The company said its newly acquired Velocity Geomatics enters a stronger Western Canadian market, with Q2 2026 oil prices up about 45% year over year and more than US$500 billion of sector investment expected over the next decade.
ZenaTech said its Drone as a Service (DaaS) business in Western Canada is entering a more supportive market after its July 2026 acquisition of Velocity Geomatics, a Grande Prairie, Alberta-based geomatics company focused on drone-based regulatory and environmental surveys for oil and gas producers. The company said stronger producer cash flow, helped by second-quarter 2026 oil prices that were approximately 45% higher than a year earlier, and a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) forecast for more than US$500 billion of Canadian oil and gas investment over the next decade could support demand for drone-enabled surveying, inspection, mapping and environmental monitoring services. ZenaTech described Velocity as its first acquisition specifically focused on geomatics for environmental and regulatory compliance in oil and gas. Velocity operates from four offices across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and serves regional and international producers. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Shaun Passley, Ph.D., said about 80% of Velocity's current projects already use drone-based workflows, which he said provides an established platform and customer base for expanding services. The release framed autonomous drones as a growing operational tool across the energy sector, where companies use AI (Artificial Intelligence), LiDAR (laser-based distance mapping), thermal imaging and high-resolution cameras for pipeline inspections, methane detection, refinery checks, construction monitoring and asset management. It cited forecasts for the global commercial drone market to grow from about $41 billion in 2025 to more than $95 billion by 2030, with some long-range projections topping $160 billion by 2034, while the drone surveying and mapping market was described as rising from roughly $2.5 billion to more than $8 billion by 2033. The statement also pointed to recurring demand drivers for DaaS, including new drilling, enhanced recovery, infrastructure expansion, environmental programs, and asset retirement and reclamation work tied to regulatory requirements. It highlighted Chevron Corporation, Halliburton, ExxonMobil Holdings Corporation and Occidental Petroleum as examples of companies using drones for inspections, emissions detection, monitoring and safety-related tasks. The release said continued energy infrastructure spending, automation and environmental compliance needs could create a long-term tailwind for intelligent drone solutions, while cautioning that forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties.