Mapping out a safer future
HALO, the non-profit demining charity famous supported by Diana, Princess of Wales, has revealed details of its efforts to make minefields safer through the use of mapping and print technologies.
Thursday, 01 Feb 2018 15:36 GMT
HALO is currently working to clear minefields in 17 countries around the world
Working in 17 countries around the world, HALO is committed to clearing mines and unexploded ordnance to help make nations affected by wars safer places to live. To name but a few of the regions, HALO is present in Somalia, Angola, Sri-Lanka, Cambodia and Afghanistan.
HALO workers scan fields with metal detectors to locate the mind and plot the location on a hand-drawn map, also marking where people have been hurt or tragically lost their lives as the result of mines. These maps are then scanned using the portable technology to create digital files, which can then be used to produce accurate, interactive mapping that can be precisely geo-referenced.
Jesse Hamlin, global geographic information system and database officer for HALO, explains just how important this ongoing work is: “HALO’s work saves lives. It is the essential first step towards getting people back on their feet after the terrible crisis of war.
HALO’s work saves lives. It is the essential first step towards getting people back on their feet after the terrible crisis of war”
“Every time we clear a minefield by uncovering the ordinance with metal detectors or machines we mark a polygon area on the maps which identifies the areas we have cleared.
“This is scanned using Colortrac scanners to archive the information obtained, and can also be geo-referenced in GIS to overlay on top of existing mapped polygon areas. This creates a mosaic of the area that records where mines were and any accidents we learned about.”
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