Testing the utility of mapping drones for early recovery in the Philippines

Drones in humanitarian action - Case study No. 5

This case study explores how aerial imagery might support recovery and reconstruction activities in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. In November 2013, the country experienced one of the strongest and deadliest tropical cyclones ever recorded.

Ultimately, the imagery captured by drones became useful in both a tactical and strategic sense during the retrofitting of shelters, and helped not only to identify and verify the shelter sites, but also to help determine the placement of latrines. Overall, the imagery produced can potentially support shelter construction and more specifically an element of disaster risk reduction (DRR) within shelter construction.