The Ripple Effect of Turning Data into Action

In April 2022, South Africa Flying Labs made their way to Alexandra, a township in Johannesburg. Devastating floods had just claimed more than 300 lives and affected thousands more in various parts of the country, shining an unforgiving light on the state of disaster preparedness and response. The plan was to hold a drone stakeholders’ consultative workshop in Alexandra and examine the area to help identify areas at risk of floods and fire. It was but one step. The insights revealed from the workshop developed into South Africa Flying Labs’ Turning Data Into Action (TDIA) project, during which the team worked closely with the local community and authorities to map the area and use the data collected to plan for disaster risk mitigation. That one step quickly rippled into a slew of opportunities the team had not anticipated.

To the team’s surprise, their work was met with enthusiasm even beyond the local community. The City of Johannesburg municipality took an interest in the project. Media houses came calling. Potential partners reached out. By October 2022, what started as an endeavor in drone mapping for disaster risk assessment culminated in the first conference addressing drones in disaster management in South Africa. The event brought together industry experts, government officials, private sector representatives, and UN agencies, all eager to share insights and best practices for using drones and robotics for disaster management, preparedness, and response. 

Then, in February 2023, disaster struck once more. Heavy rainfall along the Jukskei River in Alexandra led to further flooding, and South Africa Flying Labs swung into action. The need to build on their previous experience for a more effective intervention was evident so, with WeRobotics, the decision was made to extend the microgrant support. Leveraging the relationships built during the initial TDIA project, the team returned to the township for phase two – a change detection exercise to map and assess the damage. This was followed by the second installment of the Drones in Disaster Management Conference in November 2023, further solidifying the role of drone technology in disaster risk management and South Africa Flying Labs’ place as a thought leader within the space. 

At present, anticipation builds for the third conference, slated for November 2024 in Cape Town. With a focus on drones, AI, and GIS for disaster risk management, the event will be even bigger and better, with two days centered on strategic discussions and two days with hands-on drone and data workshops. While the previous conferences were national two-day events, this year’s event will be a regional conference for the entire SADC region and will be co-organized with more partners: South Africa Flying Labs, WeRobotics, Esri, RCMRD, and MapAction. The first conference of its kind, it builds on the success of South Africa Flying Labs’ last conferences and paves the way for greater regional collaboration on the rest of the continent.

South Africa Flying Labs’ experience is a prime example of what is possible when the space is expanded for local experts to drive change in their communities. The team attests that the spotlight that shone on them and their work has allowed opportunities to find them in a way that they did not before. Various municipalities are eager to partner with them. They have made presentations and held masterclasses for local authorities and government agencies interested in drones for disaster management. Media coverage has been extensive, with profiles in several outlets, including radio, TV, and print, highlighting their work. Interest in collaborating with them comes from as far as Botswana, Swaziland, and Lesotho. They are working in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Centre, the body responsible for managing disasters in South Africa, and they anticipate even deeper relationships with various policymakers in government. They have been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Innovation Award at the 2024 Black Industrialists and Exporters Conference presented by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

It begs the question: how many opportunities do local technology professionals miss out on when their expertise and unique ability to create impact in the communities where they live goes unacknowledged? And how many solutions to the real-world problems that affect us all remain confined to small teams of local experts in the Global South, their true potential kept from impacting the rest of the world? 

The Power of Local lies in the sustainable stewardship of the resources available to us to create the change we want to see in our communities. This is why WeRobotics’ glocalization approach moves away from a one-way flow of knowledge from privileged regions to marginalized ones, and towards a full-circle exchange, where local expertise shines on the global stage and then returns to local communities enriched. A better world will not come from a tidal wave of expertise flowing from the Global North to the Global South. It will come from the local experts contributing their knowledge and wisdom  and creating ripples of change that resonate globally.