Please describe your proposed solution.
300,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian land (equivalent to almost the entire area of Germany) are contaminated by mines and explosives, as a result of large-scale military invasion. Full demining of affected territories will take many years and billions of dollars to complete, but the rapid and effective demining of critical infrastructure and agricultural land in the coming months can play a critical role in the socio-economic recovery of Ukraine.
> As of June, 540,000 items of unexploded ordnance have already been cleared, but making Ukraine safe is a difficult and very expensive long-term prospect. Almost 10.7 million people are in need of mine action services, according to UNDP. The World Bank estimates that the full demining package will cost more than $37 billion.
From "Demining Ukraine": https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1138477
Ukraine is one of the leading exporters of agricultural produce including #1 in Sunflower Oil (46% of Global exports) and #3 in Rapeseed (20% of Global exports). Many of the world’s major international corporations, particularly in the food sector depend on these supplies. At present, it is estimated that 30% of agricultural land in Ukraine will not be cultivated this year due to occupation, military operations, mines and lack of fuel. This will have a significant impact on food markets for years to come, including potential significant food shortages in the near term.
It is expected that major financial organisations and international corporations shall become a source of significant financial support intended to both expedite the socio-economic recovery of Ukraine itself, as well as help resolve global food-shortages and restore vital supply chains and markets that these organisations and their businesses depend on. Every dollar invested in demining today will save hundreds and thousands of dollars of economic damages in the coming years.
Our Mission: Help rapid socio-economic recovery and rebuilding of Ukraine from the horrors and destruction inflicted by the large-scale invasion. Providing lifesaving information to the citizens today and capturing information that will enter into the history books of tomorrow.
The proposed information management and DeFi platform will form an integral part of a major 5-year programme that will be carried out in close collaboration with the State Emergency Services of Ukraine to deploy a systemic solution for rapid large-scale humanitarian demining of Ukraine that will also include recruitment and training programme for demining personnel, as well as the development and deployment of autonomous demining equipment.
Specifically, as part of the proposed project we will develop and deploy a comprehensive information system for reporting, collection of data, planning of demining operations, removal of threats and clearance of contaminated land, as well as certification of cleared territories for civilian use.
The envisioned reporting and information management system will comprise three main components:
1: Mobile application for civilian crowd-sourced reporting, mapping and tagging of suspicious objects, including remains of machinery, ammunition, mines or suspected mines, as well as potential human remains, or military personnel-related item. Already deployed and has 50,000 active users
The submitted reports will be accompanied by automatically generated geolocation information that would dramatically simplify the collection and assimilation of relevant information. The reports will be identified by the user’s mobile number providing a mechanism for authentication, security, protection against misuse, as well as mechanism for potential communication with the reporting user.
The mobile application will also include educational material that will inform the public about the extent of affected territories, presence of potential threats and instructions pertaining to the safe conduct in affected areas. Users will be able to check whether particular locations are safe for civilian activity and will receive automated alerts in case of proximity to zones of danger. The users will further receive an acknowledgement of their submissions and the subsequent updates on the status of their reported locations, providing incentive for active reporting of suspected objects.
2: Centralised database for management of geospatial and contextual data, including an interface for reception and approval of incoming reports as well as an interface for planning and deployment of demining operation
The system will provide an infrastructure for blockchain-based distributed financing of humanitarian demining action, where the international community and the general public will be invited to engage and contribute financial support of the demining action. Specifically, platform will provide the following functionality
- Collection of philanthropic donations in support of humanitarian demining action
- Reporting of up-to-date information regarding the progress of the demining operations
- Donors, including global financial institutions, international corporations, as well as the general public will be able to to financially support the demining of a specific area of land, as well as track the progress of the demining action
- In the case of agricultural land, field boundaries will be provided that will allow for the support of demining action of a specific field, and subsequent tracking of agricultural activity on that field
- Local communities and farmers will be able to engage the international community and the general public to mobilise financial support for local demining action
- Donors will be able to engage directly with the land owners provided the consent of the owners
- Accountability and transparency reports on the use of finances
3: Mobile application for use by demining professionals for in-field mission planning, reporting and certification of cleared territories
- GIS-based mission planning and coordination
- Automation and digitalisation of reporting
- On-chain tracking of documentation and certification
- Transparency and accountability of demining action-related financial transactions
How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?
The proposed system will showcase a quality Dapp with rapidly scalable adoption and immense socio-economic significance and will position Cardano as a leader in impact and government blockchain applications. The system will demonstrate effective integration with existing National Government Systems, including GICHD Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) and Digitalisation of Public Services of Ukraine (DIA). The system will further demonstrate a strong use case for impact DeFi infrastructure.
The envisioned system will significantly improve the efficacy of humanitarian demining action in Ukraine, reduce the risk of further loss of life, increase confidence of the population and the agricultural professionals in particular, and accelerate the socio-economic recovery of Ukraine. It will allow for effective coordination between multiple state-funded and private demining operators, as well as provide an additional source of financial support for demining action.
Furthermore, the proposed system will increase the awareness of the public to the threats of mines and military conflict-related debris, provide a platform for discrimination of educational material and best practices for conduct and rules of personal safety in the danger zones, where many Ukrainian civilians are now forced to carry out their everyday activities.
The system will further maximise visibility, accountability and transparency of the nation-wide humanitarian demining action that will increase the confidence of the potential donors in the efficacy and positive impact of their support, thus helping the mobilisation of the required financial resources.
The mobile interface for demining personnel will help streamline reporting and certification of cleared territories by reducing the heavy load of existing pen-and-paper reporting methodology.
The broader scope of our 5-year programme is aiming at reaching the rate of 20 ha per day per team for clearance of agricultural land by the end of the first year of operations. Our objective over the entire 5-year period is to make a significant contribution to the clearing of 300,000 ha of agricultural land that will unlock EUR 100M worth of annual agricultural production, or equivalent to 3.2MT of wheat sufficient to feed 40 million people.
We aspire to work with the leading global experts in humanitarian demining, such as GICHD (https://www.gichd.org/en/) to extend the scope of the project beyond the current conflict in Ukraine and provide technological infrastructure for humanitarian demining action worldwide.
How do you intend to measure the success of your project?
The success of the project will be measured as follows:
- Performance criteria: The project has set specific targets for different time periods, such as six months and one year. These targets include the number of installations of the MineFree mobile application, the number of reports of suspicious objects, the area demined and certified using the MineFree platform, and the demining action area funded through the MineFree DeFi platform. These performance criteria will track the progress and impact of the project.
- User engagement: The number of installations of the MineFree mobile application and the number of reports submitted by users will indicate the level of engagement and adoption of the platform. Increasing user participation and reporting will be an important measure of success.
- Feedback and user satisfaction: Gathering feedback from users, including both civilians and demining professionals, will provide insights into the usability and effectiveness of the platform. Positive feedback, user satisfaction, and constructive suggestions for improvement will be indications of success.
- Public awareness and educational impact: The success of the project will also be evaluated based on its ability to raise public awareness about the threats of mines and military conflict-related debris. The dissemination of educational material and best practices for personal safety in affected areas will contribute to enhancing public knowledge and safety.
- Financial impact: The success of the DeFi platform component will be measured by the amount of philanthropic donations collected to support demining action. The platform's ability to provide transparency and accountability in financial transactions related to demining efforts will also be an important measure of success.
- Alignment with project roadmap and milestones: The project has defined a detailed plan and timeline with specific milestones and deliverable. Meeting these milestones and delivering the planned outputs within the allocated timeframes will be an indication of progress and success.
By tracking these metrics and evaluating the project's ability to achieve its goals and targets, the team will be able to measure the success of the project and assess its impact.
Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?
The plans to share the outputs and results of the project include communication and marketing strategies to disseminate information to various stakeholders and the general public as follows:
- Publicity and awareness campaigns: The team will collaborate with the State Emergency Services of Ukraine to conduct widespread publicity campaigns about the MineFree platform. These campaigns will raise public awareness about the project, its objectives, and the importance of humanitarian demining. They may involve press releases, media interviews, social media campaigns, and awareness events to reach a wide audience.
- Official project website and documentation: The team can create an official project website where they can provide detailed information about the project, its progress, achievements, and key milestone. This website can serve as a central hub for sharing project updates, reports, and other relevant documentation.
- Stakeholder engagement: The team will actively engage with stakeholders, including government agencies, demining organizations, humanitarian organizations, and the international community. They will share project updates and results directly with these stakeholders through meetings, workshops, conferences, and collaboration platforms. This engagement will help build partnerships and foster support for the project.
- Reports and publications: The team will produce regular reports and publications that highlight the progress, impact, and lessons learned from the project. These reports can be made publicly available on the project website, shared with relevant organizations, and submitted to academic journals or conferences to contribute to the knowledge base in the field of humanitarian demining.
- Media and press coverage: The team will actively seek media coverage for the project's achievements and outcome. Press releases, interviews, and articles in relevant media outlets can help reach a broader audience and raise awareness about the project's impact.
- Collaborative platforms and forums: The team will participate in relevant collaborative platforms and forums related to humanitarian demining, technology, and blockchain.
By utilizing these communication and marketing strategies, the team will effectively share the outputs, results, and impact of the project with stakeholders, the general public, and the wider community. This will help create visibility, generate support, and promote the adoption of the MineFree platform and its contributions to humanitarian demining.