Security from Above: Enhancing UN Operations in Haiti with AWS Cloud and Connectivity Solutions
- Matthew Cua | Innovation Director
- Sep 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 24
Since 2022, Help.NGO has operated as a UN Standby Partner to the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), delivering specialized technical and operational support across critical humanitarian contexts worldwide, with particular emphasis on high-risk operations in Haiti.
The Haitian crisis has intensified dramatically since 2022, creating a complex operational environment characterized by escalating political instability, pervasive gang violence, widespread food insecurity, and the collapse of critical infrastructure systems. These deteriorating conditions have exponentially increased risks to humanitarian workers, demanding innovative technological solutions to safeguard UN personnel while maintaining the delivery of essential assistance. UNDSS identified urgent requirements for enhanced situational awareness capabilities, resilient communication systems, and comprehensive real-time monitoring platforms to sustain operational effectiveness while ensuring personnel security in this increasingly dangerous environment.
Through its UN Standby Partnership, Help.NGO has implemented an integrated technology ecosystem comprising unmanned aerial systems (UAS), satellite connectivity infrastructure, and advanced cloud-based data management platforms specifically designed to support UNDSS operational requirements. This comprehensive technological framework has revolutionized safety protocols, dramatically expanded situational awareness capabilities, and optimized data management workflows for all humanitarian stakeholders operating in Haiti.
Key Solution Components:
Daily UAS Flights for Security & Situational Awareness:
Help.NGO executes daily morning and afternoon drone reconnaissance missions to conduct comprehensive route assessments, detect emerging security threats, and maintain continuous aerial surveillance across all operational sectors. These structured flights enable predictive threat analysis and dynamic route planning, substantially reducing exposure risks for humanitarian personnel and critical assets during convoy operations.
Intelligence gathered through aerial operations receives immediate analysis and distribution via multiple secure communication channels including encrypted radio networks, protected messaging systems, email platforms, and centralized intelligence databases. This multi-layered dissemination strategy ensures decision-makers receive actionable security intelligence within minutes, fundamentally enhancing convoy safety protocols and operational response effectiveness.
Satellite Connectivity Deployment:
Help.NGO deployed Starlink Antennas systems across UN vehicle fleets, operational facilities, and command centers to establish robust communication networks where conventional telecommunications infrastructure has failed or become compromised. This comprehensive connectivity deployment guarantees uninterrupted communication capabilities across all mission-critical locations, maintaining operational connectivity even under the most challenging circumstances.
The satellite communication network delivers real-time coordination capabilities that enable rapid emergency response deployment, strengthen inter-agency collaboration effectiveness, and maintain secure information channels between field operations and headquarters command structures. This reliable connectivity infrastructure ensures operational continuity and supports sophisticated decision-making processes across all humanitarian response levels.
Capacity Building through UNDSS approved Training:
In partnership with UNDSS, Help.NGO accredited Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) — specialized in Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) and Emergency Trauma Bag (ETB) instruction — deliver comprehensive security, safety, and lifesaving skills training to UN personnel operating in high-threat environments. These certified instructors provide essential emergency response capabilities that enhance personnel preparedness and operational resilience in challenging security contexts.
Leveraging the cloud to manage UAS data
Daily UAS operations generate substantial data volumes averaging 50GB with peak collection days reaching 500GB. Three years of continuous operations have accumulated approximately 10TB of mission-critical data encompassing over 200,000 individual files including high-resolution imagery, video surveillance footage, and comprehensive operational metadata as of September 2025.
Managing these extensive datasets requires sophisticated solutions addressing storage scalability, rapid search and retrieval functionality, bandwidth optimization, stringent privacy protection, advanced security protocols, and accelerated decision-making support capabilities.
Help.NGO has architected a comprehensive AWS cloud infrastructure solution utilizing Amazon S3 for primary data storage, complemented by NextCloud and DroneDB platforms hosted on Amazon EC2 instances to enable sophisticated data management, secure stakeholder sharing, and efficient operational retrieval processes.
The data management architecture centers on Amazon S3 as the primary storage foundation, with Amazon EC2 hosting specialized DroneDB and NextCloud applications. Raw aerial imagery and video content uploads to Amazon S3 through NextCloud interfaces or secure FTP protocols, creating a resilient, secure archival ecosystem. AWS Lambda functions integrated with Amazon Event Bridge automation systematically index new data uploads and register content within DroneDB, an open-source aerial data management platform. DroneDB processes raw files and automatically generates secure, read-only access links for authorized stakeholders. NextCloud delivers user-friendly file-sharing capabilities for Help.NGO personnel, UNDSS staff, and approved partners, facilitating structured collaboration without specialized software requirements while maintaining stringent security protocols.
The deliberate selection of open-source platforms including DroneDB and NextCloud represents strategic design decisions to minimize licensing expenditures, eliminate vendor lock-in risks, and preserve organizational data sovereignty. Both platforms integrate seamlessly with Amazon S3 infrastructure, enabling flexible storage scaling while maintaining complete organizational control over data organization and sharing protocols. Comprehensive access management ensures sensitive security imagery remains restricted to cleared personnel, optimally balancing enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure capabilities with community-driven open-source solutions to guarantee operational resilience, cost-effectiveness, and operational transparency.
This integrated technological approach has revolutionized data distribution timelines from days to hours or minutes, exponentially accelerating decision-making velocity. Historical datasets remain securely archived and instantly searchable, providing comprehensive long-term risk assessment capabilities and establishing valuable data foundations for future artificial intelligence development initiatives. The comprehensive workflow ensures aerial intelligence transforms into actionable operational insights rapidly, securely, and sustainably, establishing critical enablers for safe and effective humanitarian operations throughout Haiti.
Help.NGO maintains continuous technical support for partner organizations, ensuring sustained operational excellence across specialized teams responsible for UAS data collection, connectivity infrastructure maintenance, and training program delivery. Concurrently, Help.NGO continues advancing and refining technological solutions to accelerate decision-making quality while reducing operational burdens for internal teams and external stakeholders.
Systematic feedback sessions with UNDSS continuously optimize drone operations, connectivity solutions, and training effectiveness through comprehensive performance evaluation and iterative improvement processes.
Follow our blog for additional technical deep dives, operational case studies, and comprehensive deployment guides covering the diverse technological solutions we implement with our humanitarian partners.
Reflections
The Haiti UAS and connectivity initiative demonstrates the transformative impact of integrated drone technology, satellite connectivity, AWS cloud computing, and capacity-building training on humanitarian operational safety standards. The successful UNDSS partnership establishes a proven implementation framework for replication across diverse complex humanitarian contexts globally.
Help.NGO remains committed to advancing UNDSS mission objectives while continuously refining and expanding technological solutions for deployment across additional operational theaters worldwide.
Detailed documentation of the UNDSS collaboration is available through their official publication: "Highlights from the 2024 Standby Partnership Programme."
Acknowledgments:
Project success was achieved through strong collaboration with UNDSS.
Help.NGO thanks its staff who have been deployed in the country:
Emilio Lara Haeussler, Deputy Director of Operations Officer at Help.NGO
Andrés Guevara, Deputy Director of Operations at Help.NGO.
Claudia Quijivix, Operations Officer at Help.NGO
Javier A. Haeussler, Operations Officer at Help.NGO
Pablo Guevara, Operations Officer at Help.NGO
We are also thankful for the support of the AWS Disaster Response Team, local authorities, local partners and other humanitarian partners in the field in ensuring the effective and safe operations of the project.
Contact Information:
For more information about HELP.NGO’s work, please visit www.help.ngo or contact us at info@help.ngo
Written by :
Matthew Aligaen Cua, Innovation Director at HELP.NGO and an Adjunct Faculty at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM). With a background in integrating technology into humanitarian efforts, Matthew has led numerous missions worldwide, focusing on enhancing disaster response through innovative solutions.
Matthew Silver, U.S.-based Research Consultant at Help.NGO. He supports the organization’s global operations by leading critical research initiatives, overseeing communications quality, and advancing strategic development efforts across multiple domains. Matthew holds a B.S. in Sociocultural Anthropology and Political Science from Colgate University and is passionate about applying rigorous analysis to humanitarian efforts, bridging academic insight with real-world impact.
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