Event Summary
Organization: GFDRR
Session Lead
- Vica Rosario Bogaerts, DRM Specialist, GFDRR
Description
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also commonly known as drones) are often associated with controversial military operations. However, over the few last years a new generation of drones has emerged focused on supporting humanitarian and civilian actions. For example, NASA uses drones to collect data on tropical storm intensity, and drones were used to produce aerial imagery during the 2013 Colorado floods. In India, UAVs made a reconnaissance of 50 flood-affected areas in Uttarakhand, where at least 20 areas had been inaccessible to relief workers. While the costs of acquiring drones have gone down and societal benefits are significant, the public use of drones poses a number of unique challenges. This session provides a platform to explore how drones can be used as an effective tool for mapping, surveying, 3D modeling, and enhancing search and rescue operations in the aftermath of a disaster, and to discuss how to build broader government acceptance on the public use of drones.
Chair: Joaquin Toro, Senior DRM Specialist