Cloud control: collecting data from drones for disaster relief
GLOBHE CEO and Founder Helena Samsioe has a mission. That mission is not only to use drone technology to improve disaster prevention, detection and relief but also to dispel the notion that these devices are solely used for negative purposes and outcomes. GLOBHE is a Swedish-based start-up that currently connects more than 3,800 drones in 82 countries through its “Crowddroning’ cloud-based platform, which helps create a better future by giving humanitarian organisations and private companies improved access to data from drones.
This shift in attitude is a breath of fresh air for those who for a long time have been convinced of the power of drones to create positive change. “Rewind five years and drones were mostly associated with military activity,” says Samsioe, an advanced drone pilot and former Swedbank employee. “We’ve gone from organisations like the United Nations saying they would never say the word ‘drone’ because it was so negative, to embracing it and using it. We’re really proud of having been part of this shift in mindset.”
Drones are now a vital tool in early warning and disaster relief systems. For the past two years GLOBHE’s drone pilots have been flying in Malawi, collecting post-cyclone image data and identifying malarial hotspots and mosquito breeding sites. The company has also just signed a global contract to inspect infrastructure and telecom towers in the African region amongst others to ensure that these are working and communities are connected.
In Sweden, GLOBHE sends out drones through Crowddroning for other projects such as monitoring water pollution, something that Samsioe hopes will be eventually rolled out globally. “Previously this has been done using mostly satellite images which lag and don’t have as high image quality,” Samsioe explains.
GLOBHE was a winner in the health category of the 2020 Zayed Sustainability Prize, a global award which recognises pioneering sustainable solutions and technologies that can change the world. The prize is open to SMEs, non-profit organisations and high schools in the areas of health, food, energy and water.
When GLOBHE receives a data request, the company pings a drone pilot in the relevant region who chooses to accept or decline the mission. By working this way, GLOBHE has been able to provide paid freelance gigs for drone pilots all around the world, even during lockdown (conditions permitting). “When the world starts to recover more and we’re no longer in acute response mode, we’ll start to see increased drone use,” Samsioe says.
The technology could be used to avoid or navigate future pandemics, detecting changes in the environment that could potentially lead to a disease outbreak or going into places where human contact needs to be limited: “The world has woken up and realised we have a technology here that could actually be dangerous not to use,” Samsioe says.
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