The safety of people during demining is a key task. Modern mines can explode even without direct contact with the deminer, which makes such work extremely dangerous. The use of drones significantly increases the level of safety. Quadcopters allow for remote surveys of large areas with minimal risk to life.
The mine threat in Ukraine is particularly acute, with thousands of hectares of land covered with mines and unexploded ordnance. Given that the agricultural sector is one of the most important for the country, clearing the land and returning it to safe agricultural use is extremely important. According to the UN, the use of drones can speed up humanitarian demining several times, significantly reducing the risks to people.
Drones can detect both direct and indirect signs of mine danger, record explosive objects, and help create up-to-date maps of the area. Military fortifications and hostilities have significantly changed the landscape - old maps and satellite images no longer reflect reality. Drone photography allows you to create orthophotomaps with precise reference to the coordinate system.
Even low-cost DJI drones with high-resolution cameras can detect subtle signs of mines. The detected objects are plotted on a map with GPS coordinates, which greatly simplifies the work of deminers.
The safety of people during demining is a key task. Modern mines can explode even without direct contact with the deminer, which makes such work extremely dangerous. The use of drones significantly increases the level of safety. Quadcopters allow for remote surveys of large areas with minimal risk to life.
Mine danger in Ukraine is particularly acute, with thousands of hectares of land covered with mines and unexploded ordnance. Given that the agricultural sector is one of the most important for the country, clearing the land and returning it to safe agricultural use is extremely important. According to the UN, the use of drones can speed up humanitarian demining several times, significantly reducing the risks to people.
Drones can detect both direct and indirect signs of mine danger, record explosive objects, and help create up-to-date maps of the area. Military fortifications and hostilities have significantly changed the landscape - old maps and satellite images no longer reflect the real situation. Drone photography allows you to create orthophoto plans with precise reference to the coordinate system.
Even low-cost DJI drones with high-resolution cameras can detect subtle signs of mines. The detected objects are plotted on a map with GPS coordinates, which greatly simplifies the work of deminers.
What is humanitarian demining?
Humanitarian demining is a set of measures aimed at detecting, neutralizing and removing mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in areas where they pose a threat to civilians. The main goal is to return the areas to safe living conditions: agriculture, construction, and free movement of people.
Unlike military demining, humanitarian demining is focused on protecting ordinary people and rebuilding regions. It can be carried out by civilian specialists who have received appropriate training. One of the main principles is the safety of participants. Drones allow for surveys and mapping without approaching dangerous objects, staying within pre-verified and safe zones.
According to international organizations, humanitarian demining training is an important element not only for professionals but also for the local population in risk areas. This is knowledge that can save lives.
What technical capabilities do drones have for humanitarian demining?
Most mines react to ground movement: contact, vibrations, sound, changes in the magnetic field. Drones work in the air, and this makes them much safer.
Binoculars, standard photo and video cameras are most often used for ground surveys. However, their capabilities are significantly limited. Even simple models of DJI drones are equipped with high-resolution cameras and GPS modules. The images contain coordinates that can be used to pinpoint the location of a hazardous object.
More advanced models of drones can be equipped with thermal imagers that allow them to see differences in thermal conductivity - mines, even those that are shallowly buried, warm up differently than the surrounding soil. Multispectral cameras used at agrodrones help detect foreign objects among vegetation due to spectral differences.
Large drones can carry magnetometers or ground penetrating radar. The former creates a map of magnetic anomalies and helps to locate metal objects, while the latter allows detecting heterogeneities underground, which may also indicate the presence of a mine.
The use of drones significantly increases the accuracy, speed and safety of demining.
Where are drones most effective in humanitarian demining?
It is most appropriate to use drones where there have been recent hostilities or defensive positions. There are many such areas in Ukraine, and manual demining can take decades if modern technologies are not used.
Already in 2023, HALO Trust and FSD began actively using drones with thermal imagers and multispectral cameras in Chernihiv Oblast. This allowed them to quickly and safely survey large areas and identify potentially dangerous zones. Based on the aerial photography, maps were created with the identified objects marked. The result is increased efficiency and reduced risk for sappers.
Training of humanitarian demining specialists
Personnel safety is the foundation of humanitarian demining. Only professional deminers are allowed to come into contact with mines and ammunition. But civilian specialists also play an important role: they collect information from local residents, mark suspicious areas, and inform the population about the rules of conduct.
The key task of civilians is remote technical reconnaissance. This includes:
- aerial surveillance using drones,
- photo and video shooting,
- mapping,
- transferring coordinates to specialized services.
To do this, the specialists are trained to work with drones, learn the signs of mines, and master the skills of safe behavior and communication with the local population and demining teams.
Promising areas of humanitarian demining
Modern technology is already making it possible to detect mines more effectively and defuse them remotely. Drones search for mines and ground robots defuse them. Artificial intelligence is gradually being introduced to automatically analyze images, thermal and magnetic maps.
In the future, we will have fully automated humanitarian demining systems. But we need to act today. Every person - whether a volunteer, community resident or professional - can be trained and contribute to the liberation of the land from the deadly threat.
Author: Dmytro Slediuk, Head of Training Department at Dronarium Academy
