Demining
An information portal on humanitarian demining. We collect and systematize knowledge about technologies, methods, and approaches for the safe clearance of territories.
"After a war, ruined cities remain. Mines remain. And they keep killing for decades after the war has ended." — on the problem of humanitarian demining
About the project
This is an information portal covering the subject of humanitarian demining. We gather public-source material about what exists in the world, which technologies are used, which methods work in practice. The portal collects the strongest material on the topic, cautionary guidance, and subject coverage. This matters because humanitarian demining is a critically important problem that deserves attention and understanding.
Project backstory
From the outset we were drawn to the subject, and the concept took shape: LiDAR drones survey the terrain, then drones carrying capsules with bees trained to explosives follow, and together they highlight zones where explosives may be present. It offers a way to quickly digitize ruins, which is useful for the construction crews who will eventually dismantle the buildings. And it helps other drones fly through GPS-denied environments without fiber-optic tethers, navigating by gyroscope alone to check complex settings for explosives, with the same bee capsules attached to the drone — experiments of this kind already exist. We were working in that direction, and at some point we paused — other projects took our attention. We decided to keep the topic alive through an information portal, and likely take part in this story again in the future.
Gallery (grid)
What the portal covers
The portal gathers information about a range of demining technologies: LiDAR drones, multispectral cameras, thermal imaging, radar systems, machine learning for image analysis. There is a great deal of work in biotech as well — detection with bees and other methods. We collect the strongest public-source material, cautionary guidance, and information about what exists worldwide in humanitarian demining. Understanding the available technologies and methods supports sound decisions.
Two captioned images (captions-two)
Problem
Technology
Three images (block three)
Wide image
Why this matters
Every day people — often children — fall victim to mines laid decades ago. Humanitarian demining is a critically important problem that deserves attention and an understanding of the available technologies and methods. An information portal helps systematize knowledge about what exists in the world, which approaches work, which technologies are in use. It serves those working in the field and those who want to grasp the scale of the problem and the available solutions. We are open to working with organizations active in humanitarian demining, research centers, government bodies, and international foundations — if you have material worth adding to the portal, let's discuss.
Marginalia
A way to return land to people and preserve lives.
Project status
The project is in development. We are gathering material, systematizing information, and gradually filling out the portal. It is an information resource useful to anyone interested in humanitarian demining. If you work in this field and have material for the portal — let's discuss. Project eyes and nervous system: metrics, logs, traces and private frontend monitoring to understand "why", not just "what failed".
Observability