In the ten years since Part 107 was introduced, we have seen the democratization of aerial mapping, especially in land surveying firms that were able to adopt small drones and add aerial photogrammetry to their menu of services. Now that there is an upcoming ‘upgrade’ to the 2016 regulation, known as Part 108, a deep examination into the new Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) regulation reveals some issues that are not so beneficial for the mapping industry, at least on paper.
The FAA’s proposed new Part 108 regulation promises to transform aerial surveying, but the transition from Part 107 could create a very different competitive landscape.
From Individual Waivers to a New Regulatory Framework
For almost a decade, the commercial drone industry in the United States has operated under a fundamental contradiction. The technology has become increasingly sophisticated, capable of flying long distances, navigating autonomously, and collecting extraordinary quantities of geospatial information. Yet the regulations governing most commercial operations still assume that someone on the ground must maintain visual contact with the aircraft while in the air, in what is known as visual line of sight (VLOS).
That contradiction has been particularly frustrating for mapping companies.
Surveying a construction site, a mine, or a small agricultural property can generally be accomplished within VLOS limitations of Part 107. Mapping a 50-mile transmission
corridor, a pipeline network, or thousands of acres of forest is an entirely different proposition.
Under today’s regulatory framework, companies seeking to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) generally need a specific FAA waiver or other appropriate authorization. Obtaining that permission can require considerable preparation, documentation, and operational justification.
The FAA’s proposed Part 108 which was detailed in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), published in August 2025, is intended to change that equation.
Rather than treating BVLOS as an exception, Part 108 would establish a standardized framework for certain routine BVLOS operations. Significantly, the FAA explicitly includes aerial surveying among the commercial activities the proposed regulation is designed to accommodate.
The proposal establishes two principal authorization pathways: operating permits and operating certificates. The distinction is important because the requirements would vary according to the nature and complexity of the operation.
It also introduces requirements involving aircraft airworthiness acceptance, operating personnel, maintenance, and collision avoidance. The objective is not simply to allow drones to fly farther, but to create a regulatory structure under which these flights can occur safely and repeatedly.
However, as of October 2026, the final rule has not been published; its provisions remain subject to change, and mapping companies cannot yet assume that the requirements described in the NPRM will become law.
Why BVLOS Could Transform the Economics of Mapping
For the geospatial industry, the principal attraction of BVLOS is not necessarily the ability to fly greater distances. It is the possibility of collecting more information with fewer interruptions, fewer personnel movements, and more efficient deployment of expensive equipment.
Consider a company contracted to map a long highway corridor.
Under conventional visual line of sight operations, the crew may need to relocate repeatedly along the route, establish new launch locations, coordinate visual observers, and divide the project into multiple flight segments.
Every relocation consumes time. Every interruption adds operational complexity. And every additional field day affects the profitability of the contract.
Routine BVLOS could fundamentally alter that workflow.
A fixed-wing aircraft, particularly well-suited to long flights, could potentially cover much longer sections of the corridor without requiring the ground crew to follow it continuously. Depending on the aircraft, terrain, airspace, and authorization, fewer launches and fewer crew relocations could translate into substantial productivity improvements.
The same logic applies to utility corridors, railroads, agricultural properties, mining operations, and environmental monitoring.
There is also an important technological dimension. Modern photogrammetric cameras and LiDAR sensors can acquire data at rates that would have been difficult to imagine when Part 107 was introduced in 2016. Aircraft endurance, navigation systems, and automated mission planning have also improved dramatically.
In many cases, the limitation is the operational envelope in which the aircraft is permitted to fly, and not any technology or sensor restriction.
BVLOS could help remove that constraint.
It could also accelerate the transition from occasional aerial surveys toward continuous geospatial monitoring. Infrastructure owners increasingly want to compare conditions over time rather than commission isolated mapping projects.
Regular flights over the same corridor, facility, or geographic area could make change detection, asset inspection, and digital twin maintenance more practical. But there is a crucial qualification: BVLOS authorization does not automatically guarantee better economics.
Longer flights require reliable communications, adequate energy reserves, appropriate aircraft performance, and effective contingency procedures. Survey accuracy must still satisfy the client’s requirements, and larger coverage areas may generate additional processing and quality-control costs. The value of Part 108 will ultimately depend on whether the operational efficiencies exceed the cost of meeting its requirements.
A New Competitive Landscape for Surveying Companies
Perhaps the most consequential aspect of Part 108 is that it could change who can compete effectively in the aerial mapping market.
Today, a small surveying company can purchase a capable drone, train a Part 107 pilot, acquire processing software, and begin offering aerial mapping services with a relatively modest investment. That accessibility has helped democratize aerial data collection. BVLOS operations under Part 108 could introduce a different economic equation.
Depending on the final requirements, companies may need aircraft with accepted airworthiness configurations, sophisticated collision-avoidance capabilities, more formal operating procedures, specialized personnel training, and access to supporting data services.
The proposed companion Part 146 framework would regulate automated data service providers that support certain BVLOS operations, adding another dimension to the emerging operational ecosystem. For a large geospatial company operating a fleet of aircraft across multiple states, investments in compliance systems and supporting technology could be distributed across hundreds or thousands of missions.
For a small land surveying firm operating two drones, those same investments might be difficult to justify.
This raises an uncomfortable possibility: a regulation intended to expand access to BVLOS could simultaneously create new economic barriers to entry.
Large operators might benefit from economies of scale, while smaller companies could find themselves increasingly dependent on specialized aircraft manufacturers, software platforms, service providers, or larger aviation partners.
Another possibility is the emergence of a two-tier market.
Smaller firms could continue performing conventional VLOS mapping under Part 107, while larger operators concentrate on long-range corridor surveys, regional infrastructure monitoring, and recurring BVLOS contracts.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that division of labor. Different companies already specialize in different types of geospatial work.
The concern is whether regulatory compliance becomes a more important competitive advantage than surveying expertise, data quality, or customer service.
There is also the question of professional responsibility.
Part 108 would regulate aviation operations, not replace state surveying laws or professional standards. An aircraft operating legally BVLOS flights would not automatically produce survey-grade deliverables.
Ground control placement, geodetic reference systems, calibration, accuracy assessment, and professional certification will remain essential where applicable.
That distinction matters because the future of drone mapping will be shaped by two parallel developments: the increasing automation of aerial data acquisition and the continuing need for geospatial expertise to turn those observations into reliable information.
For mapping companies, the challenge is determining whether BVLOS fits their business model, their potential clientele, whether their customers will pay for the additional capability, and whether the regulatory and technological investment will generate a reasonable return.
Part 108 has the potential to become the most important regulatory development for commercial drone mapping since Part 107. But its ultimate significance will be measured by how many mapping companies can turn that freedom into sustainable, profitable operations.
And that remains the industry’s unanswered question.
