Drones for humanitarian action: use cases and data responsibility

In recent years, the emergence of drones has revolutionized the way we approach challenges and opportunities in sustainable development. Drones, also known as Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), have transcended their military origins to become versatile tools for a wide range of applications. From environmental monitoring and conservation efforts to infrastructure development and disaster response, drones have proven to be serviceable for promoting sustainable practices across the globe. As we strive to address pressing environmental issues and achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the innovative use of drones is emerging as a promising tool. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of drone use cases that have emerged from these activities in Malawi and how they support broader development issues, as well as to provide an introduction to the workflow and skills required.

This report was created by a team from the University of Twente - Faculty ITC, UNICEF ESARO, and UNICEF Malawi. This manuscript is part of the Disastrous Information: Embedding “Do No Harm” principles into innovative geo-intelligence workflows for effective humanitarian action’ project (grant number MVI.19.007) funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and UNICEF.