Search & Rescue Operations with Drone

Learning Objectives

SAR Fundamentals: Learn the fundamental principles of search and rescue, incident command systems, and how aerial tools like drones are incorporated into ground efforts.

Systematic Search Patterns: Master different search patterns such as grid, creeping line, and expanding square, and learn how to choose and implement the most effective one for drone missions, considering terrain, conditions, and intelligence.

Technical Proficiency with the M30T: Gain in-depth, hands-on experience with the DJI Matrice 30T. You will learn to expertly utilize its advanced sensor suite and relevant SAR payloads, including the thermal imaging camera for detecting heat signatures, the laser rangefinder for precise location marking, and the high-resolution zoom camera for subject identification.

Operational Planning & Execution: Learn how to carry out pre-flight mission planning, perform on-site risk assessments, and oversee flight operations in difficult environments, all while ensuring clear communication with SAR teams.

Data Analysis & Interpretation: Develop the critical skill of analyzing aerial data in real-time. Learn to differentiate human heat signatures from animals and the environment, identify clues from the air, and translate your findings into actionable intelligence for ground crews.

Course Approach

The course is structured into 3 modules. This three-module course is designed to balance theory with practice:

• Module 1: Classroom-based learning on the basics of search and rescue operations with drone.
• Module 2: Search and rescue flight planning.
• Module 3: Field-based practical Search and Rescue operations with a drone.

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Target Participants

First responders (fire, police, paramedics)

Emergency managers and public safety personnel

Volunteer SAR team members

Certified drone pilots aiming to apply their skills in the public safety sector

Emergency management students

Individuals who have a drone licence and are interested in learning SAR operations with drone.

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Dr. Ali Asgary

Professor Ali Asgary is an expert in disaster, emergency, and business continuity management. He has been actively involved in research, teaching, and professional activities in these fields since 1990. His research has been published in leading disaster and emergency management journals, including Disasters, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, International Journal of Disaster Science, Disaster Prevention and Management, Environmental Hazards, International Journal of Emergency Management, International Journal of Business Continuity and Risk Management, Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, and International Journal of Emergency Services, among others. He was among the founding faculty members who started the first university program in Disaster & Emergency Management in Canada at Brandon University in 2003 and was later among the founding faculty members who initiated Disaster & Emergency Management at York University.

Dr. Asgary served as the IAEM Canada president from 2007 to 2009 and was a board member of IAEM during the same period. He has led as a principal investigator, co-principal investigator, and collaborator on numerous research projects funded by various agencies, including NSERC, GEOIDE, SSHRC, PreCarn, CIHR, NFRF, ORF, Transport Canada, Public Safety Canada, Wellcome Trust, IDRC, and DRDC. Since 2015, Dr. Asgary has been the executive director of York University's Advanced Disaster, Emergency, and Rapid-response Simulation (ADERSIM). His research and teaching interests encompass post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, business continuity and risk assessment, disaster and emergency simulations and modeling, applications of AI, VR, AR, MR, drones, and geomatics in disaster and emergency management, as well as cost-benefit analysis and decision-making under uncertainty.