Customizable Drone Solutions Improve Climate Resiliency Against Flooding

Globally, climate change is contributing to an unprecedented increase in severe weather incidents. In 2024, Canada suffered its worst year on record for insured damage caused by severe weather events, with costs surpassing $8 billion. Flooding events cause prominent damage to homes and infrastructure, leaving Canadians with approximately $1.4 billion in flood-related losses each year.

For a team of UBC researchers led by Dr. Adrien Desjardins (Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering), Dr. Dominic Liao-McPherson (Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering) and Dr. Philippe Tortell (Professor, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences) this problem space seemed urgent, impactful and largely unexplored. Their project is called CLEAR: Climate and Environmental Awareness through Robotics, and it was developed under a research partnership between UBC, Rogers Communications and Microsoft that aims to improve connectivity and digital access for Indigenous and remote rural communities in Canada by leveraging technology, including 5G and cloud solutions. Co-operators insurance company is a collaborator that has helped develop the project’s vision. Their valuable insights into how water data acquired by drones can be efficiently incorporated into sophisticated flood risk models, combined with CLEAR’s findings, could improve risk modeling that will benefit all Canadians.

In collaboration with coastal BC communities, CLEAR’s team of engineers, ocean scientists, and Rogers technology experts aim to co-develop solutions for climate resiliency using technological advances – including water-landing drones, compact water-quality sensors and 5G communications. “Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change,” says Desjardins. “We’re really inspired by the community members who are sharing their intricate knowledge of their coastal environments, and working with us to co-develop new solutions for climate resiliency.”

Ultimately, their project is motivated to support the people and businesses that are at significant risk from flooding. It will transform the ability of communities to measure and transmit data related to their local water environments. By combining new algorithms with sensor data and intuitive data displays, the project aims to significantly increase flood preparedness and response measures.

The drones deployed by CLEAR are operable in a wide range of weather conditions, are ocean compatible, and can be fitted with sensors that address a wide range of measurement needs. Using cellular communications, the collected data are transmitted directly from the drones via the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, and can be accessed immediately by multiple individuals or groups. The aim is to develop, autonomous drones that can make self-directed, comprehensive water quality assessments in a flooded area.

The project is currently in its testing and refinement stage, ensuring accuracy of the drone sensors. Desjardins explains that the system can be readily adapted to different environments, communities and context, collecting suites of data that are situationally most relevant. For instance, the team is working with the flood-prone City of Chilliwack, on the development of technologies that support monitoring of their rivers. They are also working with the SC’IȺNEW̱ Nation in Beecher Bay on Vancouver Island, to co-develop and co-deploy drones. The Ocean Resources team at the SC’IȺNEW̱ Nation are stewards of the ocean environment and are highly experienced with the use of drones to perform environmental monitoring in their traditional territories.

Testing is also underway at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, a multidisciplinary research facility located on the outer west coast of Vancouver Island and situated within the traditional territory of the Huu-ay-aht First Nations. With significant exposure to the Pacific Ocean, the extreme weather conditions and scientific resources available at the centre make the location ideal for testing new drone technologies, and comparing new measurements against well established oceanographic sensors currently deployed at the station at the Pacific Ecosystem Autonomous Research Laboratory (PEARL), led by Philippe Tortell. Results from this work will be of significant relevance for communities local to Bamfield, for whom flooding is a serious and ongoing concern. “The engineers bring expertise in technology development, and the oceanographers are deeply attuned to the types of measurements that are needed to conduct comprehensive assessments in this kind of ocean environment,” says Desjardins.

Working within the UBC-Rogers partnership has been incredibly valuable, says Desjardins. “The interdisciplinarity is key; the project would not have been possible without a collaboration between two branches of engineering, the cross-faculty collaboration with earth and ocean sciences, private sector technology and expertise from Rogers and Microsoft, and the engagement of our First Nations partners. Bringing these projects and experts together under one umbrella greatly facilitates knowledge exchange and accelerates innovation towards impact.”

CLEAR: Dr. Dominic Liao-McPherson, faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Philippe Tortell, faculty member the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Dr. Ross McCulloch, research fellow, the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; Will Ronan, masters student, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Desmond Davies, masters student, Department of Mechanical Engineering

COLLABORATORS: Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre; City of Chilliwack; Co-operators; Microsoft; Rogers Communications; SC’IȺNEW̱ Nation; Pacific Ecosystem Autonomous Research Laboratory