TABLE OF CONTENTS Ground penetrating radar is one of a number of technologies that has been extensively researched as a means of improving mine detection efficiency. It is useful to provide a background to both the civil and military programmes which involve the technology of GPR. The military programmes are largely based on the requirement to maintain the pace of military operations and have different requirements in terms of speed and detection performance to civil or humanitarian programmes. This Chapter will concentrate mainly on humanitarian applications, although where appropriate reference to national military programmes will be made. Further reading on the mine issue can be found in the following references: 'A guide to mine action' (GICHD, 2003), 'Mine action equipment study of global needs' (GICHD, 2002) and 'International mine action standards' (GICHD CD ROM). A detailed analysis is given in 'Hidden killers' [1], for example.
At the International Workshop of Technical Experts on Ordnance Recovery and Disposal in the Framework of International Demining Operations held in Stockholm, Sweden, 8 10 June 1994, arranged by the Swedish FOA, in co-operation with the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees summarised the situation as follows.
Landmines are a humanitarian challenge because they indiscriminately kill and maim civilians. Landmines are weapons that cannot distinguish between a soldier and a civilian, and they remain active for decades. As a result, most of the victims of mines are innocent men, women and children. Landmines are a humanitarian challenge to UNHCR...
