Drones, GIS & Hurricane Melissa: Building Caribbean Resilience with Dr. Valrie Grant

After Hurricane Melissa, one Jamaican organisation stepped up to coordinate 26+ drone pilots and nearly 30 international organisations in what may be the largest drone disaster response effort in history. Here's how they did it — and what they're building next.Dr. Valrie Grant, founder of Jamaica Flying Labs and Geotech Vision, joins the podcast to unpack the Hurricane Melissa drone response, the upcoming Drones, AI and GIS for Disaster Risk Management Conference in Montego Bay, and her vision for the Caribbean. From training media professionals through UNESCO to advocating for regional drone certification standards, Dr. Grant makes the case that geospatial technology is no longer a nice-to-have for Caribbean disaster management — it's fundamental. This is an essential listen for anyone working in disaster resilience, emergency management, GIS, or Caribbean tech.Where to learn more:Drones, AI and GIS for Disaster Risk Management Conference:  https://flyinglabs.org/drmconference2026 Dr. Valrie Grant’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valriegrantGeotech Vision: https://www.geotechvision.com/Jamaica Flying Labs: https://flyinglabs.org/jamaicaWe Robotics: https://werobotics.org/UN-GGIM: https://ggim.un.org/Previous Episode: https://youtu.be/FgmLfr1Fki8Josiah Burkett Episode: https://youtu.be/oiJoBz3QSigCDEMA (Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency): https://www.cdema.org/Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT): https://www.hotosm.org/Mapping the Conversations Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UQpDE3wa3O7qlqWPqbXBg?si=07a3b1e98d7646bcGet the Drone Pilot Checklist!The Pilots of the Caribbean Podcast recommends the Pilot Institute - Part 107 Made Easy course for anyone looking to prepare to sit the part 107 exam and become a licensed commercial drone operator.Website: https://pilotsofthecaribbeanpod.comEmail: [email protected] our links: https://linktr.ee/pilotsofthecaribbeanpod* Affiliate disclaimer: some of the above links maybe affiliate links, which may generate a sales commission.*