Wie können Drohnen Schäden nach Naturkatastrophen besser beurteilen?

Drones have played a significant role in disaster response efforts for several years, particularly in scenarios such as earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. They have proven invaluable to first responders by providing high-quality images and even real-time mapping immediately following natural disasters.

Drone data offers asset operators an invaluable tool for disaster progress monitoring through frequent, high-resolution aerial mapping. By providing hourly or twice-daily updates in an emergency response situation, drone data enables operators to swiftly assess the evolving situation, identify critical areas, and allocate resources effectively, ultimately enhancing response and mitigation efforts. Leveraging this real-time insight, stakeholders can make informed decisions, optimize response strategies, and mitigate the impact of disasters on infrastructure and communities.

The primary advantage of using drones for mapping large and intricate areas, compared to satellite imagery, lies in their ability to capture live data and deliver higher image quality. Drones offer swift coverage of sizable areas, surpassing satellites in Ground Sampling Distance (GSD), which enhances detail. Moreover, drones can operate effectively even when cloud cover obstructs satellite imagery, ensuring clear and timely data acquisition.

Drones can conduct aerial surveys of affected areas, capturing high-resolution images and videos that provide comprehensive views of the damage. This allows responders to assess the extent of destruction across large areas quickly.

In contrast to manned helicopters, drones offer a substantial cost reduction for mapping areas post-natural disasters. Furthermore, their utilization by Public Safety Entities mitigates risks for ground personnel, enhancing overall safety during operations.

Drones can transmit real-time data to command centers or response teams, allowing for on-the-fly analysis and decision-making. This real-time monitoring capability helps prioritize response efforts and allocate resources effectively.

When responding to a natural disaster, drones are a tool, not the main character. It is essential that your drone use actually supports and is coordinated with the work of the disaster response organisations onsite. The best time to ensure this is before a disaster occurs - talk to them and learn how you may be able to support. Under no circumstances should you simply turn up and endanger lives by trying to help. If properly coordinated, the output at the end of the processing chain (!) of the input captured by the drone can be an incredibly useful tool - in ways that may surprise you, e.g. by providing printed, up-to-date paper maps.

In recent years, drones have proven to be invaluable tools for first responders in various crises. Examples include their deployment during the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria in 2023, wildfires in Greece and Italy, and floods in Germany in 2021, where they provided critical data for response efforts.

Drones can navigate through debris, damaged structures, and hazardous terrain that may be inaccessible or dangerous for humans. This ability enables them to reach remote or isolated areas to assess damage where traditional methods may be impractical or unsafe.