Towards a Multidimensional Deployment Framework for the Use of Drones in Disaster Response

Drones have significant potential across all phases of disaster management. This study narrates the case of a developing and disaster-prone country like Nepal where drones were prominently introduced for disaster response activities during the Gorkha earthquake in 2015, a mega-disaster incident. However, Nepal still struggles with scaling the use of drone technology in disaster response operations. There was very little evidence found on the reasons behind the limited growth of drone technology in the disaster response phase. As disaster response is a time-critical and most sensitive phase of disaster management, this research aims to systematically identify the underlying challenges that are hampering the use of drones during a disaster situation. This study draws on qualitative research and data from semi-structured interviews with 13 individuals including drone pilots, drone project managers, drone regulators, and drone business representatives from the private sector. A thematic frame ‘ROTIDI’ consisting of six thematic categories (resources, operational, technological, institutional, data privacy, safety, instrumental) was identified through a literature review and an iterative coding process after analyzing the responses from the participants of the interview. Detailed challenges under each theme were identified and presented along with the lessons learned to deal with individual challenges based on practitioners’ experience of working in real disaster scenarios.