The Drones, Data, and AI Solutions Platform for Disaster and Climate Resilience

The calamities of floods, landslides, and droughts are familiar antagonists in low- and middle-income countries. Often, they disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations, including those living in informal settlements and rural areas. Despite the presence of coordinated disaster response efforts for large-scale national and regional disasters, the majority of climate-related hazards occur on a smaller scale. They inflict significant damage on localized areas where resources and resilience efforts are limited. The impacts are far-reaching: loss of lives, damage to property and infrastructure, crop loss, disrupted socio-economic activities, and forced migration.

Even as local civil society organizations, National Disaster Management agencies, local and city governments, and community leaders step forward to combat these challenges, their efforts are often hindered. The absence of timely, locally relevant geospatial data and its insights creates a chasm between what could be and what is. In the face of this data gap, decisions for mitigation strategies and response coordination are made in the fog of incomplete knowledge, limiting their effectiveness. 

But these communities can be defined by their solutions rather than overshadowed by their challenges. The Drones, Data & AI Solutions Platform for Disaster and Climate Resilience is built on this belief. Developed by WeRobotics and Flying Labs, and supported by Esri, this is an open-source initiative designed to equip local stakeholders with the tools, knowledge, and connections to integrate drone/geospatial data into their decision-making processes for more targeted and collaborative disaster mitigation efforts. 

The Solutions Platform was born from a collaborative ideation process, and 2024 saw the launch of its pilot phase, which included the development of a prototype and the organization of a regional Drone, Data, and AI for Disaster Risk Management conference in South Africa. Having emerged from a deep understanding of the needs of vulnerable communities in the Global South, the platform's value lies in its ability to transform local knowledge into globally accessible resources, all while prioritizing the people at the center of these stories. 

Feedback gathered at the conference in South Africa validated the platform's content, showcasing in particular the strength of the first and fourth pillars—Replicable Local Solutions and Events & Training. It is through gatherings like these that local stakeholders come together to share solutions and insights, build partnerships, and envision new possibilities. Discussions at the conference reinforced the critical need for the Solutions Platform as participants highlighted the value of having a hub that supports collaboration and amplifies the impact of data-driven disaster and climate resilience efforts. 

This is the missing piece across many disaster and climate resilience efforts: a centralized space for sharing locally relevant solutions, collaborating, and replicating effective strategies to scale impact. In essence, the platform extends the very principles that drive the Flying Labs Network and WeRobotics’ Glocalization Model: supporting local experts, amplifying local solutions, and connecting stakeholders to create meaningful, sustainable impact. Continuing the momentum sparked, plans are already underway for additional conferences in 2025, including events in new regions. 

The Drones, Data & AI Solutions Platform for Disaster and Climate Resilience represents a unique opportunity to address the pressing challenges of climate-related hazards—we invite you to join us. Whether as a funder, a partner, a contributor, or an advocate, your support is vital. In this shared mission, there is room for all of us. Explore our concept note to learn more about how together we can transform stories of vulnerability in local communities in the Global South into stories of resilience.