Drones for Delivering Results for Children - INNOVATION CASE STUDY - EVALUATION OFFICE - UNICEF
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INNOVATION CASE STUDY
November 2019
Drones for Delivering Results for Children
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EVALUATION OFFICE
1
Evaluation of Innovation in UNICEF Work
Case Study: Drones for Delivering Results for Children
© United Nations Children’s Fund, New York, 2019
United Nations Children’s Fund
Three United Nations Plaza
New York, New York 10017
November 2019
The purpose of publishing evaluation reports produced by the UNICEF Evaluation Office is to fulfil a
corporate commitment to transparency through the publication of all completed evaluations. The
reports are designed to stimulate a free exchange of ideas among those interested in the topic and
to assure those supporting the work of UNICEF that it rigorously examines its strategies, results, and
overall effectiveness.
The contents of the report do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. The views
expressed in this report are those of the evaluators. The text has not been edited to official publication
standards and UNICEF accepts no responsibility for error. The designations in this publication do not
imply an opinion on the legal status of any country or territory, or of its authorities, or the delimitation of
frontiers.
This case study report for the Drones for Delivering Results for Children is one of thirteen innovation
case studies which were conducted as part of a global evaluation titled ‘Evaluation of innovation in
UNICEF work’. The case study component of the evaluation was conducted by Deloitte LLC. The
Drones for Delivering Results for Children case study report was prepared by Edward Thomas,
Katherine Arblaster, Ariel Kangasniemi, Laura Maxwell and Adarsh Desai. Beth Plowman, Senior
Evaluation Specialist, Evaluation Office, led and managed the overall evaluation process in close
collaboration with UNICEF Malawi and Vanuatu country offices, UNICEF Office of Innovation, and
UNICEF Supply Division.
The copyright for this report is held by the United Nations Children’s Fund. Permission is required to
reprint/reproduce/photocopy or in any other way cite or quote from this report in written form. UNICEF
has a formal permission policy that requires a written request to be submitted. For non-commercial
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the address below to initiate a permission request.
See innovation case studies at: https://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/index_103533.html.
For further information, please contact:
Evaluation Office
United Nations Children’s Fund
Three United Nations Plaza
New York, New York 10017
evalhelp@unicef.org
Copyright of photos:
Cover photo: © Ariel Kangasniemi
Page 28: © Ariel Kangasniemi
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This case study report was commissioned by the UNICEF Evaluation Office. This case study report is the
result of the commitment, efforts and contribution of a large number of individuals and institutions. The
Evaluation Office wishes to thank the many colleagues who gave freely of their time for this
evaluation. In particular, the team thanks the UNICEF Malawi Country Office for its support in
arranging logistics for field travel and coordinating visits to the drone corridor. In addition,
acknowledgement is given to all stakeholders who provided valuable feedback on the innovation
process. This includes representatives from the Malawi Civil Aviation Authority, local community health
offices, private sector, peer organizations, UNICEF Office of Innovation, UNICEF Supply Division, and
the UNICEF Vanuatu Country Office. To protect the confidentiality of all participants, names of case
study informants are not identified or attributed to specific comments or perspectives. Thanks to
Celeste Lebowitz, Geeta Dey and Dalma Rivero of the Evaluation Office for administrative support
and Laura Gagliardone for support in finalizing the report.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of acronyms ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
2. INNOVATION AT A GLANCE .............................................................................................................................. 10
3. CONTEXT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF DRONES .................................................................................................... 12
3.1 Development/humanitarian context ...................................................................................................... 12
3.2 Innovation context ...................................................................................................................................... 13
3.3 UNICEF programme context ..................................................................................................................... 14
4. THE INNOVATION JOURNEY FOR DRONES ...................................................................................................... 15
5. DRONES FIELD TESTING ....................................................................................................................................... 23
5.1 DRONES field trials: Malawi ........................................................................................................................ 24
5.2 Lessons learned ............................................................................................................................................ 25
6. FINDINGS .............................................................................................................................................................. 29
6.1 Approach dimension .................................................................................................................................. 29
6.2 Organization dimension ............................................................................................................................. 37
6.3 Resources and capabilities dimension .................................................................................................... 40
6.4 Incentives and outcomes .......................................................................................................................... 40
7. CONCLUSIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS ......................................................................................................... 44
Annex A: Methodology ............................................................................................................................................ 47
Annex B: List of stakeholders engaged ................................................................................................................. 50
Annex C: List of documents consulted ................................................................................................................. 51
4LIST OF ACRONYMS
BVLOS Beyond Visual Line of Sight
CO Country Office
CAA Civil Aviation Office
DC Drone Corridor
DFAT Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
DFID UK Department for International Development
EID Early Infant Diagnosis
EO Evaluation Office
MCO Malawi Country Office
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
OI Office of Innovation
POC Point of Contact
RFT Request for Tender
RPAS Remotely Piloted Aircraft System
SD Supply Division
ToR Terms of Reference
UAS Unmanned Aircraft System
UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
UN United Nations
UNICEF The United Nations Children’s Fund
USAID The United States Agency for International Development
UTM Unmanned Air System Traffic Management
WFP World Food Programme
5EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since 2014, UNICEF has embraced innovation development sector, including within the United
as one of its key strategies to achieve results for Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Beginning in
children. That commitment is reaffirmed in its 2015, the earliest explorations by UNICEF in the
current Strategic Plan, 2018-2021, and is area of drones were primarily characterized by
evident in the organization’s programming and activities that sought to uncover the potential
institutional architecture. Indeed, since 2014, and cost feasibility of the technology in low
significant progress has occurred in a relatively infrastructure environments. Dried blood spot
short period of time, backed by clear strategic sample test flights, use of the technology for
intent and targeted investment. With the flood mapping and preparedness and testing
increased foothold of innovation in UNICEF, it is sites in the low-infrastructure environments of
important and timely to take stock of these Malawi and Vanuatu were originally intended
efforts through high quality evidence to inform to help UNICEF learn more about the
decision-making, learning and accountability. technology, connect with potential partners,
In keeping with the need for this evidence, socialize the technology with government and
UNICEF conducted an global evaluation of identify potential benefits to children from its
innovation in 2018. use.
The objective of the global evaluation was to From the outset, governments have been
assess UNICEF’s ‘fitness for purpose’ to employ considered critical enablers of drone
innovation as a key strategy to achieve the applications, and for many innovators, viewed
outcomes and goals defined in its strategic as a target user of the technology. Innovators
plans covering the period 2014-2021. A set of have indicated that this is primarily due to
innovation case studies was a key element of government’s regulatory role and the potential
this global evaluation, along with an drones offer to improve the efficiency and
organizational assessment and a synthesis effectiveness of health and emergency
project. The case studies were guided by three operations led by government. As such,
objectives: capacity building and collaboration with
government has been a critical area of work in
• To provide detailed descriptions of a set of all countries where UNICEF has explored the use
innovations across stages of the of drones. For example, UNICEF has provided
development continuum inclusive of technical support for development of
contextual influences regulatory frameworks for drones in Malawi and
• To assess the application of innovation Vanuatu.
principles or other standards for a set of
innovations with particular attention to Compared to early explorations, today’s drone
issues of ownership and scale activities in Kazakhstan, Malawi and Vanuatu
• To produce clear conclusions and are increasingly focused on the long-term
considerations for policy, strategy and sustainability and scalability of specific use
management decisions to further enhance cases. This has therefore included consideration
innovation as key change strategy. of the broader drone support ecosystem in
operating countries, such as the presence of
Case studies were conducted by Deloitte LLP capable service providers and drone flight
over the period February 2018-January 2019. operators. Country Offices in Malawi and
Mixed methods were utilized for data Vanuatu have also focused their efforts on
collection including key informant interviews, demonstration and refinement of specific use
document review and observations in the field. cases, particularly in the health sector, and
further strengthening of the drone ecosystem.
The innovation case examined in this report The forward-looking focus on demonstration (as
concerns the Drones for Delivering Results for opposed to experimentation) of drones as a
Children. Drones are a relatively new, untested viable technology for humanitarian use is
technology in the humanitarian and positioned as enabling the scalability of drone
6solutions through formal integration into transparency did not present as significant a
government supply chains. Innovators are now barrier.
considering the supporting organizational
structures and processes needed to enable the Beyond organization dynamics between the
use of drones by government, with Supply Office of Innovation and country offices,
Division providing input on procurement and organizational factors that commonly limit
contracting processes. innovation, such as resistant or apathetic
leadership and cultural resistance to change
The UNICEF Office of Innovation and individual and risk taking, were not commonly cited as
country offices have collaborated on barriers to the innovation process.
exploration of drone applications, with varying
degrees of success. Challenges encountered Considering the scale of investment (less than
through those collaborations primarily related to US$500,000) used for the work described in this
a miscommunication of expectations between case study, the extent by which UNICEF has
the Office of Innovation and country offices mobilized government and the private sector is
and a perceived lack of transparency on impressive with respect to efficiency. Resources
decision-making priorities between provided to partners have taken many forms,
stakeholders. from country office contracts for delivery of
specific outputs such as studies and reports to
Misalignment of expectations: while no formal UNICEF (supply chain strengthening) to
agreement on the roles of the Office of investments offered by the Office of
Innovation and country offices has been Innovation’s Innovation Fund to facilitate costs
documented, it was assumed that the Office of for private sector actors to utilize testing
Innovation would act as a relationship broker for platforms. In particular, the prevalence of
key global drone ecosystem relationships. The available funding from donor organizations for
Office of Innovation was expected to provide the exploration of drones has aided UNICEF in
country offices access to those individuals and conducting innovation in the area of drones.
organizations. The Office of Innovation has Vanuatu received a substantial investment from
succeeded in forming partnerships with global the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs
partners, such as major aerospace and Trade (DFAT) for future work in this space.
corporations; however, there is limited Discussions are ongoing with the UK Department
evidence of meaningful involvement of global for International Development (DFID) for
ecosystem partners with country offices. additional phases of work on supply chain
strengthening in Malawi.
Perceived lack of transparency and
misalignment on decision-making approach: in With respect to capabilities, this case found
Malawi, where drone work was already formalized strategies around knowledge
underway before the involvement of the Office gathering and dissemination during early
of Innovation, the establishment of a corridor for experimentation to be lacking. This has led to
testing was perceived as being carried out clear differences in the availability of lessons
without careful examination and evidence- learned from activities conducted to date,
gathering prior to investment. Country Office resulting in reliance on a small group of
informants indicated that the corridor lacked a knowledge-holders for exploration of drone
clearly articulated Theory of Change and activities in new country offices. Where
specific objectives and outcomes for children. technical expertise is needed, UNICEF must
Ultimately, lack of formal evidence gathering draw from outside the organization. Therefore,
by the Office of Innovation to support decision- collaboration with external partners, such as
making was perceived by some Country Office drone service providers and peer organizations,
informants as leading to an over-reliance on is a strong priority for innovators.
assumptions, ultimately compromising the
innovation process from their perspective. In Considering the limitations of UNICEF’s technical
Kazakhstan and Vanuatu, where no drone capabilities and the support system needed to
investments were present prior to involvement effectively deploy drones, UNICEF’s ability to
of the Office of Innovation, governance and effectively attract and collaborate with
7government, the private sector (specifically,
drone service providers) and, to a lesser extent,
academia, is necessary for the success of early-
stage testing activities. Providing tangible value
to partners, either financial or non-financial, has
been identified as a critical incentive in
enabling the innovation process at UNICEF. It
has not always been clear what value
proposition UNICEF is providing to as a partner
to private sector. Previously, UNICEF offered
limited financial support to organizations testing
in the Malawi drone corridor, limiting
accessibility of the corridor to a small subset of
organizations. With these lessons in mind, the
Office of Innovation has enhanced the funding
available for drone organizations and explored
new approaches to create sustainable
partners. In particular, the use of a government
tendering process in Vanuatu for delivery of
vaccines is positioned by the Office of
Innovation as a strong incentive for involvement
of the private sector.
Given the early stage of drones at UNICEF, it is
challenging to identify specific incentives for
adoption of drones by humanitarian actors and
government. As discussed above, a lack of a
coherent Theory of Change, results framework
and metrics for drone outcomes activities may
make the demonstration of outcomes for
children challenging. With knowledge of the
limitations of a case study approach, a number
of indirect outcomes from work conducted to
date have been proposed by informants.
Specifically, UNICEF has likely contributed to
growing interest in drones for humanitarian use
by peer organizations. This is primarily due to the
early risks taken in Malawi with the
establishment of the drone corridor and other
drone activities in the country. Considering its
role as a partner in all areas where UNICEF has
worked, UNICEF may have also influenced the
acceptance of drone technology by
government, and therefore, development of an
enabling environment for drones in some
countries (through development of permissive
regulatory frameworks).
81. INTRODUCTION
The world is changing faster than ever before, designed with three core components
and so too are the challenges facing its most including: an organizational assessment, a set
vulnerable. Conflict and displacement, of innovation case studies and a synthesis
disasters and climate change, urbanization project.
and disease outbreaks are growing
increasingly complex and inter-related, The case studies are intended to serve
demanding new strategies and approaches. organizational learning by unpacking and
Innovation for development – exploring new examining the multiple pathways and
ways of delivering programmes, with new dynamics which underpin innovation within the
partners and new technologies – is increasingly organization. In addition, the case studies
recognized as crucial to meeting the contribute to accountability by assessing the
Sustainable Development Goals and the manner in which innovation work in practice
promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable reflects the strategies and principles which
Development. UNICEF has developed to guide these efforts.
Since 2014, UNICEF embraced innovation as Three objectives guided the work:
one of its key strategies to achieve results for
children. That commitment is reaffirmed in its • To provide detailed descriptions of a set of
current Strategic Plan, 2018-2021, and is innovations across stages of the
evident in the organization’s programming and development continuum inclusive of
institutional architecture. Indeed, since 2014, contextual influences
significant progress has occurred in a relatively • To assess the application of innovation
short period of time, backed by clear strategic principles or other standards for a set of
intent and targeted investment. A number of innovations with particular attention to
formal structures have evolved, and new issues of ownership and scale
milestones achieved. • To produce clear conclusions and
considerations for policy, strategy and
With the increased foothold of innovation in management decisions to further enhance
UNICEF, it is important and timely to take stock innovation as key change strategy.
of these efforts through high quality evidence
to inform decision-making, learning and Cases are defined as the processes an
accountability. In keeping with the need for innovation was identified, developed, tested,
this evidence, UNICEF conducted an global implemented and taken to scale along with
evaluation of innovation in 2018. The contextual factors such as underlying
evaluation comes at a time when the organizational and partnership arrangements.
organization is considering how best to The primary audience for the case studies is
maximize its resources for innovation and is internal to UNICEF including senior
intended to inform those decisions in an management and programme managers at
impartial manner, backed by credible HQ, regional and country level. Its uses include
evidence. informing the implementation of the Strategic
Plan 2018-2021 particularly the change
The objective of the evaluation was to assess strategy focused on innovation. UNICEF
UNICEF’s ‘fitness for purpose’ to employ commissioned Deloitte LLP to conduct thirteen
innovation as a key strategy to achieve the case studies to examine innovation across the
outcomes and goals defined in its strategic spectrum of innovation types, country contexts
plans covering the period 2014-2021. It also and internal (UNICEF) and external (partner,
sought to provide insights on how innovation supplier) actors.
contributes to UNICEF’s goals and objectives,
as well as how innovation might contribute to All case studies were structured around a
increasingly effective organizational responses modified version of the Deloitte Doblin
in the coming years. The global evaluation was Framework for Innovation. Within this
9framework, four thematic dimensions (i.e. and perceived access to the government.
approach, organization, resources and However, the financial resources of these
capabilities and metrics and incentives) are organizations were limited compared to larger
seen as necessary to enable successful organizations and ultimately, limited UNICEF’s
innovation. Case studies employed a mixed ability to form long-term mutually beneficial
methods approach to build a complete partnerships. With respect to the drone
picture of the innovation process and identify corridor, relationships with these organizations
findings related to these four thematic were, for the most part, short-term and
dimensions. The evaluation team collected primarily transactional.
qualitative and quantitative data through
desktop review, case study informant Identifying and articulating the markers of a
interviews and field visits. More information on poor or failing approach to testing early on
the methods used appears in Annex A. A listing can aid innovators in proactively identifying
of stakeholders and interviewees appears in solutions with internal and external
Annex B. Documents reviewed appear in collaborators, before mismatched
Annex C. expectations erode collaborative relationships.
Innovators should focus on ‘failing smart’, as
The innovation case examined in this report opposed to simply failing fast, taking time to
concerns the Drones for Delivering Results for reflect on what was not achieved and why,
Children. and applying lessons learned to future
approaches in a thoughtful manner.
Exploration of new technologies necessitates
collaboration – both within UNICEF and The pace of innovation should be tempered
beyond, and requires careful consideration of by sufficient processes for evidence-based
the capacity and suitability of partners at decision-making. Establishing at minimum a
different points in the innovation process. coherent Theory of Change for innovation
Capacity building of critical ecosystem activities can aid innovators working globally,
partners for scaling, particularly government regionally and locally to develop similar
partners, is critical to long-term success. expectations of one another and the
However, as evidenced in early drone innovation process and help them to align on
collaborations in Malawi, innovators exploring a shared vision of ‘success’ during
new technologies with partners are bound to experimentation. To support evidence-based
experience challenges during collaboration. decision-making and help innovators fail smart,
These can stem both from organizational UNICEF could encourage innovators to outline
factors as well as the pressures of an innovation goals for capturing lessons learned at the
process arising from risk-taking more generally. outset of a new innovation process.
They can also stem from an inadequate
consideration of the appropriate or most This report includes information on the context
critical partners during the innovation process. for the development of Drones (Section 3), the
Consider the example of academia and innovation journey (Section 4), field testing
startup companies. Both the Malawi and (Section 5), findings (Section 6) and
Vanuatu drone corridors were considered considerations for UNICEF and conclusions
appealing to these stakeholders, given the (Section 7).
freedom for Beyond Visual Line of Sight Flights
2. INNOVATION AT A GLANCE
Description
UNICEF is currently in the early stage of
exploring applications of drones, drone
10technology and drone-based services1,2 in a • Indirect exploration of drones: The Office of
humanitarian context. The potential Innovation, in collaboration with country
application of drones to deliver results for offices, has established collaborative
children is under exploration in a variety of platforms for exploration of the use of
formats. At UNICEF, drones are viewed as drones by hardware and software
offering potential value through three developers, researchers, and service
applications – imagery, transport and delivery organizations. These platforms are
connectivity3 (Error! Reference source not f described as low-risk testing spaces for the
ound.1). identification of use cases (that may be
relevant to UNICEF or others) and testing of
Figure 1. UNICEF areas of use for drones analytical software for data collected by
drones. To some extent, they are also
positioned by UNICEF as a tool for
development of enabling ecosystems in
challenging drone aviation environments.
For example, UNICEF has set up drone
corridors (DC) for testing activities in
Kazakhstan, Malawi and Vanuatu4. In those
corridors, beyond visual line of sight
(BVLOS) flights, which are often restricted
by regulators in North America and Europe,
are/will be allowed.
Intended innovation outcomes
UNICEF’s involvement in exploring and
applying the use of drones in these • For direct applications of drones by UNICEF
applications is growing. and humanitarian partners, outcomes
relate to operational improvements,
• Direct applications of drones: Some UNICEF offering more cost efficient or effective
country offices are considering the use of approaches that enhance the ability to
drones to address specific challenges in deliver results for children. Where drones
programming and for use during are positioned within the larger health
emergencies. For example, UNICEF supply chain (such as in Malawi), other
deployed drones as part of a government positive outcomes may also relate to cost
response to flooding in Malawi in order to savings and improved health outcomes for
conduct a rapid disaster and needs adults, including mothers5.
assessment in otherwise unreachable
areas. • For more indirect applications, immediate
outcomes generally relate to the creation
of greater understanding of drone
1 For simplicity, this case study will use the catch-all term launch and recovery equipment. Unmanned Air System
drones to refer to different aspects of drones and the Traffic Management (UTM) refers to software that manages
drone support system. This includes hardware and software the traffic of numerous drones within a given airspace, with
providers and drone service providers, regulators, drone limited user-intervention.
pilots and other ecosystem participants. 3 Source: UNICEF internal briefing note, shared with
2 It is important to note that use of the term drones is potential partners. (N.d.) Drones at UNICEF.
associated with a variety of connotations and jargon is 4 Source: Internal documents. Status updates to Innovation
common in the industry. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Fund. (N.d.) Vanuatu, Kazakhstan and Malawi Drone
and drone are commonly used interchangeably. Remotely Corridor 6 month updates.
Piloted Aerial System (RPAS) is a term more commonly used 5 Source: External report. Drones in Humanitarian Action.
in military scenarios, but is also used by UNICEF in some (N.d.). Drones in Humanitarian Action: A Guide to the use
contexts. The term unmanned aircraft system (UAS) refers of airborne systems in humanitarian crises. Retrieved from
to the unmanned aircraft and all of its components https://drones.fsd.ch/wp-
including, but not limited to: control stations and software, content/uploads/2016/11/Drones-in-Humanitarian-
remote controls (if necessary), control links, payloads and Action.pdf.
11technology by UNICEF and governments, be involved in using software and still others
establishment of a network of potential may only interact with data outputs. Take, for
support system partners, and creation of example, the use of drones to collect imagery
guidance for practical applications of in a crisis situation. A UNICEF operations staff
drones at UNICEF. This work is positioned as member may be trained to fly a drone to
having potential to bring ‘organisation- collect imagery, or a government partner may
wide coherence and effectiveness to hire a service provider to fly the drone.
understanding and procuring drone-based Meanwhile, another UNICEF programme
technologies and services’6 for in-country division staff member might be taking data
operations. In this way, it may create collected from flights and analysing it using
bridges for UNICEF or UNICEF partners to sophisticated software. In this case, all
use drones directly in specific scenarios. individuals involved would be considered users.
Compared to the indirect exploration activities A user could also be described in terms of who
underway, direct applications of drones are gets the benefits from whatever purpose for
more easily linked to immediate outcomes for which the drone is being utilized. If it is imagery
children. during flooding scenarios, then the users could
be emergency responders better able to
Innovation users identify damaged areas and locate survivors. If
the drone is delivering blood samples, then the
It is challenging to clearly define an innovation users could be healthcare providers and
user for drones. As with any technology, there laboratories.
can be a variety of users – some users will
directly interact with the hardware, others may
3. CONTEXT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF DRONES
Key takeaways
• Interest in using drones for non-military purposes has grown in the last five years, with the advent of
affordable consumer drones and new investments by major technology companies
• Use of drones is challenged by restrictive regulatory frameworks in most countries, with governments
struggling to manage the use of drones due to safety, privacy and security concerns
• A variety of humanitarian organizations are considering the use of drones to solve operational challenges
and better serve their beneficiaries, with partnerships across agencies and with the private sector
identified as a critical enabler for the development of use cases
• No specific UNICEF programme has yet been identified as best suited to the use of drones. Given the early
stage of the use of drones in developing contexts, no systematic approach to testing and using drones at
UNICEF has yet been established. Exploration is a critical area of work underway by country offices and
the Office of Innovation.
3.1 Development/humanitarian context flooding and snow can limit organizations’
ability to service communities, respond to
Operational challenges that are common to emergencies and meet essential needs
countries where UNICEF works often relate to regarding health and nutrition. With respect to
the physical environment and availability of the availability of infrastructure, a lack of
infrastructure. With respect to the physical reliable connectivity and well-maintained
environment, weather patterns causing heavy roads further challenges the ability of both
6Source: UNICEF internal briefing note, shared with
potential partners. (N.d.) Drones at UNICEF.
12UNICEF and local communities to share However, a significant limitation of the use of
information and transport goods. Given these drones currently relates to the lack of available
constraints, drones are positioned by UNICEF evidence on the value-add of drones.
staff members (and indeed, other Humanitarian organizations are traditionally risk
humanitarian actors7) as a potential tool for adverse. Unfamiliarity with drone technology,
humanitarian and development organizations limited regulatory frameworks under which
to overcome challenges in a relatively cost- drone use is allowable and potential risks to
effective manner. As with any nascent privacy and safety of people are common
technology, it is likely that there are other constraints that need to be addressed before
additional humanitarian challenges that demand for drones in this space is likely to
drones can solve that have not yet been grow.
identified.
Given these gaps, a substantial number of
Humanitarian and development organizations cross-sector, cross-organizational partnerships
have looked to drones as a potential tool for have grown to gather evidence around
use in a variety of scenarios, particularly in non- drones for humanitarian uses. A number of UN
conflict affected regions, where use of drones groups, such as the Office for the Coordination
is not associated with military action. Non- of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), are actively
traditional actors in the sector are also looking exploring the use of drones. Emphasis on
to drones to create shared value in the form of interagency collaboration is high. Some groups
social benefits for emerging markets and are focusing on a particular use case, such as
economic benefits for companies. For delivery (e.g. UAV Payload Delivery Working
example, Alphabet start-up Loon will soon aim Group), others are more broadly focused on a
to establish network of balloons traveling on sector, such as health. Considering the pace of
the edge of space, designed to extend change and number of activities occurring
Internet connectivity to people in rural and simultaneously, emphasis on future
remote areas worldwide.
collaboration through shared platforms is
evident in the humanitarian sector.8
3.2 Innovation context Regulators have struggled to keep up with the
increase in commercial (and personal) use of
The potential applications of drones are broad. drones. Protection of airspace and ultimately,
The use of drones prior to 2010 was primarily safety of others (both in the ground and on the
associated with military operations9. Despite air) has been of major concern for
the use of drones for photography and government. Other risks for consideration
videography over the same period, growth in include personal privacy and third party
the perception of drones as a tool for non- liability. Government has also recognized that
military use was catalysed in 2013 by Amazon’s the drone market represents a substantial
interest in exploring drones to deliver consumer opportunity for attracting investment. Global
products. Use cases for drones for non-military competition to attract private investment in
and non-recreational purposes are the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry is
broadening, due to their ability to drive high and according to one industry expert,
operational efficiency and capture data, “those countries with the most flexible rules for
particularly high quality photo and video, at UAVs are expected to attract the high-value
relatively low cost. UAV businesses to conduct research and
testing.”10
7 Source: Refer to footnote 5. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115491642950528436?mod
8 Source: =hps_us_editors_picks.
https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1864/ 10 Source: Government of Canada. (2017). Study of
cii-UAVs_in_Global_Health-508.pdf Unmanned Air Vehicle Regulations: An Interim Report.
9 Source: Wall Street Journal (2006). Drones in Domestic Retrieved from
Skies? Retrieved from
13There are a growing number of market players analysts to be the primary differentiator within
within the drone ecosystem. No longer the market going forward.11
competing on hardware alone, companies old
and new are exploring opportunities to find
their niche in the market. This could be
anything from development of machine-
learning software to train computers to
recognize objects in images captured by
drones to the provision of drone flight services
through long-term contracts with businesses.
These value-added services are considered by
3.3 UNICEF programme context
With regard to emerging technologies such as academic sectors. With this in mind,
drones, UNICEF does not have a single clearly involvement of the Office of Innovation in
defined approach for use and scale. UNICEF’s prototyping and testing potential solutions to
principles for innovation and technology for prepare UNICEF to take advantage of
development provide guidelines to inform the technological advances will commonly involve
design of technology-enabled programmes – a focus on leveraging markets and
they emphasize a substantial amount of partnerships to add value to UNICEF’s work.13
exploration with users and within the The Office of Innovation explicitly states its
ecosystem to determine the appropriate approach to innovation as ‘creation of new
technology solution to augment programming partnership structures that can narrow the gap
for local needs. They also democratize the between technologies (and practices) and the
innovation process through the application of people [UNICEF] needs to reach.’ Despite the
open source principles. At UNICEF, a country primary emphasis on partnerships in
office can own the innovation process for programme documentation, current work
testing and scaling the use of drones in local conducted by the Office of Innovation
operations. However, there is also a formal role indicates an intent to work across many other
for identification and testing of technologies areas, including working as an advisor to
more broadly across UNICEF in the mandate of UNICEF programmes, bringing solutions to
the Office of Innovation. Although three country offices for scaling.
potential use cases have been defined for
drones (imagery, transport and connectivity), The relevant maturity of an innovation
no one specific programme or region has yet determines the nature of Office of Innovation
been identified as best suited to the use of involvement. The UNICEF Ventures fund, which
drones for any specific use case and explicit invests in ‘early stage solutions that show
links to drone technology are not present in potential to positively impact children in a 0 – 2
strategic documentation.12 year future’ has provided funding for work in
drone prototyping and testing activities, both
At UNICEF, the Office of Innovation plays a through drone testing spaces and through
number of roles in the innovation exploration direct investments in drone-related software
process for frontier technologies, with a and services. This appears to imply that drones
particular emphasis on forming partnerships at are not currently considered a proven solution
the intersection of the public, private and with the potential to be implemented at
http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/parl/ 12 Based on a review of UNICEF Strategic Plans, including
xc27-1/XC27-1-1-421-10-eng.pdf. UNICEF’s Strategy for Health 2016 – 2030, and UNICEF
11 Source: DRONEII Drone Industry Insights. (2018). Drone Executive Board Humanitarian Action regular session 2017.
Market Environment Map 2018. Retrieved from 13 Source: Internal Office of Innovation document. (2018).
https://www.droneii.com/drone-market-environment-map- UNICEF Office of Innovation Office Management Plan
2018. (2018 – 2021).
14national scale in multiple countries (a role that
is identified as the responsibility of the Global
Innovation Centre).
At the country office level, cross-sector
innovation specialists often support
programme divisions in testing innovations prior
to mainstreaming in the traditional programme
structure. In Malawi, where the UNICEF greatest
number of drone-related activities have been
conducted, an innovation specialist staff
position supports the Country Office across a
number of areas of innovation (through the
Innovation Unit) while programmes look at the
potential use of drones to address specific
challenges in their areas of work. Innovation
has mostly recently been framed as being
centred around and led by Malawians.
4. THE INNOVATION JOURNEY FOR DRONES
Key takeaways
• The The pace of innovation in the area of drones has been fast, originating with a specific use case in
HIV/AIDs in the Malawi Country Office and evolving into the development of platforms for testing of
humanitarian use cases globally and greater support for development of enabling aviation ecosystems for
drones through partnerships with government
• Development of a safe testing space for drones – a ‘drone corridor’ - at UNICEF was proposed by the
Office of Innovation, with the Malawi Country Office leading operationalization of the first corridor in
partnership with the Government of Malawi beginning in 2016
• It has been challenging since the beginning to articulate clear objectives and outcomes for the first drone
corridor, resulting in a variety of ownership issues; however, presence of the corridor has enabled the
Malawi Country Office and the Government to further reflect on the potential value of drones in Malawi
and has led to identification of further needs in the local drone ecosystem
• Work in the area of drones is moving toward greater alignment to specific programming, with
establishment of drone corridors to solve challenges in Kazakhstan and Vanuatu and further exploration of
specific drone uses in emergencies and health in the Malawi Country Office.
To date, numerous actors have been involved drones in the field, and support regulators
in the innovation journey for drones and their and government agencies in development
mandate and objectives has evolved since the of drone regulations and use cases
beginning of the project. As of the writing of
this case study, the UNICEF actors involved • Office of Innovation Ventures Fund:
include: Provides funding for testing and
prototyping activities, including funding to
• Malawi, Kazakhstan and Vanuatu Country UNICEF country offices for the
Offices: Identify and explore direct establishment and operation of drone
applications of drones to address specific corridors and funding to private sector
challenges, support community organizations for development of drone-
engagement activities for socialization of related solutions
15• Office of Innovation Ventures provided by donors, either indirectly through
Engineering and Science activities: the pool of donor funds from the Office of
Works with the Ventures Fund; an Innovation Ventures Fund (Malawi and
advisor in the Office of Innovation has Kazakhstan), or through direct funding by a
worked to build a network within the donor to a specific project (Vanuatu).
drone ecosystem, including private
sector, regulators and academia, with Description of the innovation process
the intent of building partnerships that
could support UNICEF’s mandate It is challenging to confirm the specific point
from which the concept of drones for
• Supply Division: Has been involved through humanitarian development emerged at
supply chain consultations with UNICEF, particularly due to conflicting
government stakeholders and coordination information received from informants and
of efforts across UNICEF to understand limited documentation throughout the
potential business models for drone use by innovation process. The first exploration of
UNICEF and governments. The Office of drones documented by UNICEF began in 2014,
Innovation also has indicated that Supply through the Malawi Country Office. Today, the
Division is establishing dedicated capacity use of drones continues in the recognition and
to explore and provide guidance on using exploration and development stage, with
drones for delivery. more advancements underway in Kazakhstan,
Malawi and Vanuatu to understand and
Considering the regulatory requirements explore potential use cases in specific
associated with aviation and the lack of a programme areas.
framework to support drone flights in most
countries, involvement with government is a Figure 2. Innovation process
required component of work at this point in the
innovation process. Drone companies and
academic institutions also are involved,
bringing knowledge, expertise and equipment.
Funding for work on drones in UNICEF has been
Figure 3. Innovation process timeline
16Needs identification in Malawi
Barriers in early infant diagnosis caused by This potential barrier was based on a number
transport constraints of observations on infrastructure by the unit
lead. Specifically, despite 650 sites providing
Despite strong efforts to halt the spread of HIV HIV services to children, only nine laboratories
by the national government and partners in in Malawi had capacity to conduct diagnostic
Malawi, in 2014 prevalence of HIV remained tests.15 With a primarily rural population,
among the highest on the globe.14 Early infant transport of samples between laboratories
diagnosis remained a critical gap in reducing needed to occur. Access to efficient and cost
deaths, with only 20 per cent of infants effective transport was identified as a potential
receiving tests by the age of 2 months. At that barrier due to Malawi’s poor road infrastructure
time, UNICEF’s HIV/AIDs unit was involved in and human resources involved in primarily
initiatives for early infant diagnosis. After years motorcycle-based transport supply chains.
of working collaboratively with local health Based on these observations, the HIV/AIDs unit
networks and government partners, the considered drones as having potential to
HIV/AIDs unit chief identified a potential barrier unlock improved efficiency (both with respect
in the work relating to the transport of blood to cost and speed of transport).
spot samples.
Recognition and exploration of drones in the
health supply chain
Exploration of the feasibility of drones for a Working with the Government of Malawi,
specific use case in Malawi: Phase I Matternet (a UAV supplier based in the United
States) and VillageReach (a local NGO),
After a period of informal exploration of the UNICEF conducted test flights of drones in
technology in 2014 – 2015, consultation with March 2016, with the goal of comparing the
colleagues and drone hobbyists, and cost of drones against that of motorcycles in
consideration of other drone materials, the three different transport scenarios. Extensive
HIV/AIDs unit chief approached the Malawi community socialization was conducted in
Country Office Representative for support. An advance of the study to ensure community
exploration of the feasibility of drones for buy-in and support.
transport of laboratory samples was proposed.
Funding by the HIV/AIDs unit, using country During the same period that Malawi was
office programme funds, was approved to conducting the cost feasibility study, the Office
carry out an initial feasibility study of drones of Innovation indicated it was receiving
through a cost efficiency analysis. A Terms of requests from country offices asking for more
Reference (ToR) was released in June 2015, information on how to use drones in a variety
seeking a contractor to implement and of ways, particularly imagery. Discussions with
provide on-the-ground management of Phase private sector companies were also occurring,
1 of a study on health supply chain with potential partnerships emerging with DJI,
strengthening through unmanned aerial the world’s largest drone manufacturer.
vehicles (UAVs).16
14 Source: UNAIDS data (2018). Historical Malawi country Aerial Vehicles for Transportation of Laboratory Samples in
overview. Retrieved from Malawi.
http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/mal 16 Source: UNICEF Malawi Country Office Terms of
awi. Reference (2015). TOR format for institutional contracts:
15 Source: UNICEF Malawi Country Office commissioned Study on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for
report. (2016) Costs Associated with the Use of Unmanned transportation of laboratory samples in Malawi.
17A return to needs identification by the Office of been suggested that some effort was required
Innovation following this initial presentation to reframe the
value proposition and potential humanitarian
Expansion of interest in drones and outcomes of the testing space. In particular,
development of testing space there was a need to convince the
Government that the initiative was relevant to
Following Following the cost feasibility study, UNICEF’s mandate. Leveraging their
Office of Innovation staff visited Malawi to experience from the health supply chain work,
understand the work conducted. In part based HIV/AIDs unit team members took steps to
on discussions with the Malawi Country Office, more clearly articulate UNICEF’s value added
the Office of Innovation proposed that a and tie drone corridor outcomes back to
space to assess the feasibility of drones on a results for children.
larger scale was required – a ‘drone testing
corridor’ where the private sector would be Ultimately, the Government of Malawi
able to freely fly drones beyond visual line of supported the drone corridor in late 2016 and
sight. Companies and academic institutions approval was secured.
from around the world would apply to visit the
corridor. Successful applicants would visit Upon receiving approval, a number of critical
Malawi using their own funding to carry out preparation activities began in advance of the
testing of their drone technologies and launch of the drone corridor. This included
potentially identify new use cases for drones or preparation of a TOR, hiring of a drone corridor
sell services to UNICEF or other actors in the coordinator and further engagement with
region. government officials and extensive outreach
with local communities to identify corridor
Given a lack of documented decision-making locations and risks and socialize drone flights
points during this period of work, constructing a with communities. In June 2017, the drone
complete picture of the activities undertaken corridor opened with a three-day event in
to establish the drone corridor in Malawi is Kasungu, attended by key national and local
challenging. Although consultations and work government leaders, including the Minister of
on integrating drones into the health supply Transport. Following the launch and with the
chain continued, the Malawi Country Office hiring of a drone corridor coordinator, the
turned its focus to establishing a broader HIV/AIDs unit returned its focus to health supply
space to explore use cases. According to one chain strengthening, and the drone corridor
informant, this was in part due to a lack of testing space became a new priority for other
available funding for continuation of the Malawi Country Office team members,
health supply chain work, with funding including a newly hired innovation specialist.
decisions delayed by the UK National
Committee. It is at this point that the work on Although no documentation exists to provide
drones in Malawi appears to have diverged further details, exploration of partnerships
into two different, but related initiatives. remained underway through 2017, led by the
Office of Innovation. In December 2017, a
Given that the involvement of the Government Letter of Intent was signed with a subsidiary of
of Malawi would be needed for permission to significant global organization for a 12-month
use the airspace and for capacity building of collaboration with UNICEF. The stated
relevant ministries, an initial presentation to objectives of the collaboration included open
government representatives was made by an source flight registration and logging of drone
Office of Innovation consultant. Based on corridor flights.17
discussion with two informants in Malawi, it has
17Source: Internal Office of Innovation UNICEF document,
confidential Letter of Intent. (2017), 208-008-3PA-United
States Fund for UNICEF.
18Stories from the innovation process: Community socialization
It was clear that for most Malawians, the Matternet drones flying for the cost feasibility study for UNICEF would
likely be an unfamiliar and potentially frightening sight in the sky. In particular, belief in witchcraft and vampires
by some communities was of concern.
Recognizing a need for community socialization of drones prior to conducting flights, the Malawi Country Office
conducted extensive outreach, in partnership with the Ministry of Information. Community gatherings were
conducted in Area 25 (the region selected for flights) in Lilongwe and a community screening of videos and
Q&A session was held with an estimated audience of 700 people. Official demonstrations also were
conducted, with key government official speeches, cultural dances and a number of outreach/educational
activities related to HIV/AIDs testing. Printed materials were distributed.
UNICEF has continued community socialization in the drone corridor. Flights in the corridor often draw a large
audience of children and adults. In some cases, a local Malawi youth intern may share information about
drones, work underway drones, and how UNICEF was involved.
Similarly, in Vanuatu, community socialization was identified as a critical enabler of work in this area. Cultural
sensitivities with regard to filming of cultural events were well known by UNICEF staff. In accordance with the
‘kaljoral’ tradition, outreach activities were successfully conducted on a number of islands prior to establishing
the flight path for testing of vaccine deliveries. During these visits, a consumer drone was deployed to sensitize
people on the technology to be used, capture footage for technical purposes and prepare the technical
documentation for future trial participants.
By educating locals on the use of drones, UNICEF reduces reputational risks associated with flights and the
likelihood of community members taking drones down or feeling uncomfortable with respect to their own safety
and privacy.
Development and implementation
Operationalization of te drone corridor
With a 40 km radius, the drone corridor was additional 20 organizations were in
used to attract companies and academic conversation with UNICEF throughout 2018,
organizations to test the safe integration of with several visits to the corridor conducted by
solutions for imagery, connectivity and both for-profit and academic organizations.18
transport and engage in community outreach Close collaboration with the Department of
and capacity building. Seven for-profit start- Civil Aviation continued. The Department was
ups, non-profit and academic organizations involved in vetting applications and
participated in the drone corridor. Overall, all collaborated with the Malawi Country Office
flights were successful, although a crash in on the development of a formal national
October 2018 outside the drone corridor by a drone regulatory framework.19
company that had previously been flying in the
drone corridor attracted substantial attention
from local media and on social media. An
18Ongoing applications as of June 2018 included Vayu, 19Currently, Remotely Piloted Aircraft guidelines are in use
Inc, University of Kyoto, UAVAid, Flying Labs Malawi, Endure as regulations are being gazetted.
Air, UniFly, Virginia Tech, GLOBEHE and 4DMapper.
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