Drones, AI & GIS for DRM: 2026 Conference & Workshop - Caribbean & Central America Edition

About the Conference

The Caribbean and Central America stand on the frontlines of climate vulnerability—where hurricanes, floods, landslides, and coastal hazards are accelerating in frequency and intensity. Hurricane Melissa made this reality unmistakably clear. It exposed not only physical fragility, but the urgent need for high-quality, timely, and coordinated geospatial intelligence that can guide real decisions when lives and livelihoods are at stake.

The Drones, AI & GIS for Disaster Risk Management 2026 Conference and Workshop – Caribbean & Central America Edition will bring together regional and global leaders to explore how next-generation geospatial technologies can move us from data collection to decisive action.

Over three powerful days, participants will examine how drones, GIS, AI, and integrated platforms can help to:

• Strengthen early warning systems and national disaster preparedness,A
• Accelerate emergency response and post-disaster assessment,
• Support reconstruction and resilient infrastructure planning,
• Scale local capacity through shared standards, tools, and operational models, and
• Build trusted, interoperable data ecosystems that empower countries before, during, and after crises.

This gathering is where the lessons of Melissa meet the future of regional resilience. It is where we turn raw imagery, field reports, and analytics into policies, partnerships, and real-world impact. It is about elevating Caribbean and Central American experiences within global conversations — showing how frontline regions innovate, adapt, and lead.

Experience firsthand how geospatial technologies powered the Melissa response — and how they will shape a more prepared, connected, and resilient Caribbean and Central America.

Conference Theme

Turning Data into Action: Beyond the Storm – Mapping Hope & Building Resilience. This theme reflects our collective commitment to move from response to readiness, from snapshots to systems, and from isolated pilots to sustainable regional frameworks.

Conference Objectives

• Raise awareness of the strategic role of drones, GIS, and AI in disaster risk management
• Showcase real-world operational models from the Melissa response and other global best practices
• Foster deeper collaboration across governments, private sector, humanitarian actors, and academia
• Co-create a regional action roadmap aligned with the Sendai Framework, Early Warning for All, the CDEMA UAS for CDM initiative, and relevant geospatial standards
• Advance a shared vision for integrated, scalable, and sustainable geospatial platforms for DRM across the Caribbean and Central America.

Program

The detailed program will be available in February 2026. The conference offers following sessions: Keynotes and opening plenary, Thematic breakout sessions, Live tech demos and drone simulations, Technology labs and hands-on training, Peer presentations and case studies, Networking receptions and co-creation sessions

Who Should Attend?

• National Disaster Management Agencies (NDMAs)
• Geospatial professionals and enthusiasts
• NGOs, humanitarian and development organizations
• Academic researchers and students
• Climate, insurance and ESG-focused private sector representatives

Why Attend?

Be part of shaping a resilient future — where local innovation, geospatial intelligence, and regional collaboration transform how the Caribbean and Central America prepare, respond, and thrive. Let’s turn data into action, together.

The 2026 Drones, AI & GIS for DRM Conference and Workshop is not just another technical meeting—it is a regional reset for how the Caribbean and Central America prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. After Hurricane Melissa, it is clear: the future of resilience lies in real-time geospatial intelligence and the people who know how to use it.

Here’s why you should be in the room:

1. Learn directly from the Melissa response. Hear firsthand from the teams who were on the ground and in the sky—flying missions, coordinating data, enabling national decision-making, and supporting recovery efforts across Jamaica. This is your opportunity to see what worked, what didn’t, and what must come next.
2. Discover cutting-edge tools and methodologies. From drone mapping to AI-supported damage analytics, from integrated platforms to cloud-based operational workflows—experience how geospatial technology is transforming emergency management across the region.
3. Build operational capacity you can take home. Whether you work in government, emergency response, academia, the private sector, or community resilience, you will get practical, replicable models, standard operating procedures, and real case studies you can implement immediately.
4. Connect with leaders shaping the future of resilience. Network with decision-makers, innovators, and technical experts from across the Caribbean, Central America, and global partner institutions. Forge the partnerships needed to scale national and regional systems.
5. Explore how to integrate data into decisions. Go beyond data collection. Learn how countries can build trusted, interoperable, and scalable data ecosystems that enable better early warnings, faster assessments, and smarter reconstruction plans.
6. Contribute to a regional resilience agenda. Help co-develop the 2026–2030 Roadmap for Geospatially Enabled Disaster Management, aligned with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework and Early Warning for All, as well as regional initiatives like CDEMA’s UAS for CDM program.
7. Experience a uniquely Caribbean and Central American perspective. This conference grounds global innovations in local realities—highlighting the lived experiences, cultural strengths, and community-driven approaches that define resilience in our region.

Conference Organizers, Partners & Sponsors

The conference is part of a global series of regional conferences. After successful editions for Southern Africa in 2024 and 2025, Jamaica Flying Labs, WeRobotics and Esri are co-organizing the first edition for the Caribbean and Central America, with the support of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) as strategic partners. 

Following sponsors make this conference and workshop possible: