Thermal, RGB, and Multispectral Unexploded Ordnance Data Collection

Melton, Chad [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000258010346); Duncan, Andrew [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0009000710769840)

doi:10.2172/3363907

DOE OSTI · 3363907

Thermal, RGB, and Multispectral Unexploded Ordnance Data Collection

Melton, Chad [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000258010346)·Duncan, Andrew [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0009000710769840)

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Abstract

As of May 1, 2026 Landmine contamination affects 58 countries and many hundreds of thousands of km² of land. For example, the National Mine Action Program Demining Ukraine reporting that up to 144,000 km² of territory are potentially contaminated and require survey and clearance (National Mine Action Program “Demining Ukraine,” n.d.) alone. This contamination includes mines and other explosive remnants of war and continues to constrain civilian access, agricultural use, infrastructure recovery, and broader socioeconomic activity (International Campaign to Ban Landmines–Cluster Munition Coalition [ICBL-CMC], 2024; Mine Action Review, 2024). Current response activities rely on established mine-action approaches including non-technical survey, technical survey, clearance, and explosive ordnance disposal, consistent with international mine-action terminology and operational practice (United Nations Mine Action Service [UNMAS], 2024; Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining [GICHD], 2023). In this context, UAV-based sensing, including UAV-mounted thermal imaging, may provide a useful supplementary capability by supporting faster, safer detection and mapping of suspect hazards prior to ground intervention (Smiljanic, 2022).

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Melton, Chad [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0000000258010346), Duncan, Andrew [Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)] (ORCID:0009000710769840). 2026-05-01. Thermal, RGB, and Multispectral Unexploded Ordnance Data Collection. https://doi.org/10.2172/3363907

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