Abstract
In 2014, the Red Cross facilitated a humanitarian exploration of eight emerging technologies, including drones, with the vision that they can help strengthen resilience in urban communities. Nearly 1000 collaborators were engaged, including at-risk community members, technologists, business leaders, government officials, academics, researchers, humanitarians and other stakeholders, through this global dialogue. The results define Eight Criteria for Resilience-Strengthening Solutions, and five key recommendations based on community-level requests and humanitarian expertise. This chapter explains how emerging technologies were chosen, the many ways they can help urban dwellers cope with emergencies; drones were identified for temporarily restoring communications networks and delivering critical relief items such as medicines, post-disaster. Next, the chapter provides some remarks on integrating drones in humanitarian responses. Finally, it examines current humanitarian drone use and how this fits with the recommendations made by the global dialogue.
Keywords
The first part of this chapter has been based on the report “A vision for the Humanitarian Use of Emerging Technology for Emerging Needs: Strengthening Urban Resilience”, published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the American Red Cross in 2015.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
UNOCHA 2014, p. 3.
- 2.
UNOCHA 2014, p. 3.
- 3.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2013, p. 9.
- 4.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2013, p. 9.
- 5.
UNOCHA 2014, p. 3.
- 6.
Karlsrud and Rosén 2013, p. 27.
- 7.
UNOCHA 2014, p. 3.
- 8.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2015, p. 3.
- 9.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 2.
- 10.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 2.
- 11.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 2.
- 12.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2015, p. 10.
- 13.
Reid 2014, para 5.
- 14.
Shankland 2014, p. 1.
- 15.
Tech4resilience 2015, p. 1.
- 16.
UNOCHA 2014, p. 8.
- 17.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 147.
- 18.
UNOCHA 2014, p. 2.
- 19.
Karlsrud and Rosén 2013, p. 28.
- 20.
UNOCHA 2014, p. 2.
- 21.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 177.
- 22.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 177.
- 23.
Meier 2015a, p. 4.
- 24.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 147.
- 25.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 147.
- 26.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2012, p. 146.
- 27.
Meier 2015a, p. 1.
- 28.
UAViators: Humanitarian UAV Network. http://uaviators.org/. Accessed 1 April 2016.
- 29.
Cooper 2014, p. 1.
- 30.
Blyth 2013, p. 1.
- 31.
Blyth 2013, p. 1.
- 32.
Amato 2014, p. 1.
- 33.
Amato 2014, p. 1.
- 34.
- 35.
Amato 2014, p. 1.
- 36.
Klaptocz 2013, p. 1.
- 37.
UNOSAT 2012, p. 1.
- 38.
Schroeder 2013, p. 1.
- 39.
Chapman 2014, p. 1.
- 40.
Ferris-Rotman 2015, p. 1.
- 41.
Humanitarian UAV Network 2015.
- 42.
Netherlands Red Cross, p. 2.
- 43.
Netherlands Red Cross, p. 3.
- 44.
CERA, 2014 p. 1.
- 45.
Tech4resilience 2015, p. 1.
- 46.
Catholic Relief Services 2015, p. 1.
- 47.
UAViators: Humanitarian UAV Network. http://uaviators.org/. Accessed 1 April 2016.
- 48.
UAViators 2015, p. 2.
- 49.
Meier 2015b.
- 50.
Humanitarian UAV Network 2015.
References
Amato A (2014) Moving what matters with Matternet’s autonomous drones’, 19 Aug 2014. http://dronelife.com/2014/08/19/matternet-autonomous-drones-network/. Accessed 1 April 2016
Blyth F (2013) UN Peacekeeping deploys unarmed drones to Eastern Congo, 27 Feb 2013. http://theglobalobservatory.org/2013/02/un-peacekeeping-deploys-unarmed-drones-to-eastern-congo/. Accessed 1 April 2016
Catholic Relief Services (2015) CRS ICT4D Conference, 27 May 2015. https://crsict4dconference2015a.sched.org/event/871e4e58c8190e2d0a598cabb70ec634#.VikbsmThAy5. Accessed 1 April 2016
Chapman K. (2014) Support Haiyan/Yolanda Reconstruction: Contribute Public Use UAV (Drone) Imagery, 26 Jan 2014. http://hotosm.org/updates/uav_imagery_haiyan. Accessed 1 April 2016
CERA (2014) Community engagement framework, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA). http://cera.govt.nz/sites/default/files/common/20140806-community-engagement-framework_0.pdf. Accessed 1 April 2016
Cooper E (2014) Drones used in Christchurch Port Hills demolitions, 27 Jan 2014. http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/drones-used-in-christchurch-port-hills-demolitions-2014012717#axzz3pJYOUSZv. Accessed 1 April 2016
Ferris-Rotman A (2015) How drones are helping Nepal recover from the earthquake, 5 July 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/07/nepal-earthquake-drones_n_7232764.html. Accessed 1 April 2016
Humanitarian UAV Network (2015) MIT Lincoln Laboratory Beaver Works, authors notes, 9–10 Oct 2015
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2012) The road to resilience: bridging relief and development for a more sustainable future. http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/96178/1224500-Road%20to%20resilience-EN-LowRes%20(2).pdf. Accessed 24 July 2015
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2013) World Disasters Report: Focus on technology and the future of humanitarian action. http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/134658/WDR%202013%20complete.pdf. Accessed 24 July 2015
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the American Red Cross (2015) A vision for the humanitarian use of emerging technology for emerging needs: strengthening urban resilience. http://tech4resilience.blogspot.ch/. Accessed at 24 July 2015
Karlsrud J, Rosén F (2013) In the eye of the beholder? UN and the use of drones to protect civilians. Stab Int J Secur Dev, pp 2–27
Klaptocz A (2013) Drone adventure in Haiti. http://blog.droneadventures.org/post/85864746895/drone-adventure-in-haiti. Accessed 24 July 2015
Meier P (2015a) Humanitarian UAV missions: towards best practice. UAViators, Humanitarian UAV, Network 4
Meier P (2015b) Humanitarian UAV missions in Nepal: early observations (Updated) http://irevolution.net/2015/05/03/humanitarian-uav-missions-nepal/. Accessed 27 Oct 2015
Reid M (2014) Grounding drones: Big Brother’s tool box needs regulation not elimination. Richmond J Law Technol 9—para 5
Schroeder A (2013) Civil drones improve humanitarian response in the Philippines. http://www.directrelief.org/2013/12/civil-drones-improve-humanitarian-response-philippines/. Accessed 24 July 2015
Shankland S (2014) Why our drone future is for real—someday. CNET, http://www.cnet.com/news/why-our-drone-future-is-for-real-someday/. Accessed 24 July 2015
Taylor C (2013) How Matternet wants to bring drone delivery to the people who need it most. http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/10/how-matternet-wants-to-bring-drone-delivery-to-the-people-who-need-it-most/. Accessed 24 July 2015
Tech4Resilience (2015) Unmanned aerial vehicles: what we learned from the dialogue. http://www.tech4resilience.org/unmanned-aerial-vehicles.html. Accessed 1 April 2016
The Guardian (2013) Flying aid drones tested in Haiti and Dominican Republic. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/jan/09/flying-aid-drones-haiti-dominican-republic. Accessed 24 July 2015
UAViators (2015) Humanitarian UAV code of conduct and guidelines. humanitarian UAV network, http://uaviators.org/. Accessed 20 Oct 2015
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2014) Unmanned aerial vehicles in humanitarian response. https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/Unmanned%20Aerial%20Vehicles%20in%20Humanitarian%20Response%20OCHA%20July%202014.pdf. Accessed 24 July 2015
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (2012) UNOSAT carries out first UAV mission for IOM in Haiti. http://www.unitar.org/unosat-carries-out-first-uav-mission-iom-haiti. Accessed 24 July 2015
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 T.M.C. Asser press and the authors
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Martini, T., Lynch, M., Weaver, A., van Vuuren, T. (2016). The Humanitarian Use of Drones as an Emerging Technology for Emerging Needs. In: Custers, B. (eds) The Future of Drone Use. Information Technology and Law Series, vol 27. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-132-6_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-132-6_7
Published:
Publisher Name: T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague
Print ISBN: 978-94-6265-131-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-6265-132-6
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)