I think there is a need for more platforms that isolate the 'mission systems' parts from the flight controls systems. There are tons of applications that should not require developers to become a controls engineer to implement.
Yes, I agree. That's a large part of why I found this particular quadcopter project attractive. I am interested in a fairly specific project that is much more about how the quadcopter is used than about the science of keeping it stable, aloft, and responsive.