Eyes in the Sky: Increasing the Efficacy of Drones in Disaster Response.

When natural disasters strike, a clock begins ticking for first responders. Every minute that passes could be the difference between life and death for survivors. A 2016 study found that victims recovered from collapsed structures within 30 minutes had a very promising survival rate of 91 percent. However, this percentage plummets as hours pass, and of victims recovered after 48 hours under rubble, a staggering 64 percent perish. Time is key, but first responders cannot jeopardize their safety by rushing into potentially hazardous conditions without sufficient situational awareness. This is where drones, specifically camera-equipped quadcopters, can provide invaluable operational support.

The advantages of drones stem mostly from their mobility and ease of operation. If properly prepared, drones can begin imaging much faster than repositioning a satellite or launching a helicopter. Drones can properly image in overcast conditions that would occlude a satellite and don’t require helicopter landing pads which may be obstructed or destroyed. Finally, a handful of drones can provide ground-level imagery of response areas from multiple angles. Unlike bird’s eye imagery, drones can provide “real-time situational awareness” to first responders. This includes both more detailed hazard identification and structural stability assessment for responders, but also thermal imaging drones which can support efforts to locate survivors in a collapsed structure.  

These benefits have been recognized for decades, with the first drones being deployed for search and rescue (SAR) in 2005. These efforts were limited by an out-of-touch regulatory environment which struggled to adapt to the new technology. This meant that most early drone SAR support efforts were conducted by high-altitude military surveillance drones, which negated the benefits discussed above. In 2016 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cleared the way for smaller, personal drones to be used in non-hobbyist capacities and American disaster relief agencies moved to integrate civilian drones into their response efforts. Building on the work of international counterparts who deployed civilian drones throughout the period, perhaps most notably in assessing damage after the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi Disaster. Drones were deployed following the catastrophic Hurricanes Irma and Harvey in 2017. These efforts were assessed after the fact by researchers who found that “the tasking of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) missions and UAV-captured data flows were nonstandard and often opaque.”  

Multiple government agencies, from FEMA to the Air National Guard, deployed drones in SAR capacities following these storms. Individual agencies decided when and where they would fly their drones, with limited coordination amongst responders. Civilian groups, academic institutions, and NGOs also deployed drones in SAR efforts. To round out this crowded airspace, journalists operated drones for documentation throughout relief efforts.  

Despite this somewhat jumbled response, drones were able to flex their operational advantages. Drone teams, including volunteer organizations operating with GoFundMe donations, were able to support first responders and disaster victims. When researchers interviewed teams who deployed drones, they found that some of these volunteer efforts were hindered by a lack of FAA approval for their operations.  Although the FAA did much to remove regulatory red tape for civilian non-hobbyist drone operations in 2016, civilian operators still require FAA approval to operate in or near restricted airspace. While many were able to secure this approval, others expressed concerns over the approval process or operated outside of the FAA’s system. 

The FAA regulations do allow a wide berth for drone operators who secure approval. They also ensure that drone operators are not interfering with traditional aircraft facilitating critical SAR operations.  Recognizing this, the best policy for increasing drone SAR support efficacy is not curtailing the FAA’s regulatory system, but more thoroughly preparing and coordinating drone response efforts.

A recent survey from Bard College’s Center for the Study of Drones found that over 900 state and local first responder agencies already deploy drones for mission support in their day-to-day operations.  Further, universities, volunteer SAR groups, and individual civilians all operate drones, as seen following the 2017 hurricanes. The technological advantages of drones in disaster response are clear, and drones are already proliferated in significant numbers across the nation. To fully unleash the disaster response capabilities of these drones, all that is required is a system that can coordinate and support these piecemeal operators into a unified body.

A federal agency, FEMA being the most logical option, should institute a “Registered Responder Network” (RNN). This network would encompass all camera-equipped drone operators willing to volunteer as natural disaster responders. The support provided by the federal agency would include the following:

• FAA Coordination: The agency would provide online resources to ensure that state and local agencies are in compliance with FAA regulations, preventing confusion or delay when drones begin natural disaster response.
• Software Support:  Researchers have recently formulated a grid-based search pattern protocol for drones conducting SAR support. The agency would refine this system, perhaps combining it with cutting-edge innovations in AI-driven autonomous pathing and identification for drones. Then, the software would be made available for registered responders to allow them to increase the efficiency and autonomy of their SAR efforts. AI-driven software which improves drones capabilities to independently navigate and image landscapes and structures already exist in the private sector.  
• Responder Coordination: The agency would provide an online portal for registered responders to constantly upload updated information to a geotagged interactive map. This portal would be accessible to all registered responders, as well as state, local, and federal first responders.  

Budgeting realities may require adaptation or limitation of these proposals, but at its core this system would overcome the coordination issues which have limited earlier drone SAR efforts. It would also capitalize on the already large number of advanced drones throughout the nation while not requiring large amounts of federal funding to facilitate nationwide coverage. No purchase or construction of physical infrastructure would be necessary. A team of software engineers and disaster response experts could design the network and its supporting elements rapidly as it is based entirely on existing technology and research. So much progress has been made in the life-saving field of drone-supported SAR efforts, hopefully this proposal can act as another step on the path of modernizing American disaster response.

Written by Colson Grimes, Public Policy Intern