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What is Mineseeker?
The primary objective of The Mineseeker Foundation is to upgrade, construct and deploy airships equipped with the worlds foremost ground penetrating radar technology into the field to assist in the international plight to rid the world of landmines. The precise mapping and pinpointing of landmines across the world will vastly escalate the landmine removal process and as importantly will designate vast sectors of land to be landmine free, thereby aiding third world agricultural and economic sustainability.
The Mineseeker perspective concerning the funding and deployment of this unique technology, is to focus on the immediate needs of a single country whose economic growth has been stunted by the effects of landmines within its borders.
Mozambique has therefore been selected as the first country to clear. Discussions with the government of Mozambique commenced and The Sole of Africa Campaign was established with the allainces of collaborative organizations .
In the recent past, Mozambique was devastated by over thirty years of war. Today, under a free, peaceful and democratic society, the country’s social and economic growth still suffers from the crippling effects caused by landmines. The Patrons firmly believe that the immedate removal of the 1,000,000 mines that lie in the land, will allow Mozambique to be a self sustaining country and importantly be equipped as a Kitchen for Africa.
The Immediate Eradication of Mines: From 500 years to 10 years!
The primary objective of The Mineseeker Foundation is to upgrade, construct and deploy airships equipped with the worlds foremost ground penetrating radar technology into the field to assist in the international plight to rid the world of landmines. The precise mapping and pinpointing of landmines across the world will vastly escalate the landmine removal process and as importantly will designate vast sectors of land to be landmine free, thereby aiding third world agricultural and economic sustainability. The Mineseeker perspective concerning the funding and deployment of this unique technology is to focus on the immediate needs of a single country whose economic growth has been stunted by the effects of landmines within its borders.
The Challenge
Landmines: Landmines are first and foremost a humanitarian concern
They are an impediment to rehabilitation and sustainable development. The nature and scope of the landmine problem must be defined in terms of its humanitarian, public health, and socio-economic implications, including, in particular, its impact on lives, livelihoods, the provision of humanitarian assistance, and, more generally, an environment which should be safe and conducive to peace-building, reconstruction, and development.
One of the first, and perhaps most fundamental steps to reconstruction and reconciliation is the restoration of a sense of security. In most situations, this means providing people with the ability to return to their communities, rebuild their homes, pursue their livelihoods and benefit from basic services, such as access to water and safe road networks. At a time when societies need to learn to live and work together, mines have the triple effect of shattering individual lives, increasing the medical burden on families and communities, and preventing states from developing land and rebuilding infrastructures.
More than 70 countries worldwide are contaminated with landmines, rendering vast tracts of land unusable - resulting in an incalculable social and economic cost to countries, many of who are already struggling to cope with famine, disease and drought. In Yemen, for example, there are 923 million square metres of landmine contaminated land, impacting 592 communities. The irony is that an estimated 80% of land designated as mined, does not, in fact, contain landmines.
The Solution - Airships
Given the high cost, low productivity and inherent danger of de-mining, efficient location and delineation of dangerous areas is key to a rapid reduction in social and economic impact. Today's technology will produce immediate and quantifiable reduction of the social and economic impact of landmines. One well recognized way in which technology can play an important role is through airborne delineation of mine and UXO contaminated areas to reduce the risk of unintentional entry into hazardous areas, contribute to the efficient allocation of scarce clearance resources and to immediately release land for productive use in order to encourage economic growth and stability.
A 20% improvement in the effectiveness of level 2 (technical) surveys could save US$200-250K for each square kilometer of contaminated land in addition to a potential cereal crop yield of US$47,730 per square kilometer per year (Humanitarian Demining in SE Europe, GICHD 2000).
Mineseeker harnesses radar and airship technologies to release a mined area survey capability that is fast, accurate and efficient. This will assist in saving time, money and lives as part of the humanitarian mine action value chain. Through a strong partnership and an opportunity to lever high levels of past investment in these technologies the Mineseeker proposition is a unique and highly competitive offering. Able to fly at slow speeds and low-level for long periods of time with an exceptionally low risk of critical failure the vibration-free platform offered by an airship provides the optimum environment from which to operate sensor technology. The sensor technology used is Ultra Wideband Radar a unique technology, capable of airborne detection of plastic landmines, developed over many years for UK defence programmes and now made available for use in humanitarian demining. UK testing and the deployment in Kosovo of a prototype system has demonstrated that an airship platform has a significant degree of capability in a mine action role and investigated the current level of performance of the prototype radar. It was possible to survey ground at 100 square meters per second during radar trials.
These trials represent the world's first use of an airship in a humanitarian role and in a post-conflict environment along with the first airborne trials of this type of unique radar system. Valuable lessons were generated and advice gathered from the mine action community that will form a valuable backbone for both development and future operations.
Waiting for 'blue skies' technology to provide the Silver Bullet is not the route to more effective mine clearance. Rapid development of pre-existing technology offers the opportunity to make a difference now. Further development of this technology once deployed will benefit from the cost-efficiencies of lessons learnt in operational roles.
Additional benefits of the deployment of such technologies in a humanitarian role may include mine clearance quality assurance, route survey for aid movement, monitoring of refugee movements and land use survey.