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Full-Text Articles in Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Addressing Underwater Ordnance Stockpiles In Cambodia, Allen D. Tan Jul 2013

Addressing Underwater Ordnance Stockpiles In Cambodia, Allen D. Tan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Cambodian rivers and tributaries contain vast amounts of munitions from sunken watercraft, and the task of locating and extracting these munitions is difficult. In response, Golden West Humanitarian Foundation designed a rigorous diver preparation course to train Cambodian nationals in advanced diving skills and basic recovery procedures needed to organize effective explosive ordnance salvage teams.


Going Mobile: Information Sharing And The Changing Face Of Digital Data Collection, Edward Lajoie Jul 2013

Going Mobile: Information Sharing And The Changing Face Of Digital Data Collection, Edward Lajoie

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Effective crisis management requires current and credible information archives, but with limited resources and mobility, gathering such information proves difficult for humanitarian aid organizations and policymakers. Accessing real-time information means having the right tools at your disposal, and technology platforms like Frontline SMS and Ushahidi enable organizations to do just that at no cost.


From Church Mission To Invention, Gary Christ Jul 2013

From Church Mission To Invention, Gary Christ

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After a mission trip to improve the sanitation needs of orphanages in Cambodia, Gary Christ recognized the great need for a better demining machine and developed the “Peacehammer.”


Detecting And Classifying Uxo, Laurens Beran, Barry Zelt, Stephen Billings Apr 2013

Detecting And Classifying Uxo, Laurens Beran, Barry Zelt, Stephen Billings

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article presents state-of-the-art unexploded ordnance detection and classification, including examples from recent field-demonstration studies. After reviewing sensor technologies, with a focus on magnetic and electromagnetic systems, the authors discuss advanced processing techniques that allow for reliable discrimination between hazardous ordnance and harmless metallic clutter. Finally, the article shows results from a large-scale field demonstration conducted in 2011. In this case study, electromagnetic data acquired with an advanced sensor is used to identify ordnance at the site, reducing the number of excavations required with conventional metal detectors by 85%.


Republic Of The Congo Is Mine-Free, News Brief Apr 2013

Republic Of The Congo Is Mine-Free, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In January 2012, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of the Congo asked Norwegian People’s Aid to assist in fulfilling its Article 5 obligations to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC).


Ernest Konschel: Inventor Of Early Mine Clearance Vehicles, News Brief Apr 2013

Ernest Konschel: Inventor Of Early Mine Clearance Vehicles, News Brief

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After the death of a relative by a landmine in 1974 during the Rhodesian Bush War, Ernest Konschel, a self-employed electrical and mechanical engineer, took an interest in how to minimize damage and fatalities from landmine incidents.


Building Capacity To Clear Erw In Georgia, Gvantsa Kvinikadze Apr 2013

Building Capacity To Clear Erw In Georgia, Gvantsa Kvinikadze

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

From October 2010 to September 2012, NATO’s Georgia Explosive Remnants of War and Medical Rehabilitation Partnership for Peace project provided extensive explosive ordnance disposal training to the Georgian Military Engineering Brigade and supplied needed medical rehabilitation equipment to Gori Military Hospital.


The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 17.1 (2013), Cisr Journal Apr 2013

The Journal Of Erw And Mine Action Issue 17.1 (2013), Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Clearance Operations | Gender and Age Issues | Notes from the Field | Research and Development


A Review Of External Post-Clearance Inspection: How Cost-Effective Is It?, Åsa Gilbert, Aron Larsson Apr 2013

A Review Of External Post-Clearance Inspection: How Cost-Effective Is It?, Åsa Gilbert, Aron Larsson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining conducted a study in early 2012 to consider the effectiveness of performing external post-clearance inspections. GICHD took into account the practices of the International Mine Action Standards, the International Organization for Standardization and the numerous mine action programs worldwide. It also worked with the Swedish company Preference Consulting to determine the mathematical probability of finding a mine/explosive remnant of war during external post-clearance inspections. Lastly, GICHD examined the normative effect of external post-clearance inspections as well as the financial cost associated with their execution.


Legal Aspects Of The Land Release Process, Pehr Lodhammar Apr 2013

Legal Aspects Of The Land Release Process, Pehr Lodhammar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article explores areas of liability in mine action operations. It defines the concept of residual risk after completion of survey and clearance efforts and presents methods of assigning responsibility for it. The author offers further legal considerations in mine action, including the extent to which contractors are liable for their equipment, employees and the cleared land both during and after operations as well as the process by which national mine action standards are incorporated into the legal liability of all concerned actors.


Minesweepers: Towards A Landmine-Free Egypt, An Outdoor Humanitarian Demining Robotic Competition, Alaa Khamis Apr 2013

Minesweepers: Towards A Landmine-Free Egypt, An Outdoor Humanitarian Demining Robotic Competition, Alaa Khamis

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Listed as one of the most contaminated countries in the world, Egypt has an estimated 22.7 million landmines and other explosive remnants of war. In order to foster the research, development and application of robotics in humanitarian demining in Egypt, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Robotics and Automation Society – Egypt Chapter organized Minesweepers: Towards a Landmine-Free Egypt, an outdoor robotic competition hosted by the German University in Cairo from 15–17 September 2012.


The Need For Collaboration Between Ordnance Manufacturers And Uxo Clean-Up Personnel, Jack Imber Oct 2012

The Need For Collaboration Between Ordnance Manufacturers And Uxo Clean-Up Personnel, Jack Imber

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The ability to locate unexploded ordnance remotely and accurately increases the safety and efficiency of clearance efforts. To achieve maximum effectiveness, UXO manufacturers and removal groups should coordinate resources and information to create new and practical technologies to assist in efforts to identify failure rates and prevent civilian casualties. The Lost Puppy Proposal is one example of a life-saving technology that could result from such collaboration.


Darfur: Baseline Kapb Survey, Beatrice Winkler, Shaza Ragab Oct 2012

Darfur: Baseline Kapb Survey, Beatrice Winkler, Shaza Ragab

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article summarizes the first baseline Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Beliefs Survey conducted in Darfur since 2003. The purpose of the survey was to gain a better understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs of the at-risk population in Darfur regarding explosive remnants of war, and to evaluate aspects of transfer of knowledge, use of mass media and surveillance mechanisms.


Sri Lanka: A Photographic Essay, Sean Sutton Oct 2012

Sri Lanka: A Photographic Essay, Sean Sutton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Since 1997, the author has worked for MAG (Mines Advisory Group), documenting the impact of landmines and explosive remnants of war on countries such as Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Sudan. Through a multimedia approach, Sutton creates photo exhibits and films to educate the public on landmines, unexploded ordnance, and small arms and light weapons.


The Lethality Ratio Of Anti-Vehicle Mines, Armen Harutyunyan Oct 2012

The Lethality Ratio Of Anti-Vehicle Mines, Armen Harutyunyan

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

TheConvention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention or APMBC) brought AP mines to the forefront of many people’s minds. Anti-vehicle mines, however, remain the most lethal mines today, and they are not banned under international conventions.


Community Reporting Increases Safety In Quang Tri Province, Ngo Xuan Hien, Dinh Ngoc Vu Oct 2012

Community Reporting Increases Safety In Quang Tri Province, Ngo Xuan Hien, Dinh Ngoc Vu

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Established in 2001, Project RENEW—Restoring the Environment and Neutralizing the Effects of the War—develops and tests new ways of providing effective responses to the humanitarian challenge caused by explosive remnants of war. In accordance with international standards, the project embraces major pillars of mine action including surveys and assessments for the development of a mine action database, clearance, risk education, victim assistance and community development.


Humanitarian Demining Symposium In Šibenik, Croatia, Nicole Neitzey Oct 2012

Humanitarian Demining Symposium In Šibenik, Croatia, Nicole Neitzey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article highlights the events of the 9th Annual Humanitarian Demining Symposium and Equipment Exhibition in Šibenik, Croatia, held 2426 April 2012.


5d: A Gis-Based Approach For Determining And Displaying The Degree Of Operational Difficulty Of Demining, Pierre Lacroix, Rocío Escobar Oct 2012

5d: A Gis-Based Approach For Determining And Displaying The Degree Of Operational Difficulty Of Demining, Pierre Lacroix, Rocío Escobar

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Clearance operations highly depend on environmental, geographic and socioeconomic conditions. These conditions make demining easier, more difficult or nearly impossible. This article proposes an analytical method called 5D (Determining and Displaying the Degree of Operational Difficulty of Demining), which classifies degrees of difficulty as low, medium, high or extreme.


Mine Detection Rats: Effects Of Repeated Extinction On Detection Accuracy, Amanda Mahoney, Amy Durgin, Alan Poling, Bart Weetjens, Christophe Cox, Tess Tewelde, Tekimiti Gilbert Oct 2012

Mine Detection Rats: Effects Of Repeated Extinction On Detection Accuracy, Amanda Mahoney, Amy Durgin, Alan Poling, Bart Weetjens, Christophe Cox, Tess Tewelde, Tekimiti Gilbert

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article describes the performance of Giant African Pouched Rats where reinforcement (reward) or extinction (no reward) conditions affected landmine identification. Accuracy deteriorated quickly in the absence of reinforcement, suggesting that reinforcement is essential.


2012 Humanitarian Demining Research And Development Workshop, Edward Lajoie Oct 2012

2012 Humanitarian Demining Research And Development Workshop, Edward Lajoie

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Representing the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery, Ed Lajoie, assistant project manager and research specialist, and Lois Carter Crawford, editor-in-chief of The Journal of ERW and Mine Action, attended a workshop from 19 to 21 June 2012 sponsored by the Department of Defense’s Demining Research and Development Program. This workshop hosted mine action representatives from around the world to discuss technologies currently used and the need for other technologies in mine detection and removal, their functionality, detection and removal strategies, as well as to demonstrate the use of several of these technologies


Priority-Setting In Mine Action: Getting More Value For The Investment, Albert Souza Mülli, Ted Paterson Jul 2012

Priority-Setting In Mine Action: Getting More Value For The Investment, Albert Souza Mülli, Ted Paterson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article presents an overview of the main elements and key challenges involved in implementing sound national prioritization systems in mine-action programs. Since all mine/explosive remnants of war-affected countries are different, the article does not provide a standard blueprint; rather, it introduces the basic principles, components and considerations involved in prioritization. This will be valuable when implementing and designing priority-setting systems that cater to national and local contexts in each mine-/ERW-affected country.


Environmental Simulations For Eod Shaped Charges, Reto Liechti Jul 2012

Environmental Simulations For Eod Shaped Charges, Reto Liechti

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article describes the methodology and importance of environmental simulations and testing of shaped charges used for the disposal of explosive remnants of war and landmines. The author discusses a single sequence of tests conducted on a specific product as an example of the depth to which environmental factors should be investigated in order to address them before final production and manufacture.


Environmental Determinants Of Landmine Detection By Dogs: Findings From A Large-Scale Study In Afghanistan, Rebecca Sargisson, Ian Mclean, Jennifer Brown, Håvard Bach Jul 2012

Environmental Determinants Of Landmine Detection By Dogs: Findings From A Large-Scale Study In Afghanistan, Rebecca Sargisson, Ian Mclean, Jennifer Brown, Håvard Bach

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article's purpose is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of mine-detection dogs in different environments. The experiments employed a total of 39 dogs in Afghanistan between October 2002 and July 2003. The results are discussed here.


Jordan Declared Minefield Free, Cisr Journal Jul 2012

Jordan Declared Minefield Free, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After nearly two decades of landmine removal, Jordan is the first country in the Middle East to declare itself “free of minefields.” In the aftermath of this event, nongovernmental organizations and mine-action groups are working with landmine survivors to change negative perceptions of people with disabilities.


Urban Land Release In Libya: Bac And Land Release In Built-Up Areas, Robert Keeley Jul 2012

Urban Land Release In Libya: Bac And Land Release In Built-Up Areas, Robert Keeley

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article's aim is to present several land-release principles for use in the battle-area clearance of Libya's built-up areas, also called Urban Land Release. Based on the practical, empirical experience of DanChurchAid, it is not intended as a one-size-fits-all solution to BAC task planning, but it may be helpful in other locations when compared with local knowledge of the situation on the ground. It does not apply to landmine clearance. BAC is the traditional means of clearing unexploded ordnance in open areas. Libya is now contaminated with UXO and explosive remnants of war as a result of the uprising that …


Npa’S Survey And Clearance Of Cluster Munitions Along The Thailand-Cambodia Border, Atle Karlsen Oct 2011

Npa’S Survey And Clearance Of Cluster Munitions Along The Thailand-Cambodia Border, Atle Karlsen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The February conflict at the Thailand-Cambodia border over disputed territory has left Cambodia with the burden of clearing cluster munitions. By applying to the Thai-Cambodian conflict strategies for cluster munitions removal that were successful in other post-conflict areas, NPA is assisting the Cambodian Mine Action Centre in cleaning up the problem. Thailand and Cambodia have not acceded to the ban on cluster munitions established in the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions and are therefore not subject to its provisions. Both countries attended the CCM 2011 intersessional meeting in June, leaving many hopeful that the two countries will become States Parties.


Secession Leads To Demining Challenges In Sudan, Cisr Journal Oct 2011

Secession Leads To Demining Challenges In Sudan, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In the months following South Sudan’s July 2011 electoral secession from the former Sudan, the South’s ability to successfully maintain a demining program has become heavily dependent on its economic and post-conflict recovery. At this point in time, however, much of the South’s sustainability is ultimately reliant on its relationship with the North and, more significantly, the international community, thereby rendering its demining program into an uncertain future.


Clearing Minefields In Israel And The West Bank, Dyhan Or, Heidi Kuhn Oct 2011

Clearing Minefields In Israel And The West Bank, Dyhan Or, Heidi Kuhn

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Recent legislation in Israel has opened the door to demining in Israel and the West Bank. Roots of Peace campaigned for this legislation and will begin demining a village near Bethlehem before the end of 2011.


New Database Provides Resource For Mine-Action Community, Cisr Journal Oct 2011

New Database Provides Resource For Mine-Action Community, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Launched in July 2011, the World Bank’s Landmine Contamination, Casualties and Clearance database is a valuable resource for those working in mine action. The database allows users to create spreadsheets, reports and graphics based on a wealth of landmine-contamination data from around the world.


Congolese Soldiers Learn To Combat Uxo And Mines, Amanda Mccarty Oct 2011

Congolese Soldiers Learn To Combat Uxo And Mines, Amanda Mccarty

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article focuses on how U.S. Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM) supports the Democratic Republic of the Congo in carrying out its mine-action objectives by providing train-the-trainer and supervisory services and mine-action equipment to the DRC.