UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), also known as drones and RPAS, are used more and more in various fields for imagery, transport and other purposes. Humanitarian organisations, but also actors not traditionally involved in humanitarian action have started to use these tools in humanitarian settings as well.

“Drones in Humanitarian Action” is an in-depth analysis of the role that drones (also known as UAVs or RPASs) can play in humanitarian crises. It is based on two years of research as well as multiple stakeholder consultations by the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD), CartONG, UAViators and the Zoi Environment Network as part of the EU-ECHO funded research initiative “Drones in Humanitarian Action”.
At the core of the research were 14 case studies from 10 countries that looked at the impact of drones in situations ranging from search and rescue, to damage assessments and camp management to transporting medical samples.