2026 SAG Award Winners

National Spatial Data Management Branch, Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development – Government of Jamaica and Jamaica Flying Labs

Project Goal

The project aimed to provide the Government of Jamaica with geospatial intelligence using drone imagery and collaborative mapping to support disaster assessment, situational awareness, and recovery following Hurricane Melissa.
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Business Problem Solved

In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, government agencies lacked timely and comprehensive visibility of damage across affected areas, which could slow response and recovery efforts. The project helped address this gap by deploying drone teams to areas that were otherwise difficult to access, capturing imagery that was used to generate and share geospatial data to support informed decision-making

Technology Implemented

ArcGIS Drone2Map, ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Dashboards and StoryMaps

Development Team Biography

Dr. Valrie Grant is the Founder of Jamaica Flying Labs (JFL) where she leads a dedicated team and maintains global partnerships that were instrumental in mobilizing support for the Hurricane Melissa response.
Dean-Ray Grant is the Coordinator and lead Technical expert of JFL.
Alicia Edwards is the Principal Director at the National Spatial Data Management Branch (NSDMB) within the Ministry of Economic Growth &Infrastructure Development, Jamaica.
Simone Michelle Lloyd, GISP, serves as the Coordinator for Jamaica’s ‘National Emergency Response GIS Team (NERGIST)’, a volunteer group of GIS experts who provide geospatial support to Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), in the event of disasters