Drones are proving to be increasingly helpful. As commented in other articles, one of these uses is the scientific one, which is becoming more than evident in situations such as those being experienced in the volcano of La Palma.

Drones are the ‘’eyes of the scientists’’ due to the variety of tasks they are carrying out in this natural phenomenon; some of these tasks are:

• Creation of 3D models of the terrain using geospatial software for long-term monitoring.
• Thermal data collection allows researchers to obtain data such as the magma’s coming out, temperature, speed, and hottest zones.
• CO² data collection to predict its release level and possible upcoming activity, as well as other gases.
• Surface and volume measurements of the material from the lava flow by capturing and collecting images before and after the eruption.
• Monitoring of the lava pathway.
• Safe surveillance and control.

A special issue to comment on is the involvement of different professionals in this kind of operation. Geologists also closely follow these activities. These scientists add value to drones because they analyse and understand what the cameras see.

Moreover, drones are very resistant to high temperatures (between 500 and 1000ºC) and ash, affecting the stability, safety & security of the intended operation.

Legally, these aircraft can fly up to 120 meters from the ceiling and at a maximum of 500 meters from the pilot. However, in the La Palma emergency, conditions are different because they can fly higher, up to 500 meters from the sea level and up to 4 kilometres away from the take-off point.

The volcano’s behavior is changing every day, which means that these drones still have a long list of tasks to do, hopefully in a successful way.