In the past decade, an increased number of humanitarian operations have benefited from the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones. With their higher resolution and flexibility, drones offer an effective way to capture aerial imagery for multiple purposes including damage assessment, population displacement, land registering, situation monitoring and disaster preparedness and risk mitigation efforts.  As an example, especially in large-scale sudden onset disaster situations, arranging the aid distribution to the affected area requires knowledge about the road accessibility. Acquiring this information with a land-based assessment is time consuming, while a deployment of a helicopter costs a lot of money. In the meanwhile, the weather conditions may not be ideal for tasking of satellites. In such circumstances, drones may provide a fast and cost-effective method for obtaining the required imagery and knowledge.

As with the satellite imagery, drones also come with a range of practical, technical and ethical limitations that should be taken into account when considering their deployment. While many industrialized countries have regulated the use of drones in their legislation, this is not usually the case with the least developed states. This does not mean that one should not check if any national or local regulation exists. For example, flying of drones might not be allowed at the proximity of airports or military sites. Beyong the legal issues, one should also consider the ethical issues, including the safety of the drones, as well as the accountability to the population in the area of interest. Are the people in the area - possibly just affected by a major disaster - aware if and why the drone(s) is being flown at the proximity of their homes?

Furthermore, as with all humanitarian processes especially in large-scale disasters, a coordinated approach is likely to help each stakeholder to make most out of the drone use. With proper coordination, we can avoid a situation where each actor is deploying their own drone, duplicating the effort while leaving behind other affected communities. 

Process (Draft version, TBC)

1. Setting the aims and objectives

As with the other technologies supporting the humanitarian efforts, UAVs should not be deployed without careful consideration for the added value they will bring to an operation. Good questions to ask oneself include:

  • What is the added value of the UAV imagery? Could alternative methods, such as satellite imagery or ground-based assessment do the same job?
  • Do I have the technical and professional capacity to make use of the UAV imagery? Do I have the sufficient analytical skills to intrpretand draw conclusions from the findings?
  • What will be the benefit for the affected communities?
  • What is the required resolution for the imagery? This is an important point to take into account as the resolution of different UAV cameras vary significantly. 

2. Determining the Area of Interest (AoI)

The process of determining and defining a sufficient AoI will depend of the scope and objectives of a project. For example, when mapping of a small-sized individual refugee camp with clear boundaries, the area within those boundaries will be the AoI. However, in the context of large-scale disasters such as earthquakes or tropical cyclones with impact on multiple districts, there might not be sufficient time to cover all the affected areas. In such situations, prioritization and/or sampling might be required for defining a suitable AoI. 

3. Identifying and procuring the UAV operator

In many humanitarian contexts, there might be already a business agreement in place with a relevant UAV operator. However, this is not necessarily always the case, especially in remote areas with low technological capacities. Ideally, as with any humanitarian procurement, a strong preference should be given to local operators, preferably those with a proven track record of quality services. An externally produced operator (including a non-local NGO or INGO) should be used only in case there is no local capacity or technology to deliver the requested services on time.

4. Specifications for the flying process

Variables such as the size of the AoI and the required image resolution will determine the flying distances, altitude and required time. Furthermore, those factors will affect if one or several flying rounds will be needed for capturing the required imagery in the correct resolution.

Normally, the drone operator will have an existing form to calculate the specifications for the image capturing process. In case no, Pix4D, a Switzerland-based photogammetry and UAV specialist company, provides a free form to conduct the calculations:

Pix4D: TOOLS - GSD calculator – Support (pix4d.com)

5. Flying the UAV, capturing the imagery

Depending on the size of the AoI and the image resolution, one or several UAV flights will be required for capturing the requested imagery. The larger the area and the higher the resolution, the longer will be the time needed for completing the UAV flying process. Consideration should also be given for the timetable of the flying process. In post-disaster situations, the type and degree of destruction - such as areas covered by flood water - should still be present. On the other hand, the majority of the UAV cameras are not strong enough for capturing high-quality imagery under rain or snow. Also, extreme cold temperatures may impact the UAV performance. Hence, 

5. Processing and analysing the imagery

The raw imagery captured by the UAV needs to be further processed in order to make the subsequent data useful for the operational needs. The first step is to stitch the multiple raw images into one unitary orthomosaic - this can be achieved with a commonplace GIS software, including ArcGIS Pro or QGIS. The same software can be further used for conducting the subsequent observations, analysis, sampling or any other objectives set in Phase 1. 

In addition to the desktop-based GIS software, the UAV imagery can be operationalized also on other platforms. For example, as part of the Missing Maps project, many permanent settlements and refugee camps have been crowd mapped with imagery captured by an UAV. 

Furthermore, the UAV orthomosaic can be made available on a dedicated UAV imagery sharing platform, such as the OpenAerialMap. When available here, any actor working in the same area can download and make use of the UAV imagery. This could be especially beneficial for long-term recovery or disaster risk reduction projects.

6. Sharing the findings

By making the UAV-derived analysis or other products available for public use, one can serve the entire humanitarian community in the disaster response, recovery and prevention efforts. Moreover, sharing of the analysis (rather than raw or processed data), humanitarian actors without excessive GIS or IM capacity will be able to use the products for their planning and decision-making.

However, certain factors, such as opposition from the local community or government, might prevent public sharing of the products, especially for very granulated data or analysis. On the other hand, sharing of the generalized findings - such as the number of houses destroyed or damaged by a hailstorm - might still be acceptable for all parties involved. Accordingly, as in all other phases, engagement with the local community (and government, where relevant) is essential for achieving a compromise.

In addition to the publication of the products, one should not forget to advertise them on the relevant Skype/Slack/Teams groups, email groups and social media channels (Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook).

UAV Standard Operational Procedures

UAV Code of Conduct

Humanitarian UAV Code of Conduct

Checklist

  • Calculate the cost and benefit ratio. While this involves calculating the costs of the UAV processes, also consider the temporal aspects. How much time can be won with the deployment of a UAV, instead of waiting for suitable satellite imagery to come? What will be the crucial impact on the number of human lives saved thanks to the UAV operation?
  • Familiarize yourself with the local law and regulations. Does the national or local legislation have any restrictions on the use of UAV? Will I need a permission for the UAV flying process? Also, am I able to use the UAV at all if my AoI at the proximity of an airport or a military site?
  • Check the availability of local UAV operators. Instead of directly bringing in an external UAV specialist, do you research on the local capacity. The global UAV network, Flying Labs, is a good place to start. Maybe there already a seasoned local UAV operator who could do the job for me?
  • Engage with the locals. Likewise, as part of the broader community engagement and accountability effort, the plan to use a UAV should be discussed with the concerned communities. The people living in the AoI should be made fully aware of the aims and objectives, along with the concrete benefits that can be achieved with the help of a UAV.
  • Communicate about your plans. Make the other humanitarian actors about your plan to use UAV. Perhaps someone else was also planning to do the same in the same area? Proper communication and coordination will help to avoid duplicating the effort and save valuable time for other activities.
  • Consider the weather conditions. If possible, avoid operating the UAVs under rain, snow, fog or full sunshine. Also, extreme cold or hot temperatures may compromise the performance of the device and the cameras
  • Share your findings. Unless prevented by legal, ethical or practical obstacles, it is good to make the UAV imagery and the subsequent findings available to the broader humanitarian community. Likewise, once available for public, remember to advertise these materials on the relevant communication channels.

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