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Seeing What Matters: A Systematic Review of Aerial Person Detection for Drone-Based Search and Rescue

Systematic review of drone-based SAR person detection finds algorithm testing outpaces evidence on operator workload and team performance.

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  • Publisher(s): Human Factors and Ergonomics Society / SAGE Publications

  • Publication date: 9 October 2026

  • Country: United States

Summary: A PRISMA review of 67 studies found aerial-detection research largely uses static datasets and technical accuracy measures; only four studies included human participants and three were field studies.

Why it matters in operational practice: Detection confidence, a coloured box or strong benchmark score should not be mistaken for operational POD. The unresolved issues are operator workload, false alerts, trust, decision-making and integration with the search plan.

Operational transferability: Highly relevant to UAS teams everywhere, but it is a caution about adoption—not validation of any particular system.

Important methodological limitations: The review is US-focused and synthesises heterogeneous studies; its findings describe gaps in the evidence rather than testing field performance itself.

Training influence: Build UAS exercises where crews record false positives/negatives, confirm alerts independently, manage footage-review workload and explain how a negative aerial result affects ground-tasking and assurance.

SAR training sections: UAV operations; visual search; resource selection and tasking; POA/POD/cumulative probability; Search Operations and progress monitoring; search-area debrief and assurance.

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