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Over the summer, the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center supported a team of remote pilots from Guam in conducting a knowledge exchange with the College of Micronesia-FSM and assisting a PI-CASC researcher with a drone training for agroforestry workers in Pohnpei state.

Ryan Perroy, a professor of geography and environmental science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, is leading a PI-CASC project relative to augmenting Pacific Islands agroforestry management with small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) and artificial intelligence. The project includes training local natural resource employees in remote Pacific Islands with using new technologies to conduct detailed agroforestry assessments. Perroy and his team from the UH Hilo Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization Research Lab facilitated the training from July 14 to 18. This is the second workshop that he has conducted.

To support this endeavor, remote pilots from the University of Guam Drone Corps traveled to Pohnpei to assist with instruction. Key topics from the training included drone mission planning, flight safety, and geospatial data processing. The UOG Drone Corps also had the opportunity to share insights on its hands-on training approach.

“It was an honor learning from and connecting with our community partners in Pohnpei to share the immense value that next-generation technologies like drones can bring to conservation and environmental monitoring efforts. We look forward to seeing more individuals in the region embrace this technology, so we can continue building a homegrown network of well-equipped and responsible drone pilots,” said Keanno Fausto, NASA Guam Space Grant and UOG Drone Corps Communications Coordinator.

In addition to the training, the UOG Drone Corps also presented at two outreach events at the College of Micronesia’s Pohnpei campus: at the Career and Technical Education Center and the National Campus’ English Computer Lab. These presentations introduced students and faculty to the growing impact of the UOG Drone Corps program and showcased how drone technology is being used to support climate resilience, land management, and research throughout island communities. The team deployed drones to demonstrate a mapping mission, which resulted in the production of high-resolution maps of the campus.

College of Micronesia President and Chief Executive Officer Theresa Koroivulaono expressed her appreciation for the team’s willingness to share its model to the college.

“Our trainees were excited at the prospect of learning a new and highly marketable skill in the 21st century workspace. The increasing demand for licensed drone pilots, especially in Micronesia, will continue as the UAV market expands with the growing integration of drone technology for mapping, data collection, monitoring and logistics,” Koroivulaono said. “With existing partnerships between COM-FSM and UOG in fields such as agriculture, we look forward to growing more mutually beneficial collaborations such as those in drone technology.”

Beyond academia, the team also met with representatives from the Pohnpei State Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Environmental Protection Agency, the GEF-7 Land Degradation Project, and the Micronesia Conservation Trust. Each agency expressed interest in integrating drone technology into their conservation, planning, and environmental monitoring work, further validating the need for accessible training and shared technical capacity across the region.

Note: NASA Guam Space Grant and UOG Drone Corps Communications Coordinator Keanno Fausto contributed to this story.