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Drones, GIS and AI for DRM Conferences

Regional conferences and workshops bringing together key stakeholders and actors from government, civil society and the private sector to openly share and learn from each other.

Collaboration in a nutshell

Initiated In:
South Africa
Started:
2022
Local Lead:
South Africa Flying Labs, Jamaica Flying Labs
Global Support:
WeRobotics, Esri and many local, regional and global partners who support with sponsorship
Geographic Reach:
Southern Africa, Caribbean and Central America
Status:
live

Background

How This Collaboration Emerged

This collaboration space was born in South Africa in 2022 as national convening organized by South Africa Flying Labs. It has since grown into the most relevant and growing regional gathering in Southern Africa for drones, GIS and AI for disaster risk management.

Conference & Workshop Co-Organizers

DRM Conference in South Africa 1

Co-organizers have evolved over editions:

2022 & 2023 national South Africa editions: South Africa Flying Labs, QP Drones

2024 & 2025 regional Southern African editions: South Africa Flying Labs, QP Drones, WeRobotics, Esri

2026 regional Caribbean & Central America edition: Jamaica Flying Labs, WeRobotics, Esri

2026 regional Southern African edition: South Africa Flying Labs, QP Drones, WeRobotics, Esri

Collaboration Goals, Value & Outcomes

Audience & Goals

The key goal is to bring together local, sub-national, national and regional key stakeholders who already leverage - or would like to leverage - geospatial data for their disaster risk management practice: government officials, civil society, private sector and academia. Through annual conference editions, attendants build relationships and an ecosystem they can tap into at any time.

Value the Conferences & Workshops Provide

The conference and workshop editions are an antidote to tech hype, as they ground drone, data and AI technologies for disaster risk management into practice. Each edition's 2-day conference program is catered to share relevant and timely use cases, learnings and open, trusted discussions on what works, what doesn't, where challenges are holding back progress, and what solutions have been tried to overcome challenges. Followed by a 1-day hands-on workshop where participants can choose between drone demos and a GIS/data training.

Conference & Workshop Outcomes

Through the trusted spaces curated by these regional annual gatherings:

  • New collaborations are initiated and implemented
  • Barriers between government officials, civil society and the private sector are lowered
  • Ideas and learnings are replicated
  • Relation- and partnerships grow

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What’s next

After 4 successful editions in South Africa, 2026 is the first year where the collaboration travels across the Atlantic ocean, with a first Caribbean/Central America edition set in May 2026 in Jamaica, followed by the 5th Southern African edition in South Africa in November.

DRM Conference Jamaica Poster

The first Caribbean & Central American edition will take place in Montego Bay, Jamaica, from May 5-7, 2026. Learn more on the conference webpage. And register to attend here.

DRM Conference in South Africa 2

The 5th Southern African edition will be held in Durban, South Africa, in early November. Dates and venue will be announced shortly.

Are you interested in becoming a conference sponsor? We would love to tell you more.

Contact us

 

Category(s):

Collaboration

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Highlights from the 2025 Southern African DRM Conference

Events & Conferences | December 2025


The conference served once more as a region-wide space dedicated to strengthening disaster risk management through collaboration.

Building Disaster-Resilient Futures: Collaboration Takes Centre Stage

Events & Conferences | February 2025


Highlights from the Southern African Drones, AI, and GIS for Disaster Risk Management Conference 2024