Crowddroning by GLOBHE

Helena Samsioe - CEO and Founder at GLOBHE Drones

Helena has been named “World’s Top 50 Women in Tech” by Forbes, ranked among the most powerful business women in Sweden, named “Top Woman to Watch in the Drone Industry” and been featured as the “Drone Queen” on BBC. She has been part of developing and implementing innovative change on a global scale in different managerial roles in Europe, Africa and the US previous to founding GLOBHE.

GLOBHE is a drone as a service company collecting drone data on demand to create a better future for our clients, people and the planet. Through Crowddroning, GLOBHE’s global drone data on demand platform, we are making drone data available in a whole new way, and at a whole new scale, to help solve real life challenges around the world. Our clients easily request drone data through Crowddroning, the request matches to the closest drone pilot (currently 3767 drone pilots in 77 countries), the pilot flies the mission, uploads the data to Crowddroning, and a download link is sent to the client. 

Besides from filling a much needed information gap for our clients operations, we also help reduce carbon dioxide since all our drones are battery driven, as well as we help fueling the global gig economy by providing paid freelance flying missions to drone pilots around the world.

Thousands of drones are flying around in our skies every day. Never before have we had access to so much data. At the same time disease outbreaks often occur due to lack of information that could have prevented them and signs of natural disasters are often visible before they become severe. 

At GLOBHE we saw the huge potential of utilising this momentum to create a solution for people and the planet, when and where it really matters. Before Crowddroning by GLOBHE it was difficult to get access to quality image data to detect warning characteristics for natural disasters, disease outbreaks and environmental changes. And there was no easy way for end users such as authorities, international organisations and large corporations to request this data. Data also became outdated by the time it may arrive from traditional methods (satellite images or drones being shipped to where needed).

Crowddroning by GLOBHE is now solving the problem by making drone data at global scale available on demand in just a few clicks by tapping into drones that are already out there.

The Crowddroning platform by GLOBHE is outsourcing flying missions to drone pilots globally to collect image data to help prevent and respond to disasters. Each flight yields more than 1,000 (and sometimes as many as 10,000) photos that are stitched together into a digital map.The detailed maps are being used to warn for drought and wildfires, prevent and respond to global health outbreaks around the world by identifying malaria breeding sites at an early stage and quickly identify the number of households in a disease outbreak area to more efficiently plan the adequate emergency response. 

The platform is built as a cloud solution to enable for quick data sharing at global scale. Currently over 3767 drone pilots in 77 countries are connected to the platform and ready to collect drone data on demand - when and where it is needed. The data is then being uploaded to the platform and shared with clients. 

The data, i.e. the finished product, looks like a Google map, but it’s in real time and it’s a much higher image resolution, meaning you can zoom in to a much higher degree making detailed analysis possible such as identifying risk areas for malaria mosquito breeding sites.

Our solution aims to provide updated environmental and population data that primarily can be used to early identify and limit disease outbreaks and natural disasters. As we’ve seen our solution has been used to more efficiently respond to a cholera outbreak by providing updated population data, helped identify areas in risk of flooding and helped prevent malaria outbreaks by early identifying malaria mosquito breeding sites. Our aim is that our solution will bring increased social impact through less severe disease outbreaks and natural disasters, increased economic impact through shifting possibilities from response to prevention, and business impact by providing local drone pilots around the world with paid freelance flying missions through our digital platform and gig economy. 

Helena Samsioe founded GLOBHE after seeing freelance drone pilots working on photography projects for publications such as National Geographic. When she lived in Zambia, she realized that this photography can
be used in data as well, not just beautiful pictures. She started to connect drone pilots who wanted to contribute and be part of providing social impact around the world. A small idea that today is spreading like a global movement.

We live in an interconnected world with interconnected challenges and has therefore been inspired to solve some of these by interconnected technology. Technology that can make a difference exist today and we believe it is every entrepreneur’s responsibility to help connect and innovate on these and make them available in a way that hasn’t been done before so they become scalable, sustainable solutions that make a difference for people and the planet. Today it is possible to solve old problems in a new way and we are inspired to make it happen - the sky is not the limit!

We are a global team of innovators, creators, tech geeks, and social impact believers, but above all, we are a team of dreamers and doers on a mission to create a better future with drones. We are a small core team connected to a global network of drone pilots redefining the use of drones. At GLOBHE we are firm believers that the future of possible is already here and passionate about using innovative technology and collaborations to show it. We have secured collaboration with key actors such as Google and the United Nations and has recently launched a cutting edge technical platform putting us in a position where we are now able to scale. 

At GLOBHE we have started to change the way the world looks at drones. When the idea of the company was born in 2015 the word "drone" was associated almost completely with negative/military aspects or regarded as a simple toy. During our first meeting with the United Nations we were not allowed to use the word "drone" instead we had to call it "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle", as it was not as negatively associated. Today almost 5 years later the word "drone" is being used widely as it is nowadays also associated with positive change. GLOBHE has been part of pushing the "Drones For Good" movement forward, with the United Nations as a key partner and client. This has taught us persistence. Rome was not built in a day and you can not create a better future with drones in a day. But if you truly believe in what you are doing and keep pushing for it, you will wake up in a world where drones are doing a lot of great things. They are today, and they will be doing even more so tomorrow.

Our founder and CEO, Helena Samsioe has been named "World's Top 50 Women in Tech" by Forbes, ranked as one of the most powerful business women in Sweden, named among the "Top Women to Watch in the Drone Industry”, nominated for "Digital Influencer of the Year", and has been featured as the "Drone Queen" on BBC. All the nominations come from hard work, persistence and determination that women can use technology to both do good and create powerful businesses at the same time. 

Five years ago Helena was often told "this can not be done, you can't use drones like this". Nowadays she is often approached by people asking "how can we be part of the movement you have created". The fact that GLOBHE is considered more than just a company, and instead a movement creating positive change, is for us a true sign of leadership. 

We live in an interconnected world with interconnected challenges and has therefore been inspired to solve some of these by interconnected technology. Technology that can make a difference exist today and we believe it is every entrepreneur’s responsibility to help connect and innovate on these and make them available in a way that hasn’t been done before so they become scalable, sustainable solutions that make a difference for people and the planet. Today it is possible to solve old problems in a new way and we are inspired to make it happen - the sky is not the limit!

The new Crowddroning platform by GLOBHE is helping connect drone pilots to fly missions to prevent and respond to disasters globally. The maps created by the drones, give information that organisations such as the United Nations  couldn’t otherwise get access to, including detailed estimates of population data that are critical to have in the case of a disease outbreak or to plan a campaign to deliver vaccines or medical supplies.

Previously the most commonly used method to get access to this data was satellite maps but the most recent satellite images are often out-of-date, especially in low income countries, not taking into account recent environmental events such as floods or other types of infrastructural changes. This means that some areas might be blocked from accessing crucial services such as healthcare and testing facilities. In addition some areas have grown rapidly in population over a short period of time, with many more households present than what can be seen on Google Maps and other traditional data sets, making it difficult to identify hot spots and calculate spread rates. Crowddroning by GLOBHE is now changing this. 

Our goals in 1 and 5 years is to develop Crowddroning, our Global Drone Data Platform further, connect to even more drone pilots in even more countries, and develop AI algorithms that can analyse and detect crucial factors from drone images even further to help prevent and respond to disease outbreaks and natural disasters in even more places, even better in the future. Our goal is by doing so to help improve the lives of 218 million people every year with a specific target on low income countries where crucial health and environmental data many times is lacking.

1. Grow number of test users/users - GLOBHE is looking for more end users to come onboard as test users/users to help give feedback on how our solution is benefitting their operations

2. Technical development – keep automating and improve the Crowddroning Platform to reduce manual steps and enhance user friendliness even further

3. Marketing – tell stories from around the world how Crowddroning by GLOBHE is making a difference for our clients, people and the planet.

4. Research - engage in research collaborations to understand the value of drone data even further

GLOBHE provides drone data on demand from USD 10/hectare. In addition we are launching subscription plans from USD 1000/month and “sponsor a drone” opportunities. Until date we have received approximately 10 msek investment through primarily grants and corporate support from actors such as Vinnova, Google and Zayed Sustainability Prize. We are most likely raising additional funds through Crowdfunding later this year.

• ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE 2020-2021
• GLOBHE 2020 Health Category Winner
• Timeframe: 24 months (January 2020- December 2021)
• Total Budget: USD 600 000
• Overall Goal: Scale Global Drone Data collection to further help prevent and respond to disease outbreaks and natural disasters around the world

Key Activities:

1) Digital Platform Development (USD 300 000)
- Improve automatisation
- Improve user experience for end users and drone pilots
- Connect to 3rd Party Platforms to increase impact/insights/flows
2) Educate and Increase Awareness (USD 150 000)
- Educate/inform end users
- Educate/inform drone pilots
3) Explore and Grow Partnerships/End Users (USD 150 000)
- Private Sector
- Public Sector
- International Organisations
- Academia

Key Performance Indicators:

1) Digital Platform Development
- Reduce manual input by 50 %
- Reach above 75% satisfactory rate among users
- Connect to 1-3 third party platforms
2) Educate and Increase Awareness
- Attend 5 large events with end user focus
- Attend 3 large events with drone pilot focus
- Arrange 3 events/educational sessions
- Grow Social Media Followers by 20%
- Get 5 large media publications

3) Explore and Grow Partnerships
- Have 1000 additional drone pilots sign up to Globhe Digital Platform
- Grow data collection/map requests by 100%
- Engage in 3 academic partnerships/collaborations

2020:

Revenue  $900.000

Net profit: $100.000

Capital raised: $600.000

GLOBHE aims to scale global drone data collection through our digital platform, Crowddroning, to further help prevent and respond to disease outbreaks and natural disasters around the world in a faster, cheaper and more environmentally friendly way compared to traditional methods.

Thousands of drones are flying around in our skies every day. Never before have we had access to so much data. At the same time disease outbreaks often occur due to lack of information that could have prevented them and signs of natural disasters are often visible before they become severe. At GLOBHE we saw the huge potential of utilising this momentum to create solutions for people and the planet, when and where they really matter. 

Therefore, we created Crowddroning, that to date connects over 3700 drone pilots in 77 countries who collect drone images on demand to help prevent and respond to disease outbreaks and natural disasters around the world. Our solution has to date been used to help combat flooding, cholera and malaria outbreaks in Malawi and Lake Victoria. To be able to scale our current impact and create additional areas of impact the following key improvements and developments are needed hence we are applying for the Elevate Prize:

1) Digital Platform Development
- Increase automatization/AI/Machine Learning
- Improve user experience for end users and drone pilots
- Connect to 3rd Party Platforms to increase impact/insights/flows
2) Educate and Increase Awareness
- Educate/inform end users
- Educate/inform drone pilots
3) Explore and Grow Partnerships/End users
- Private Sector
- Public Sector
- International Organisations
- Academia