Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Guidance for Oil Spill and Disaster Response, Assessment, and Data Management

NOAA has created guidance on the use of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) for shoreline and on-water spill response for the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA’s own use, supporting both operations and data management to enhance oil spill response effectiveness.

Nadir image captured by an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) of a vessel on open water next to observed oil sheen.
In aerial photography, nadir images are captured by uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) to provide a top-down view of the area being imaged. The term “nadir” refers to the point on the ground directly below the camera lens.

View and Print the Job Aids:

  1. Oil Spill Response Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Guidance and Training [PDF, 7.54 MB]: This guide outlines best practices for flying UAS during an oil spill or natural disaster response and/or damage assessments. Published in 2024.
  2. Oil Spill Response Data Management, Storage, and Delivery Guidance [PDF, 841 KB]: This guide outlines best practices for managing data collections from a small UAS or other remote platforms during an oil spill or natural disaster response and/or damage assessment. Published in 2024.

These two newly released job aids aim to provide best practices for operating UAS during oil spills or natural disaster responses, including damage assessments. While primarily designed for small UAS less than 55 pounds, the job aids also offer guidance applicable to medium and large UAS, including fixed-wing systems.

Nadir images, "tagged" with red kite icons, are stitched together into a mosaic image map. The nadir images capture a top-down view of a vessel on open water next to observed oil sheen.
Nadir images, shown as "red kites," are stitched together into a “mosaic” image map from data collected by U.S. Coast Guard small UAS and posted to the ERMA® common operating picture, providing situational awareness and decision support.

The job aids cover descriptions of equipment, sensors, settings, flight methods, and oiled aerial observations as well as data management best practices for collections. A decision-making one-pager tool is also included to help responders determine when and how to use UAS during a response. Together, these job aids address the entire lifecycle of UAS use on incidents and include topics ranging from mission planning, data collection, image and mosaic mapping, data delivery, and short-and long-term data storage.

These resources are intended for spill responders holding an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Remote Pilot Certificate as specified by Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under Part 107, basic flight training, and any other certifications required by their organization. Spill response training is also recommended, as this guide only offers minimal guidance on making aerial and shoreline observations of oil.

The job aids expand OR&R's Job Aid resource library, including the recent Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Oil Spill Response Job Aid, developed to supplement the Shoreline Assessment Manual, and the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Hurricane Response Job Aid, developed to supplement hurricane response activities (post-storm derelict vessel and HAZMAT identification and removal), published in 2021.

These job aids are designed as "living documents" that will be periodically updated to expand and enhance the scope of the previous versions.

Additional Resources

Acknowledgment

Funding for the Oil Spill Response Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Guidance and Training Job Aid was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Great Lakes Oil Spill Center of Expertise (GLCOE). This job aid was developed by Research Planning, Inc. in close collaboration with USCG’s GLCOE and OR&R.

More Information about Job Aids

Job Aids for Spill Response: Learn more about the job aids that OR&R has created to help oil spill responders complete their response tasks.

Questions: Contact us with any questions, comments, or suggestions related to NOAA job aids.

Last updated Tuesday, March 11, 2025 8:58am PDT