Time to Stem Lightweight Approaches and Focus on Real Minefield Data?

While preparing for airborne IR thermography fieldwork as part of the Odyssey2025 Project between Humanity & Inclusion and Mobility Robotics in Chad, a comprehensive literature study was conducted by the authors From the literature reviewed, the authors identified a disconnect between thermography-related research projects and practical, real-world HMA operations. The importance of real fieldwork, the significance of undergoing a literature review before starting your own research, and the need for researchers to work in conjunction with HMA operators are all essential, not only to those working in HMA, but more importantly, to the post-conflict communities the sector strives to help

Proof: How TIR Imaging Can Locate Buried Cluster Munitions in the Iraqi Desert

In this article, we follow on from our previous work published in The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction that proved how buried thirty-year-old legacy anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines could be located using thermal infrared (TIR) sensors in the Sahara Desert, northern Chad.1 This time, the emphasis is on proving how the location of buried submunitions from cluster munition strikes in the desert of southern Iraq can be identified using TIR sensors

Drones in the Desert: Augmenting HMA and Socio-Economic Activities in Chad

Funded by the Belgian Directorate-General for Development and led by Humanity & Inclusion (HI) under the auspices of the National Mine Action Centre, Haut Commissariat National au Déminage (HCND) in Chad, the Odyssey2025 Project explores ways to accelerate land release for the local population with the combined use of small consumer drones, new survey methods, and mobile data collection. Project partners include Mobility Robotics, Dynergie, InZentive, and Third Element Aviation. A practical, field-driven approach is being undertaken together with partners in the PRODECO project, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD)

Radiological Assessment on Interest Areas on the Sellafield Nuclear Site via Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The Sellafield nuclear plant is a 3 km2 site in north-west Cumbria, England, with a long and distinguished history of nuclear power generation, reprocessing and waste storage—with a current working emphasis on decommissioning and clean-up. Important to this safe, efficient and complete remediation of the site, routine monitoring is essential in a wide range of on-site environments and structures to attain: (i) accurately map the evolving distribution of radiation with the best possible accuracy (sensitivity and spatial resolution); in addition to (ii) the contributing radionuclide species and therefore the radiological and chemo-toxicity risk. This work presents the trial deployment of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a lightweight radiation detection system as a novel tool for the assessment of radioactivity at a number of test-sites on the nuclear licenced site. Through the use of this system, it was possible to determine the existence of anthropogenically present radiation at selected facilities. Such a system has been proven to be highly accurate (spatially) and precise (attribution of contamination species observed) within the challenging site environments, capable of measuring and mapping contamination over both high and low dose-rate areas

Proof: How Small Drones Can Find Buried Landmines in the Desert Using Airborne IR Thermography

Hypotheses and speculation have circulated for at least three decades regarding how IR thermography could be viable as a technique for locating buried landmines in arid environments. However, there has been a lack of proof under actual field conditions. Addressing many overall questions regarding small drones in HMA, the Odyssey2025 Project—led by HI and Mobility Robotics— closely collaborated with the national mine action center in Chad, the Haut Commissariat National au Déminage (HCND), to complete activities and objectives. As part of a holistic approach, the primary objective was to determine how small drones could add value in HMA field operations and augment other assets at both simple and advanced perspectives. This research is from an advanced perspective, following on from the work previously published in The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction outlining how low-cost consumer drones can augment HMA operations at a simple level using visual imagery and GIS/cartography/photogrammetry. This article aims to advance the field’s understanding of drones and their ability to indicate the location of buried objects

The use of unmanned aerial systems for the mapping of legacy uranium mines

AbstractHistorical mining of uranium mineral veins within Cornwall, England, has resulted in a significant amount of legacy radiological contamination spread across numerous long disused mining sites. Factors including the poorly documented and aged condition of these sites as well as the highly localised nature of radioactivity limit the success of traditional survey methods. A newly developed terrain-independent unmanned aerial system [UAS] carrying an integrated gamma radiation mapping unit was used for the radiological characterisation of a single legacy mining site. Using this instrument to produce high-spatial-resolution maps, it was possible to determine the radiologically contaminated land areas and to rapidly identify and quantify the degree of contamination and its isotopic nature. The instrument was demonstrated to be a viable tool for the characterisation of similar sites worldwide