Christopher Todd, your host, is accompanied by Patrick Meier, a remote pilot and internationally recognized expert in humanitarian technology, who has worked in a wide range of humanitarian technologies around the world, with partners including the United Nations, Red Cross, World Bank, and many others.   Patrick is the founder of the International Humanitarian UAB Network which is an organization with over 3,000 members in more than 120 countries, dedicated to the safe, responsible, and effective use of drones for a wide range of aid development and help context. He is the author of the book Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data Is Changing the Face of Humanitarian and now serves as the executive director of WeRobotics.   Patrick shares, in this episode, how he became involved in humanitarian unmanned systems, the mission and vision of WeRobotics, and the core values of an organization that wants to be part of the solution when it’s time to empower local communities to respond to the consequences of disasters.   Key Takeaways: [2:57] Patrick shares how he became involved in humanitarian unmanned systems. [6:05] What makes Africa the ideal place for organizations to test and develop technology? [11:05] Patrick talks about WeRobotics, its mission, how it got started, and how it is today. [15:42] WeRobotics helps to build the local capacity, empowering local communities, and enabling them to carry out a response in the mitigation effort. [18:08] The work is in facilitating knowledge exchange. [20:06] Shifting mindsets. [20:47] Patrick talks about the 27 flying labs and which projects and missions they are working on. [23:29] The project in the Dominican Republic. [26:34] Patrick explains the process of starting a flying lab with WeRobotics. [28:46] Connecting flying labs together. [31:40] The different uses of flying labs. [33:46] Flying labs need to be sustainable. [34:06] WeRobotics is offering training for pilots who seek to conduct disaster operations. [36:43] Drones for medical delivery and disease control. [37:12] Patrick talks about what the future looks like for WeRobotics. [39:15] WeRobotics is working on helping to provide top-quality customer service. [41:44] WeRobotics is always looking to expand its partnerships with organizations. [42:10] Patrick shares a humanitarian story.   Mentioned in this episode: Airborne International Response Team Presented by AiRXOS, part of GE Aviation with additional support from FirstIZ and Pix4D AIRT is the leading 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting Drones For Good and Public Safety UAS Become a member of Drone Responders for free. Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data Is Changing the Face of Humanitarian, by Patrick Meier Flying Labs WeRobotics