Track: Application Development
GIS for Humanitarian Demining Activities
Arwyn JonesSince 1978, more than 65 million antipersonnel mines have been laid on the face of the earth. It is estimated that they are responsible for the death of 12,000 people each year and injure twice as many. The collapse of the communist system in Europe and the end of apartheid in South Africa brought an increase in a number of humanitarian and peace restoration operations, one of the most significant being mine clearance. Currently, the European Union is the major contributor to the funding of demining operations. This paper outlines the development of a management system by the European Commission that is based on several Esri GIS products to record, monitor, and plan demining operations. In addition to storing information on minefields and clearance operations, a series of planning tools is being developed to assess and predict the socioeconomic benefits of demining operations. The paper will describe a prototype currently being developed for Angola.
Arwyn Jones
European Commission
Joint Research Centre - TP280
Ispra, VARESE 21020
ITALY
Telephone: +39 332 789162
Fax: +39 332 789256
E-mail: arwyn.jones@jrc.it