The use of Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS), also referenced as Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and more generally as drones, is increasingly prevalent across various scientific disciplines, enabling the collection of large volumes of data for diverse research applications. However, the volume of data generated and the absence of standardised workflows often complicate data sharing and publication. As part of the Research Data Alliance (RDA) Small Uncrewed Aircraft and Autonomous Platforms Data Working Group, we have developed guidelines on how best to improve the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability (FAIR, Wilkinson et al. 2016) of these data while taking into account legal, privacy and ethical considerations. In this document, we summarise our working group activities and present our recommendations with a particular focus on mission planning, data collection, ethical considerations, data pipeline description, data storage, data format, and interoperability aspects. The Working Group was based on outputs from the RDA sUAS Data Interest Group (Wyngaard et al., 2019).

The work is intended to cover all the scientific disciplines. For researchers, data managers, and Small and Medium‑sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating as RPAS service providers, the recommendations provide a step-by-step methodology with associated references, resources and examples to facilitate the preparation, collection, processing, and reuse of RPAS data. By integrating both the FAIR and CARE principles, these guidelines advance not only interoperability and reuse of the data but also ethical, legal, and responsible data practices.

The growing use of RPAS in environmental monitoring and infrastructure maintenance is expected to contribute meaningfully to the achievement of the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs):

• SDG 2:Food security and nutrition and sustainable agriculture
  RPAS are being used in weed detection, plant phenomics measurements, and agricultural management, contributing to increasing crop yields and sustainable agriculture.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  RPAS are being used in monitoring water bodies and wetland ecosystems, contributing to a better understanding of the state of freshwater ecosystems and water quality.

• SDG 14: Life in Water. Ocean and Seas
  RPAS are being used in marine monitoring, contributing to a better understanding of the state of the ocean and marine ecosystems.

• SDG 15: Life on Land. Biodiversity and Ecosystems
  RPAS are being used in terrestrial environmental monitoring in numerous ways, including species and weed detection, contributing to a better understanding of terrestrial ecosystems.