The role of UAVs in development contexts: 5 things we’ve learned from our UAV pilots
Since 2016 the Frontier Technology (FT) Hub has supported seven teams to test the potential of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) in international development contexts, through the UKAid funded Livestreaming programme.
Recently, the Hub, along with our UAV expert Nigel Breyley, has been reflecting on what we’ve learned about UAVs, their application in international development contexts, and what this means for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Through a review of pilot documentation and interviews with pilot implementers and pioneers, the FT Hub has gathered learning from across our UAV pilots (ranging from using UAV imagery and machine learning to automatically classify road conditions in Tanzania, to Deploying drones to tackle desert locust swarms in East Africa and multi-purpose UAV operations in Malawi) and identified a set of good practices for utilisation of UAVs in development sector use cases.
The partners we’ve worked with have demonstrated that UAV technology can work in frontier contexts and, outside of the Frontier Technologies programme Hub, organisations such as Zipline are running at-scale operations. From a technology point-of-view, UAVs have shown that they can provide reliable and effective cargo, mapping, and other services. UAVs are no longer a technology that needs to be piloted, we need to focus on understanding the use case where UAVS can add value to existing systems and provide value for money solutions.
But, before you add UAVs into the mix, here are five things worth considering:
- UAVs should be “plugged in” to solve a specific problem
Before engaging a UAV partner, it is crucial to think through which specific problem (or part of the problem) UAVs can solve in a wider system. For example, in a healthcare supply chain, this might be emergency deliveries of blood or laboratory samples. The specific role UAVs should play depends largely on value for money, regulatory and ethical considerations, as well as the capabilities of the UAV partner. Moving beyond pilots to sustainable solutions, projects need to consider UAVs as part of the solution and consider where, when and how they might be deployed to solve a specific problem and weigh their costs and benefits against alternative solutions.
“We’ve been struggling to find viability, even in the commercial sector, but what has become clear is that there are definite use cases where we are adding value to the supply chain”
ZUHEB, PROGRAM LEAD, AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS, UNICEF
2. Think beyond the technology when identifying a partner
Selecting the best fit implementer requires considerations beyond tech capabilities, such as the need for both community engagement and stakeholder management, along with the ability to navigate regulatory approvals. Consider the consortium of partners needed to operate, maintain and manage the technology and bring the operational or in-country experience to effectively implement their solution.
The Humanitarian Code of Conduct and Guidelines is a useful reference for those operating in emergency response environments.
3. The presence of enabling regulations is crucial
The UAV industry is still relatively immature and lacks the required regulations and standards found in manned aviation. The extent of regulations varies across countries and, more specifically, regulations for UAVs operating Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) are often less developed. The WFP Regulation and Operation Technical Working Group is a useful platform for coordination and exchange of ideas for best practice in the humanitarian sector.
You can find information on Country Regulations on the International Civil Aviation Organisation website.
4. Transition to local teams when appropriate
UAV pilots are often led by international teams, which can disempower local stakeholders and affect the long-term sustainability of the proposed solution. Implementers should consider transitioning to include local staff when feasible and appropriate. Local training centres should also be supported to expand their capabilities, especially in BVLOS practices. Swoop Aero, who were the implementers of the FT Hub-supported Sustained UAV Operations pilot, had great success on boarding a local team, including UAV pilots.
“Following three months of intensive training with the African Drone and Data Academy, I successfully graduated as a drone pilot in March, just two days prior to the complete shutdown of all educational institutions throughout the country as part of the national Government’s efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. I have been privileged to utilise my background in aviation and air traffic control to work with Swoop Aero as an independent consultant and contribute to strengthening the local health supply chain as well as the health outcomes of the Malawian population.”
BOSCO, SWOOP AERO PILOT AND ADDA GRADUATE
5. Value for money remains a key question
It has been demonstrated that UAVs can offer solutions to real challenges, for example timely deliveries to remote health clinics or more targeted crop spraying (see more use cases in this report from the Africa Drones Forum) and while pilots have sought to uncover cost drivers and have generated some valuable learning in this area, whether UAVs present a value for money solution, or in which circumstances they may do so, remains a challenging question to answer.
The cost of UAV systems varies depending on the use case, and therefore the type of drone or UAV appropriate for the task, the location and distances involved, the length of operations (emergency response or sustainable operations) and the existence of infrastructure. Therefore, it’s critical to start by understanding the problem, only then can you assess if drones are a suitable and affordable solution. The UAV for Payload Delivery Working Group has collated useful resources for assessing cost effectiveness.
What Next?
We’ve selected an eighth UAV pilot as part of the latest Livestreaming Cohort and will be working with a team based in Nepal to test whether UAVs can be embedded into the national health system. This builds on the Frontier Tech programme’s UAV work to date, and our implementing partners’ (Options Consultancy and Nepal Flying Labs) own learning from piloting UAVs for transporting tuberculosis samples in Nepal.
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You can read the full report here.
What is the frontier of UAV systems for social impact, and what do you think of the current sector? Please comment in the space below!
