Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) is a Not-for-Profit Organisation that repurposes the skills of military veteran and emergency responders into disaster relief teams to deploy in areas affected by natural disaster throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific. Through the conduct of multiple disaster relief operations DRA identified a significant gap in services relating to the formal transition from ‘response’ to ‘recovery’ phases in the wake of large-scale natural disasters. The damage and scale of disaster impact was inefficiently collected and assessed, therefore impeding adequate, community-centric planning to facility recovery. In response to this gap, DRA developed a suite of cutting-edge and technologically agnostic solutions.

The key concepts developed includes:

•Enhancement of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) photogrammetry and geospatial data production and analysis

•Overhaul of Damage Assessment and work order systems to make relevant data easy to create, analyse and access

•Redefine the use of our personnel tracking and safety solutions

•Simplified reporting metrics capture & dashboarding

•Unification of all the above into a single packaged platform that is secure but accessible by authorised members, external organisations and government entities

DRA has created a truly unique capability and capacity to conduct Damage Assessment (DA) and Rapid Damage Assessment Needs Analysis and provision of intelligence, through the deployment and operation of its Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS)-based DA Teams supported by specialist analysts. Coupled with an innovative approach to technology-driven command and control, accurate and timely disaster intelligence is provided to decision makers, in multiple locations, via a one-stop digital platform. This ‘force-multiplier’ affords resource-stretched technicians to visit multiple locations quickly, without the need to deploy directly into the disaster zone. Such a capability has proven essential in facilitating timely planning when it matters most, allowing decision makers to amplify their impact and provide crucial assistance to communities in the wake of natural disasters.

Most recently, DRA has employed our Disaster Assessment Intelligence Services in the wake of the historic flooding in Northern New South Wales. DRA rapidly deployed its aerial damage assessment teams to capture high resolution imagery of the flooding event and processed that imagery in conjunction with proprietary assessment processes. DRA was then able to provide critical, actionable intelligence which is greatly contributing to the recovery planning efforts of multiple councils, emergency operations centres and the deployed Australian Defence Forces.

For more information about Disaster Relief Australia (DRA), visit disasterreliefaus.org