Drones in humanitarian action: Using drones to create maps and assess building damage in Ecuador

A magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Ecuador on 16 April 2016, causing over 660 deaths, thousands of injuries and widespread destruction across the north-west part of the country. The most severe damage was concentrated in the provinces of Manabí and Esmeraldas along the northern coastline. In response, the Ecuadorian Army and AeroVison carried out missions every day, using drones to assess the level of damage in cities and towns and producing maps to determine priority areas of intervention to support shelter reconstruction.

AeroVision Canada, a professional unmanned aerial vehicle operator, partnered with the charity GlobalMedic to support Ecuador’s National Secretariat for Risk Management by capturing aerial imagery, developing maps and helping assess the damage in some of the worst-affected regions.