Analysis of Technology Adoption and Associated Impacts on Large-Scale Landmine Clearance

Abstract

The realization of a mine-free world is one of the most urgent humanitarian and developmental issues of the 21st century. The issue of landmine contamination has been plaguing populations in over 58 countries with a multitude of continuing threats to the safety and economic recovery of people, as well as the sustainability of the environment. This report gives a further discussion of how emerging technologies, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artificial intelligence (AI), and sophisticated sensor systems, can revolutionize the large-scale landmine clearance processes. Several key performance indicators (KPIs) are assessed with the help of a comparative efficiency framework, including the speed of detection, operational efficiency, safety outcomes, and cost implications. The results show that technology-based demining methods are much more effective than the traditional manual ones, as they can not only be ten times faster than them but also pose a much lower risk to operator safety. Nonetheless, issues of cost, infrastructure, and capacity building are major obstacles to large-scale implementation. This report has determined that the incorporation of high-level technologies in demining activities is the way to go to quicken the pace of achieving a mine-free world.