The Role of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Disaster Response and Recovery Efforts: Historical, Current and Future

A wide range of legislation has been proposed or put into place that restricts the use of unmanned systems. These actions by legislators and regulators will stifle the growth of this technology and the associated surrounding industry. The largest obstacle to the proliferation of UAS in the U.S. is the FAA. The FAA has designated the location of six test sites that are anticipated to allow for less restrictive and formative research to assess the technologies that the FAA has claimed need to exist in order to integrate UAS into the NAS. Further complicating the adoption of UAS for beneficent causes is the plethora of local and state legislation and regulation. Whilst many state restrictions do have built-in caveats to potentially allow for disaster support utilizing UAS, not all are so explicit. All of these actions make the adoption ofUAS in disaster areas more complex and may sway associated agencies away from purchasing UAS for these uses in the future. This research outlines historical uses of UAS to provide basis for the adoption in disaster relief. Examples of past use of unmanned systems in exigent event response are provided including post-hurricane rescue, wild fire monitoring, and landslide disaster relief. An example of missed opportunities with UAS, the Boston Marathon bombing is also outlined. Current UAS usage in first response is explained including types of platforms and sensors that show promise in such operations. Future considerations for UAS adoption in disaster efforts are outlined