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UXOs and Mines Hurt, Surveyors Help
The great thing about writing this newsletter is finding all the neat geospatial technology out there. Seeing this technology used for a truly good end is truly satisfying. (Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see any civilian geospatial technology be used for bad purposes, but this is an especially interesting effort; read on.)
Case in point: The Schonstedt Humanitarian Demining Initiative. In my field days I used a Schonstedt magnetic locator to find boundary pins and monuments; I couldn’t have done the job with this handy tool. Schonstedt launched its Demining Initiative back in 2007, but I think the program and the company deserves credit and a little editorial coverage. The issue of “remnants of war”—unexploded ordinance UXO and mines—hits home in my family. Many members of my family proudly served our nation in the armed services. I remember particularly hearing my uncle’s wartime experiences in Vietnam. Of all the horrors of war, seeing the effect of warfare on innocent children had the greatest impact on him. In 2009 according to the United Nations, 4,000 people were injured in the 64 nations where remnants of war are present; one third of them were children.
Demining is the process of finding and removing these remnants of war, a task made more effective with magnetic locators. Schonstedt’s program works like this:
Purchase for donation any Schonstedt GA-72Cd magnetic locator(s) at list price, and Schonstedt will match the donation unit for unit. They will ship the units directly to underserved countries according to UN priorities. All donations are made in the name of the donor, and Schonstedt will provide documentation both for your donation and for tax purposes. Get the details here and watch the video to see an overview of the program. More about Schonstedt is here.
For land surveying firms that would like to make difference, I couldn’t think of a better win-win.
Until next time,
 
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