Drone Mapping for Humanitarian Programmes Training Course

Participants can prepare a safe and authorised drone operation using documented field controls.

• National aviation authority permissions, NOTAM checks and local airspace restrictions
• Remote pilot roles, visual observers and command responsibility allocation
• Pre-flight site survey covering hazards, bystanders, obstacles and escape routes
• Go/no-go criteria based on weather, airspace, security and medical contingencies
• Incident reporting workflows for flyaways, injuries, privacy breaches and near misses
• Operations manual sections aligned with ISO 21384-3 principles
• Battery transport, charging controls and lithium fire response procedures

Participants can convert a humanitarian programme question into a documented mapping mission.

• Information requirements translated into map scale, accuracy and update frequency
• Damage assessment, settlement planning and WASH mapping use-case definitions
• Area of interest boundaries, exclusion zones and priority feature lists
• Stakeholder acceptance criteria for positional accuracy, completeness and timeliness
• Collection plans matching deliverables to decision deadlines and access constraints
• Mission briefs specifying roles, communications, triggers and reporting lines
• RACI matrix for programme, GIS, flight and safeguarding accountabilities

Participants can configure mapping flights that meet coverage, resolution and safety requirements.

• Ground sampling distance calculated from sensor, altitude and focal length
• Frontlap, sidelap and flight direction selected for terrain and features
• Grid, double-grid and corridor missions matched to mapping objectives
• Terrain-following profiles planned for relief variation and obstruction clearance
• Launch, recovery and emergency landing sites assessed before mission approval
• Battery cycles, sortie timing and reserve margins calculated for coverage
• Field weather observations compared with aircraft operating limitations

Participants can design positional control arrangements and report spatial accuracy appropriately.

• Coordinate reference systems selected for local mapping and data exchange
• Ground control point layouts designed for extent, terrain and accuracy
• RTK, PPK and ground control accuracy trade-offs evaluated
• Checkpoints separated from control points for independent positional validation
• GNSS field records, photographs and point descriptions maintained systematically
• Vertical datums and geoid models checked before elevation product creation
• Accuracy statements reported using RMSE and documented measurement conditions

Participants can acquire usable aerial imagery while maintaining secure, traceable mission records.

• Pre-flight checklists covering aircraft condition, firmware, payload and communications
• Camera exposure, shutter speed and ISO set for sharp imagery
• Consistent flight execution monitored through telemetry, observer reports and logs
• Field image review identifies blur, gaps, glare and inadequate overlap
• Chain-of-custody records protect imagery from capture through transfer
• Encrypted storage and transfer procedures applied to sensitive mission data
• Daily mission logs reconcile sorties, anomalies, batteries and collected coverage

Participants can process aerial imagery into documented mapping products using photogrammetric methods.

• Structure-from-motion workflow converts overlapping images into aligned camera positions
• Image quality screening removes blur, oblique frames and duplicate captures
• Ground control measurements incorporated before bundle adjustment and densification
• Orthomosaics, dense point clouds and digital surface models generated
• Processing parameters documented for reproducibility, audit and handover
• Compute capacity, storage and processing queues planned for delivery deadlines
• OpenDroneMap project outputs organised with traceable folder naming conventions

Participants can verify drone-derived products and document their fitness for intended use.

• Visual inspection detects seamlines, warped features, shadows and reconstruction artefacts
• Checkpoint residuals and RMSE interpreted against stated map accuracy requirements
• Completeness checks compare planned coverage with processed imagery footprints
• Metadata records capture acquisition date, sensor, coordinates, processing and limitations
• Peer review protocol separates operator checks from independent quality assurance
• Error escalation thresholds determine reflight, reprocessing or qualified release decisions
• Version control distinguishes draft, validated and published spatial products

Participants can convert drone outputs into decision-ready GIS layers and maps.

• Orthomosaic symbology designed for damage, shelter, access and WASH decisions
• Digitisation rules produce consistent points, lines and polygons from imagery
• Attribute schemas align field observations with programme indicator definitions
• Change detection compares pre-event and post-event imagery using fixed criteria
• Network analysis identifies access constraints for relief distribution route planning
• Map layouts apply scale bars, north arrows, sources and disclaimers
• QGIS projects package layers, styles and documentation for handover

Participants can release, archive and hand over drone mapping products according to user needs and sensitivity.

• Audience-specific products distinguish operational maps, public maps and restricted datasets
• Data classification assigns sharing controls for protection-sensitive locations and imagery
• Web map publication checks scale-dependent visibility, access permissions and expiry
• Briefing notes state findings, confidence, limitations and recommended decisions
• Archiving plans preserve source imagery, metadata, licences and final outputs
• After-action reviews capture safety, quality and coordination improvements
• Thirty-day application plan assigns priority use cases, owners and milestones