Drone / UAV Survey
Unmanned aircraft that survey minefields from the air. The HALO Trust is using drones carrying LiDAR and multispectral sensors to identify hazardous areas, and GICHD also regards aerial remote sensing as an important developing field in mine action.
Uses
Before clearance work, drones photograph and measure wide areas from the air, helping narrow down suspected hazardous areas, draw up work plans, and record progress. According to GICHD, remote sensing and robotics continue to develop as technologies that support the planning and monitoring of operations.
Features
The HALO Trust uses drones equipped with LiDAR (laser measurement) and multispectral cameras to understand hazardous areas. At GICHD's Innovation Conference 2025, sessions were held on analyzing drone imagery and on incorporating UAV-based aerial magnetic surveys into land release procedures.
Advantages
Information about vast areas can be collected safely before anyone sets foot there. Mapping and prioritization become faster, allowing limited clearance teams to be concentrated on the places that are truly dangerous.
Challenges
It is still difficult to confirm the presence or absence of mines from aerial information alone, so it must be combined with survey and verification on the ground. In the official materials of the organizations checked for this entry, no statement was found that confirms full-scale drone operations inside Cambodia.