Trimble and the Trimble Foundation Fund have partnered with The HALO Trust, the world’s largest landmine-clearing non-profit organization, to help expand its demining operations across Ukraine. The Foundation Fund directed grant focuses on strengthening the HALO Trust’s capacity to locate and remove landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive hazards from civilian areas to create safer communities.
In addition, the Trimble Foundation Fund grant also enables HALO to support the Ukrainian national authorities to plan and coordinate landmine clearance activities by streamlining the mapping and data flow from the operational teams in the field to the national database.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in the contamination of massive swaths of the country with landmines, unexploded ordnance, and improvised explosive devices. These explosive hazards block access to farmland, impede reconstruction efforts, prevent displaced persons from returning to their homes, and continue to hinder the safety of Ukrainian civilians. The Government of Ukraine estimates that 174,000 square kilometers of its land may be contaminated—this is roughly the size of Virginia, Maryland, and Connecticut combined.
HALO has been on the ground in Ukraine since 2016. More than one thousand HALO staff work daily to both clear explosives in critical priority areas and recruit and train hundreds of new staff to help keep communities safe from dangerous weapons left behind.
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology for surveying and mapping has played a significant role in the success of HALO’s operations around the world—including Ukraine. Over the last 6 years, Trimble® R1 and Trimble R2 GNSS receivers have been used by HALO in conjunction with Esri ArcGIS Survey123 software for the identification and clearance of landmines.
A new deployment of 255 high-precision Trimble DA2 GNSS receivers with Trimble Catalyst™ corrections service has been provided to HALO by Trimble’s Geospatial and Positioning Services businesses. The solution will enable HALO to modernize and transform its landmine clearance operations by providing improved accuracy for more detailed maps, streamlined data flows, and increased operational efficiency and safety. To date, the Trimble DA2 receivers are the largest hardware donation made to HALO in the organization’s history, and they are being used in Ukraine and soon worldwide.
"We are dedicated to saving lives by clearing landmines and other deadly explosives to make land safe. Only then can families rebuild their lives and walk without fear,” said Chris Whatley, executive director of The HALO Trust USA. “Thanks to Trimble’s cutting-edge technology, we have dramatically enhanced our ability to locate and rapidly clear these explosive devices. Partnering withTrimble and the Trimble Foundation Fund reflects the power of collaboration and innovation in tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges, and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have on our life-saving work in Ukraine and around the world.”
“One of Trimble’s core principles is to serve communities and societies in powerful, positive ways,” said Emily Saunoi-Sandgren, chair, Trimble Foundation Fund. “Saving lives through the removal of dangerous debris left from war is a courageous example of how humanitarian efforts can positively transform people’s lives and livelihoods. Supporting the HALO Trust’s important and impactful work helps the people of Ukraine and other countries worldwide recover and rebuild after conflict.”
