Drone risk assessment startup SkyWatch Insurance Services Inc. has launched what it claims is the world’s first app that combines safe drone use combined with on-demand insurance.

The SkyWatch app, available for both iOS and Android combines both a product and service. The safe drone use aspect allows both business and recreation drone operators to plan their drone flight, using a variety of data sources, including drone sensors, weather mapping, 3-D airspace mapping and crowd density. They’re run through an artificial intelligence platform to predict and prevent failures before they occur.

A preflight planning product not only allows drone operators to plan their drone flight in advance, but to reduce the risks of a drone crash or failure.

For the twist, the app also offers on-demand drone insurance. Drone insurance isn’t new, but where SkyWatch differs is that it not only encourages safe drone usage through the preflight planning aspect of the app, it then uses the data from each drone flight, including telemetry data from DJI drones, to calculate the cost of on-demand insurance for future flights.

In what could be described as social engineering coming to flying drones, safe drone operators who not only use the planning aspect of the app, but also safely fly their drones each time, are then offered cheaper insurance for future drone flights. That’s a win for safety, a win for the drone user and, of course, a win for the company itself, given that it gathers real-time data on the risk assessment of issuing insurance to any individual drone operator.

“Drone operators need a solution that caters to their needs,” Tomer Kashi, SkyWatch chief executive officer, said in a statement. “Our platform doesn’t only offer insurance, or safety — but marks a new era in drone insurance, where safer pilots can be rewarded for their efforts to fly safe, and actually pay less on their insurance premiums.”

There are some limitations with the service. At least for now, drones using the program must be under 55 pounds. And though the service isn’t limited by manufacturer, DJI drones are given an advantage because of their ability to share additional flight data.

SkyWatch, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, has raised $2 million to date from Verizon Ventures, Kaedan and F2 Capital. The insurance offered is underwritten by the aviation insurance arm of STARR International Co. Inc.

Images: SkyWatch