harpenau Insurance in order to provide the same service for corporate use. This partnership, announced in a blog post by 3DR, is meant to alleviate concerns for companies primarily using drones in the construction and engineering fields, and any damage or injury that may occur during business hours.

According to TechRepublic, this comprehensive insurance intended to cover legal liability and/or damage will be provided to 3DR Site Scan customers, will be underwritten by Global Aerospace, and given to policy holders by Harpenau Insurance. Evan Garmon, a commercial agent at the latter company, claims that engineering and construction are the initial focus of this insurance partnership, and will be worked on first. How will this work, on the customer's end?

Apparently, customers will have the ease and convenience of a simple website or app at their disposal, if choosing to use this service. According to TechRepublic, they'll be able to access a self-service portal and choose between several different insurance options, and get a fairly accurate quote within hours before committing to one. This seems like a natural extension of the aforementioned Verifly service, just a little more bureaucratic and, well, serious. Since this is aimed at large corporations with far more legalese to wade through, and potential millions of dollars on the line, the process will naturally be slightly less breezy. That isn't to say that this won't be hugely convenient for companies seeking drone insurance, just that us recreational users have a more relaxing go at it.

3DR's post explains that users of their service will be able to include coverage of "personal injury (invasion of privacy), non-owned liability (crashing someone elses drone or a rented drone), medical expenses, premises liability, and damage sustained from any malicious acts," as well as getting "coverage for the drone itself, which covers the cost to repair equipment or to cover the total loss of the platform, payload, or ground equipment." This seems like an all-encompassing offer that will most likely appeal to a vast section of companies using UAVs in some form or another to help their business. Customers will even benefit from some more exclusive features that Global Aerospace can provide, such as 'Visual Line of Sight Standard Operating Procedure' which was specifically developed for the company by Unmanned Safety Institute.

Now, if the research firm Gartner is any reliable indication (it usually is), the drone market will reach $11.2 billion in the next three years. It's no surprise that insurance for UAVs is becoming a huge industry, and this partnership is just the beginning. We'll be sure to keep you posted on any relevant developments regarding 3DR, Global Aerospace or Harpenau Insurance, as this story evolves.

Go here to see the original:

3DR Partners With Global Aerospace to Provide Corporate Drone Insurance - The Drive