When someone goes missing, every moment matters—and your attention should be on the mission, not managing flight paths. That’s why DroneSense brings proven, automated search and rescue flight patterns right to your fingertips—so pilots can concentrate on what truly matters: bringing people home, faster.
➡️ [Watch the video] or [read the case study] to see how automation is transforming SAR operations in the field.
Introduction
At DroneSense, we're dedicated to empowering public safety professionals with cutting-edge technology and practical solutions tailored to their unique needs. Designed by a team with firsthand experience in public safety, our platform is enhancing search and rescue (SAR) capabilities by embedding rigorously tested, automated SAR flight patterns directly into our software. Developed by the Norwegian Police Unmanned Air Support Unit (NPUAS), these data-driven patterns significantly enhance detection rates and reduce mission complexity—allowing pilots to locate missing individuals faster, safer, and more effectively.
The Challenge
Traditionally, drone pilots in SAR operations faced challenges balancing precise navigation and thorough visual searches across diverse terrains—including land and water environments. Without systematic flight patterns, searches risk inefficiency, leading to potentially critical oversight of missing persons.
The Solution
DroneSense addressed the challenges faced by drone pilots by integrating six extensively tested, predefined SAR flight patterns into its UAS platform. These flight patterns were developed by the NPUAS following a systematic analysis of over 50,000 global SAR incidents, utilizing the established "Bike Wheel Methodology"—a statistical framework that predicts where missing individuals are most likely to be located.
Recognizing the distinct requirements for water-based searches, NPUAS also rigorously evaluated drone flight patterns optimized specifically for aquatic environments. These specialized water-search patterns carefully account for critical variables, such as water clarity, depth, surface disturbances, lighting conditions, and underwater terrain, significantly enhancing detection probabilities in maritime and freshwater SAR operations.
"Integrating our proven SAR flight patterns into the common piloting application we use has increased our effectiveness, simplified pilot workloads, and enhanced mission safety—it's a game-changer for our search and rescue operations and will surely enable us to save even more lives in the years to come."
– Norwegian Police Unmanned Air Support Unit (NPUAS)
This solution is uniquely designed to maximize the Probability of Detection (POD) by carefully optimizing critical variables, including:
The six predefined SAR flight patterns available in DroneSense allow pilots to easily execute complex searches with confidence, significantly enhancing operational efficiency, situational awareness, and mission success.
Results and Benefits
The systematic, data-driven SAR flight patterns identified by NPUAS proved highly effective, resulting in an 8-fold increase in successful search-and-rescue recoveries compared to the initial trial year period.
Based on the remarkable success and proven effectiveness of the NPUAS methods, DroneSense integrated these validated search patterns directly into its UAS platform, making them easily accessible to public safety agencies worldwide. With DroneSense’s three-dimensional SAR flight patterns, drone pilots can allow the platform to fly optimal flight patterns while automatically adjusting altitude to safely navigate rugged terrain. This allows pilots to fully focus on visual search efforts rather than complex flight control tasks, dramatically improving operational efficiency and increasing the likelihood of finding missing individuals quickly.
By pairing advanced methodology with seamless technology, DroneSense continues to set the standard in drone-based search-and-rescue operations, enabling agencies to save more lives with greater confidence and efficiency.
Ready to transform your SAR missions?
Contact DroneSense at sales@dronesense.com and discover how automated drone SAR flight patterns can seamlessly integrate with your workflow and enhance your search and rescue effectiveness.