UAS deployment and data processing during the Balkans flooding with the support to Mine Action

Abstract

In this paper, we provide a report on a real relief operation mission, jointly conducted by two European research projects, in response to the massive flooding in the Balkan in spring 2014. Un Unmanned Aerial System was deployed on-site in collaboration with traditional relief workers, to support them with damage assessment, area mapping, visual inspection and re-localizing the many explosive remnants of war which have been moved due to the flooding and landslides. The destructive impact of landslides, sediment torrents and floods on the mine fields and the change of mine action situation resulted with significant negative environmental and security consequences. Novel robotic technologies and data processing methodologies were brought from the research labs and directly applied onto the terrain in order to support the relief workers and minimize human suffering.