Measure—a global UAS operator that provides data to enterprise customers—has received authorization from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate more than 300 drone types for a broad range of commercial applications.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in New York, Africa, Australia and Europe, Measure called the approval “a significant move forward for the commercial drone industry.” The Section 333 exemption also made Measure the first business in Washington to receive FAA approval for commercial flights.

“Measure is in the process of building its fleet,” said Brandon Torres Declet, the company’s CEO. “We believe that the future of the industry is services, not hardware. Our business model is not one size fits all. We worked with the FAA to have access to the widest range of options.”

Declet said Measure’s “drone as a service” model is focused on offering turnkey solutions to customers in agriculture, energy, insurance, infrastructure and other sectors. He stressed that the company takes a “platform agnostic” approach which focuses on data rather than the UAS providing it.

The FAA exemption makes it easier for Measure to operate a fleet of UAS to serve a broad range of customers.

“Submitting a new request to the FAA every time we needed a different type of drone is time-consuming and inefficient,” Declet explained.

Asked what it means for Measure to be the first nationwide drone service company, Declet told UAS Magazine, “It means in addition to being able to fly anywhere in the U.S., we are also capable of providing customers with a standardized and predictable service that is also safe, legal and insured.”

And, he added, “While the FAA’s blanket COA enables us to fly across the U.S. below 200 feet, our exemption for more than 300 aircraft gives us the toolset to serve a diverse set of customers.”