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Patrick Meier: Learning from Conservation UAV Campaigns — with Comment on 21st Century Neighborhood Watch, Alternative ISR, Citizen Intelligence

What Humanitarians Can Learn from Conservation UAVs I recently joined my fellow National Geographic Emergency Explorer colleague Shah Selbe on his first expedition of SoarOcean, which seeks to leverage low-cost UAVs for Ocean protection. Why did I participate in an expedition that seemingly had nothing to do with humanitarian response? Because the conservation space is well …

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Patrick Meier: Humanitarian UAV Strategy

Humanitarian UAV Network: Strategy for 2014-2015 The purpose of the Humanitarian UAV Network (UAViators) is to guide the responsible and safe use of small UAVs in humanitarian settings while promoting information sharing and enlightened policymaking. As I’ve noted in the past, UAVs are already being used to support a range of humanitarian efforts. So the question …

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Patrick Meier: An Introduction to Humanitarian UAVs – Comment by Robert Steele

An Introduction to Humanitarian UAVs and their Many Uses Satellite images have been used to support humanitarian efforts for decades. Why? A bird’s eye view of a disaster-affected area simply captures far more information than most Earth-based data-collection technologies can. In short, birds have more situational awareness than we do. In contrast to satellites, UAVs offer significantly …

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Patrick Meier: Operational Checklist for Flying UAVs in Humanitarian Settings

An Operational Check-List for Flying UAVs in Humanitarian Settings The Humanitarian UAV Network (UAViators) has taken off much faster than I expected. More than 240 members in 32 countries have joined the network since it’s launch just a few weeks ago. I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of humanitarian organizations that got in touch with me …

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Patrick Meier: Humanitarian UAV Network

The Humanitarian UAV Network (UAViators) is now live. Click here to access and join the network. Advisors include representatives from 3D Robotics, AirDroids, senseFly & DroneAdventures, OpenRelief, ShadowView Foundation, ICT4Peace Foundation, the United Nations and more. The website provides a unique set of resources, including the most comprehensive case study of humanitarian UAV deployments, a directory of organizations …

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Patrick Meier: Humanitarians Using UAVs for Post Disaster Recovery

Humanitarians Using UAVs for Post Disaster Recovery I recently connected with senseFly’s Adam Klaptocz who founded the non-profit group DroneAdventures to promote humanitarian uses of UAVs. I first came across Adam’s efforts last year when reading about his good work in Haiti, which demonstrated the unique role that UAV technology & imagery can play in post-disaster contexts. DroneAdventures has also …

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Launching a Search [Eyes] and Rescue [Payload] Challenge for [Mini] Drone / UAV Pilots

Launching a Search and Rescue Challenge for Drone / UAV Pilots My colleague Timothy Reuter (of AidDroids fame) kindly invited me to co-organize the Drone/UAV Search and Rescue Challenge for the DC Drone User Group. The challenge will take place on May 17th near Marshall in Virginia. The rules for the competition are based on the …

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