Agency UAS Support Readiness Checklist

1. Authority and incident integration

0/4

Confirm who owns the request, how the outside resource enters the organization, and where decisions remain.

An authorized agency representative can request or approve the UAS assignment.Identify the position or process rather than relying on an informal individual request.A command, coordination, or agency point of contact will receive observations and task changes.The UAS operator needs one defined path for priorities, urgent findings, and reassignment.The agency and UAS resource roles are understood.The requesting organization retains incident authority, tactical decisions, accountability, verification, and records responsibility.Activation, cancellation, and demobilization expectations can be explained.Include who calls, what information is exchanged, and when the assignment ends.

2. Assignment and operating environment

0/4

Turn “send a drone” into a defined observation or documentation task that can be evaluated before launch.

The operational question or requested deliverable is specific.Examples include an exterior roofline view, a mapped corridor, a defined search segment, or indexed damage photographs.The location, boundary, priority features, and known hazards can be provided.Points, routes, corridors, and large areas need different planning and completion reporting.Airspace, crewed-aircraft coordination, and site-control responsibilities can be addressed.Authorization and deconfliction are assignment-specific and may prevent or delay flight.Weather, visibility, terrain, obstructions, access, and sensor limitations are acceptable planning factors.No assignment should promise complete observation, uninterrupted flight, or a result regardless of conditions.

3. Communications and remote viewing

0/4

Define how observations move to the responsible personnel, including what happens when video or data service is degraded.

A primary communications path and fallback are available.Urgent observations should not depend only on a web viewer, satellite link, or consumer messaging service.Authorized remote viewers and their operational purpose can be identified.Viewer access should be assignment-specific, limited to intended users, and closed when no longer needed.The receiving device, connection, display, and responsible viewer can be tested.A current lower-bandwidth feed may be more useful than a high-resolution feed that repeatedly stalls.The team knows how it will continue if live video, telemetry, or mapping is unavailable.Possible fallbacks include verbal observations, selected later snapshots, equipment relocation, or ending remote viewing.

4. Deliverables and information handling

0/4

Agree on the product, transfer, access, limitations, retention, and follow-up before sensitive operational material accumulates.

The requested product, format, timing, and authorized recipients are defined.Distinguish live observations, annotated images, maps, processed models, reports, and raw source files.The agency can identify its records, privacy, evidentiary, or public-disclosure requirements.IRIS can follow an approved workflow but does not determine the requesting organization’s legal obligations.A protected transfer and access method is available for nonpublic material.Do not place operational files, reusable credentials, protected locations, or personal information in public links.Retention, deletion, and closeout expectations can be provided.Include who confirms receipt, what IRIS may retain, and how incomplete or unobserved work is recorded.

5. Verification and improvement

0/4

Close the loop so observations are verified, gaps are visible, and exercises or assignments produce improvements.

The agency has a method to verify observations requiring ground or specialist follow-up.Thermal patterns, visible objects, route conditions, and exterior damage are observations—not automatic determinations.Unobserved, partially observed, or interrupted areas will be reported.A flight track or clean-looking map must not be presented as proof of complete observation.A post-assignment contact will reconcile products, limitations, access, and remaining questions.A short closeout prevents files from being separated from their assignment and limitations.The organization can exercise or review the workflow before depending on it.Exercises should evaluate objectives, preserve strengths, assign corrective actions, and verify completion.