Other Links : EUDEM | GICHD | ITEP | JMU | JRC | NDRF | US HDP | UXOCOE
Mine action programmes have traditionally relied on manual practices, procedures and drills, which are slow and labour intensive. In many situations, a manual approach may be the most appropriate and effective means of detecting and destroying landmines. However, there is a growing acceptance that a more universal application of technology may enable mine detection, ground preparation and mine clearance, as well as other elements of mine action, to be conducted more cost-effectively, quickly, and with less risk.
While some advances have been made in recent years, there is general consensus in the mine action community that technological developments, particularly those resulting from "high-tech" scientific Research and Development, have so far failed to meet field mine action needs. In his 1997 Report to the General Assembly, the Secretary General stressed the potential offered by the focused application of technology to mine action and encouraged Member States, regional organizations, private companies and academia involved in relevant research and development "…to increase their efforts to achieve the necessary breakthroughs, preferably in a coordinated and transparent manner." The United Nations has a responsibility to provide the necessary focus, coordination and transparency.
Perhaps the most impressive technological progress to date has been the innovation that has taken place in the field, by resourceful NGOs, mine action programmes, and commercial companies, using off-the-shelf technology and adapting equipment from other fields of endeavour, such as the construction and the forest industry, for demining operations. Good coverage of these practical approaches are well documented in publications such as the Handicap International report on "the Use of Mechanical Means for Humanitarian Deming Operations," the German Government's "Humanitarian Mine Action Equipment Catalogue" (June 2000), and the United States Government's publication on "Humanitarian Demining Developmental Technologies 2000-2001."
At a Demining Technology Information Forum workshop, held in Vancouver on 4-5 June 2001, the participants - who included users, scientists, developers and donors - recommended the establishment of a centralized point for information exchange on mine action technologies. They were looking for a one-stop shop that would provide them with access to all the relevant information in a user-friendly format. In view of the large number of organizations who already contribute to the process of information exchange and need to coordinate such an undertaking, UNMAS agreed to convene a small working group to examine the possibilities and propose a solution. It is intended that a UN information gateway, providing open access to a wide variety of mine related information including technology, will be established by the end of this year.
This technology page will be part of that gateway. Its purpose will be to direct or link the mine action community to the various sites containing information on technologies and developments relevant to mine action. In the meantime, the following is a description of a few of the key forums and/or websites providing information on mine action technology today:
The International Test and Evaluation Programme (ITEP) has been established to encourage and facilitate the cooperative use of test and evaluation capabilities to independently evaluate and document performance and effectiveness of equipment, processes and methods for use in humanitarian demining. Its members include Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Great Britain, the United States, and the European Commission. More information on ITEP is available at: http://www.itep.ws/
The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is actively involved in a number of ongoing technology related studies at the request of UNMAS. These include: a Study of Global Operational Needs for Mine Action Equipment; a Mine Dog Detection Study; a Mechanical Mine Clearance Study; and a Study on Remote Sensing. More information on these studies and others is available at http://www.gichd.ch/
The European Union has established the EUDEM database which contains a variety of information on humanitarian demining, with emphasis on technology and new information. The database contains information drawn primarily from the European Community, but is freely accessible on a worldwide basis through the website at: http://www.eudem.vub.ac.be.
The Nordic Demining Research Forum (NDRF) aims at stimulating research and development activities to support improvement in demining efficiency and safety through: promotion of co-operation between the operator, research and development, and industrial environments; stimulation of information exchange; and initiation of cross border and cross sector research and development activities between companies and institutions in the Nordic countries. More information on the NDRF can be found at http://www.ndrf.dk/
The United States Humanitarian Demining Research and Development Technology Program evaluates and improves commercial off-the-shelf equipment, existing military developed equipment for demining, and performs or sponsors research and development in a number of demining areas. Its objective is to rapidly develop, demonstrate and transition developmental technology equipment to the international community. More info is available at website http://www.humanitariandemining.org/
The United States Unexploded Ordnance Center of Excellence (UXOCOE), has been established to improve effectiveness and economy of UXO clearance research, development, test and evaluation, through the five Department of Defence mission areas, including humantarian demining. More information is available at http://uxocoe.dtic.mil/
The Canadian Centre for Mine Action Technologies (CCMAT) was established in 1998 to develop low cost, sustainable technologies for mine action and to work towards their successful deployment to the field. This goal is accomplished through a comprehensive program of R&D, test and evaluation and active communication with the user community. More information is available at http://www.dres.dnd.ca/Facilities/CCMAT/index_e.html
The James Madison University (JMU) Mine Action Information Center (MAIC) was established as a clearinghouse for humanitarian demining information management in support of the Department of Defence's humanitarian demining programs and its website provides a plethora of information on mine action. The MAIC website contains information relating to technology, including: a spatial information clearinghouse, the DTIF Journal and the International Mine Action Standards. More information is available at http://maic.jmu.edu/
A number of NGO websites offer valuable information on the practical application of mine action technology in the field. These include but are certainly not limited to: the MgM website at http://www.landmine.org, the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) website at http://www.npaid.org/ and the HALO Trust at http://www.halotrust.org.
Japan International Cooperation System (JICS) is a public-service corporation which aims at ensuring appropriate and effective procurement of goods and services required in developing countries under the framework of the Japanese Government's official development assistance (ODA). Closely coordinating with the UN Mine Action Centre in Afghanistan (UNMACA) and the Government of Afghanistan, JICS implemented Japan's "Research Project for Developing Mine Clearance Related Equipment" through a series of field tests in Afghanistan (Nov 2003- March 2005). Their official website is at http://www.jics.or.jp/jics_html-e/index.html. The Final Reports of JICS' field tests in Afghanistan are available for inspection in JICS's office. UNMAS also holds both the hard copy and electronic data of the Final Reports for inspection. The executive summary of the Reports is available to download from the related documents section of the technology, research and development page.
Last updated : 21 February 2008