Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) is a US-based NGO and global community of thousands of volunteers working together to use maps and open data for humanitarian response and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Deliverables:

The consultant will deliver the following within the contract period:

• Work plan & compliance pack
  • Brief work plan and schedule;
  • Flight plan(s) and risk assessment;
  • Evidence of compliance (KCAA licensing as required, drone registration, and insurance).
• DroneTM setup and use
  • DroneTM project(s) created/configured for the agreed areas;
  • Tasks/flight planning prepared in DroneTM (or compatible workflow agreed with HOT‑ESA);
  • All collected imagery organized and uploaded/shared through the agreed DroneTM workflow.
• Imagery acquisition
  • Complete set of raw images covering the agreed areas;
  • Flight logs (and any other relevant mission metadata).
• Quality checks and mapping-ready outputs
  • Basic QA/QC notes (coverage, overlap, blur, gaps, any re-flight needs);
  • Mapping-ready outputs in agreed format(s) (e.g., orthomosaic and metadata), if required and feasible within time.
• Capacity development & handover
  • Supervised field-based demonstration(s) and practical coaching for SDI Kenya staff on:
    • safe drone operations and data capture;
    • imagery quality checks; and
    • DroneTM basics (project setup, tasking, imagery upload/management).
  • Coaching may include staff who are in the process of obtaining pilot certification; however, all flight operations must remain compliant with KCAA rule
• Short completion report
  • 2–4 page report summarizing what was flown, what was delivered, challenges, and recommendations.

Key Tasks:

Before fieldwork — planning + set-up

• Confirm the areas of interest (approx. 33 villages / ~2.7 km² total) and technical specifications with HOT‑ESA and SDI Kenya (e.g., target ground sample distance, overlap, altitude limits, output formats);
• Prepare a concise flight plan and risk assessment, including:
  • KCAA compliance steps and required permissions/authorizations;
  • community engagement approach (who is informed, when, and how);
  • safety procedures, contingency plans, and no‑fly constraints;
• Configure Drone Tasking Manager (DroneTM) for delivery:
  • create/configure the project(s) for the agreed AOIs;
  • set up user access/roles for HOT‑ESA and SDI Kenya;
  • agree naming conventions and data packaging structure (imagery, logs, metadata);
• Prepare a light capacity development plan (what will be demonstrated/coached, to whom, and when), aligned to the “learning‑by‑doing” approach.

Consultant Profile:

A minimum requirement for this role includes:

• Demonstrated experience in drone mapping / UAV imagery capture and processing;
• Valid Remote Pilot License (RPL) or equivalent recognized by KCAA;
• Access to a KCAA-compliant, registered, and insured drone suitable for mapping;
• Ability to work collaboratively with community and multi-stakeholder teams;
• Fluency in English (Swahili strongly preferred).

• Deliver a brief work plan and schedule.
• Prepare flight plan(s) and risk assessment.
• Provide evidence of compliance (KCAA licensing as required, drone registration, and insurance).
• Create/configure DroneTM project(s) for the agreed areas.
• Prepare tasks/flight planning in DroneTM (or compatible workflow).
• Organize and upload/share all collected imagery through the agreed DroneTM workflow.
• Acquire a complete set of raw images covering the agreed areas.
• Provide flight logs and any other relevant mission metadata.
• Conduct basic QA/QC checks (coverage, overlap, blur, gaps, any re-flight needs).
• Produce mapping-ready outputs in agreed format(s) (e.g., orthomosaic and metadata), if required and feasible within time.
• Provide supervised field-based demonstration(s) and practical coaching for SDI Kenya staff on safe drone operations and data capture, imagery quality checks, and DroneTM basics.
• Submit a 2–4 page report summarizing what was flown, what was delivered, challenges, and recommendations.
• Confirm the areas of interest and technical specifications with HOT‑ESA and SDI Kenya.
• Prepare a concise flight plan and risk assessment, including KCAA compliance, community engagement, and safety procedures.
• Configure Drone Tasking Manager (DroneTM) for delivery, including project setup, user access, and data packaging.
• Prepare a light capacity development plan.

• Drone mapping / UAV imagery capture and processing
• Remote pilot license (RPL) or equivalent recognized by KCAA
• Ability to work collaboratively with community and multi-stakeholder teams
• Fluency in English (Swahili strongly preferred)

• BA/BSc/HND
• Valid Remote Pilot License (RPL) or equivalent recognized by KCAA
• Access to a KCAA-compliant, registered, and insured drone suitable for mapping