On Wednesday 15.01.2020, two representatives of the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) came to the University of Geneva to give a presentation of the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA), used in countries affected by explosive remnants of war and ammunition storages for depollution operations.
Olivier Cottray from GICHD gave an overview of the demining workflows that mostly rely on spatial analysis to help outline hazard area and define priorities for demining efforts. IMSMA is currently built on ArcGIS components with desktop, online and field applications. The DDPS presented a program held by the Swiss Confederation and the United Nations Mine Action Service to enroll qualified Swiss students, graduates or information management professionals as IMSMA advisors for 1-year field missions (civilian deployment; extension possible).
The meeting was very successful with a room full of interested students asking questions. Similar presentations will be organized in other Swiss universities as opportunities arise. To know more about IMSMA, the recording of GICHD’s presentation at the 2019 Esri User Conference is available online:
If you are a Swiss student, graduate or experienced information management professional with advanced training on ArcGIS, and you meet the enrollment criteria as listed in the attached factsheet, feel free to contact Mr. Cottray from GICHD or the DDPS ( general information, recruiting) to express your interest.