谷歌、Facebook争相收购无人机之谜

    但一个经常被忽视的、无人机技术真正可能造福Facebook的领域，是反向移动的数据。现在，Facebook拥有关于用户的海量数据，但对于它尚未占据的市场，Facebook知之甚少。相比之下，谷歌的收购行动以及它与第三方的独家协议为它提供了各种各样的信息，从驱动谷歌地图（Google Maps）的丰富地理空间数据，到那些使用其Nest智能家居技术的用户的能源使用和生活习惯，提供了有用得多的世界概况，以及更广泛的谷歌能提供的服务。

    随着无人机群上天，Facebook可以开始自行搜集专有地理空间数据、航空影像、流量数据以及气象数据，同时还能将上述信息集成到新产品中，或者卖给有需要的企业，就像谷歌所做的一样。至少对于无人机是如此。其它一些公司也宣称打算这么干。

    邦杰说：“对于Facebook、谷歌等公司而言，他们知道自己在这个领域需要一个立足点。另外还有许多类似的领域，他们必须在那些领域展开竞争，以掌握相关技术。现在，他们并不清楚这些技术到底有什么用。没有人真正清楚。”

    Facebook花费2000万美元收购Ascenta，从而获得无人机领域的入场券，据报Facebook原本打算以三倍的价格收购泰坦。谷歌收购泰坦的条款尚未披露，但无论最终的收购价是多少，很可能都将值回票价。这两桩收购案引起了其它无人机公司的关注。这些公司大都是小型私人企业，掌握着各种竞争性技术，等着看客户——又或是未来的企业霸主——将如何利用这些技术。

    邦杰表示，随着美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）以及其他民航当局开始放宽政策，允许无人机在民用空域进行商业运营，更多的无人机技术收购案似乎注定即将上演。他们不只是形象工程，而是有竞争力的技术组合的必要组成部分。

    谈到最近的收购案，邦杰说：“对这些公司而言，这些收购案都是极佳的战略举措。我不知道WhatsApp的估值究竟为什么那么高，我完全无法想象。但这些——虚拟现实显示器Oculus Rift；Facebook与谷歌进行的这两桩无人机收购案；大量与可穿戴设备相关的技术；陆地、海上和空中自动机器人系统；以及与运算所有获得的数据有关的技术——这些都是下一轮竞争大战中所需要的武器。“（财富中文网）

    译者：项航

    But one oft-overlooked area where UAS technology could really be a boon for Facebook is in data moving the other direction. Right now, Facebook owns mountains of data on its users, but relatively little on the parts of the world that aren't already connected to Facebook. Comparatively, Google's acquisitions and exclusive deals with third parties provide it with everything from the rich trove of geospatial data that powers Google Maps to the energy use and living habits of those using its Nest smart home technology, providing a far more robust picture of the world and a wider range of services it can provide.

    With a fleet of UAS in the sky, Facebook could begin gathering its own proprietary geospatial data, aerial imagery, traffic data, meteorological data -- information that it could then integrate into new products or sell to companies that need it, much like Google does and other companies threaten to do, at least with regard to drones.

    "For Facebook and Google and those guys, they know they need a toehold in this space," Bünger says. "There are a hundred other areas like that where they're having to compete now to get a toehold in the technology, and they can't really know right now what they're going to use it for. Nobody really knows."

    At $20 million, Facebook found its way into the drone space for a third of what it was reportedly going to pay to acquire Titan. The terms of Google's purchase of Titan haven't yet been disclosed, but whatever the final figure, it will likely be worth it. The acquisitions certainly have the attention of the rest of the drone industry, which now largely consists of small, privately held companies sitting on various competing technologies that are waiting to see how customers -- or perhaps future corporate overlords -- will put them to work.

    With the FAA and other civil aviation authorities moving toward policies that allow for the commercial operation of drones in civilian airspace, it seems a foregone conclusion at this point that more drone technology acquisitions are in the offing, Bünger says. They're not just vanity projects, but necessary pieces of a competitive technology portfolio.

    "For these companies these are very well-placed strategic bets," Bünger says of the recent acquisitions. "I don't know why in the world WhatsApp was valued the way it was, I can't even imagine. But these things -- Oculus Rift; both of these drone acquisitions by Facebook and Google; a lot of this technology that has to do with wearables; autonomous robotic systems on land, sea, and air; technologies that have to do with crunching all the data that you get from all these things -- those are the weapons you need to have with you going into the next competitive battles."