Drone Mapping Company DroneDeploy Releases Social Impact Report

First Annual DroneDeploy Social Impact Report

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

DroneDeploy, the leading enterprise-grade drone data company, has released its first ever Annual Social Impact Report, documenting the impact its social impact program has made over the course of 2021. Aiming to ensure that the company has a lasting positive impact on the world, the social impact program operates through several programs including nonprofits, crisis response, education, volunteering & giving, and diversity & inclusion.

“Over the past year we have expanded and deepened our impact through meaningful and reciprocal partnerships in the robotics industry, charitable community, and beyond,” said Rebecca Lehman, DroneDeploy’s Social Impact Program Manager. “But technology is only a tool. Ultimately, it’s individuals, relationships, and communities that will make impactful, lasting change in our world. Our work is to enable these leaders.“

Nonprofits

Drone data has played a key role in helping scientists, local governments, and top institutions monitor the world around us. DroneDeploy.org has partnered with numerous organizations to help combat climate change through the use of drone technology. One of these organizations, The Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS), incorporated a drone program into their standard operating procedures, monitoring the Great Barrier Reef by surveying lagoons and the reefs themselves. The team, which previously had to collect samples manually, is now able to regularly capture data using DroneDeploy, monitoring changes throughout the reef and tracking them over time.

Drones have also proved useful as a tool for community empowerment and sustainable change, and DroneDeploy has partnered with leading nonprofits and community organizations, aiding them  in mapping undocumented populations and planning infrastructure.

UNDP Colombia utilized DroneDeploy in its response efforts following Hurricane Irma, with the platform, drones, and 360 cameras enabling early response crews to document damage and share the impacts, assisting in long-term recovery efforts.

Crisis Response

In response to the increasing frequency of natural disasters, emergency response teams are able to utilize DroneDeploy software to quickly scale operations in times of crisis.

Canadian-based nonprofit GlobalMedic used DroneDeploy to assess damages caused by the volcano eruption in Saint Vincent last April, and nonprofit ADF Haiti employed drone mapping for damage assessment following the recent earthquake in Haiti

Education

In 2021, DroneDeploy teamed with academia to create software bundles for education, classroom, and department use.

Researchers are also increasingly turning to drones for enhanced insight, and DroneDeploy is making software accessible to research groups in academia so that they can help answer our most pressing questions and prepare for a sustainable future for our planet.

Diversity & Inclusion

DroneDeploy is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The company hires employees across the globe with fully flexible work arrangements to guarantee an inclusive workplace, and donated $90,000 in software to Black Girls Drones, a Texas-based nonprofit educating young girls about the drone industry.

Volunteering & Giving

Throughout the year, DroneDeploy hosted employee volunteer events, ran company matches, employee giving challenges, and volunteered together to aid their partners and communities. Employees contributed $11,115 in donations to nonprofits, donated 898 canned goods, and collectively volunteered 19 hours.

Read more about DroneDeploy:

• Drones for Residential Solar: Sunrun and DroneDeploy Find a Safer, More Efficient Way to Measure Rooftops
• DroneDeploys New Products Go Far Beyond Drones
• DroneDeploy Offers Free Software for Hurricane Relief
• Latest DroneDeploy Funding Round Adds $50 Million for Expansion
• DroneDeploy and Disaster Relief Australia Form Partnership

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.