Introduction to the Mine action database

The Mine field survey database application

The Mine accident database application

Introduction to The Mine Action database

The INAROEE National Land mine Database was established in 1995 in corporation with the Central Mine Action Office (CMAO) to serve as repository for all surveyed mine related data, analysis and mine accident statistics in Angola.

The database is build as a geographical information system that can combine data sources such as tables, maps, drawings and photographs. The database maintains more than 1,600 land mine accident reports and 2,800 land mine survey reports of Angola. The database also maintains a version of the topographic map series of Angola in the scale of 1:100.000.

This database shall ensure that mine-related information is efficiently maintained and communicated to Government institutions, national and provincial humanitarian coordination structures, UN agencies and NGOs. The information from the INAROEE database will be further analyzed and revised to include additional information pertaining to other humanitarian sectors.

The National Mine Action database consists of two separate databases or database applications. The Humanitarian Landmine survey database is a repository for the Field survey reports made by the government, UN agencies and Mine action NGOs in Angola. The Mine Accident application is a repository for Mine Accident reports made by the agencies mentioned above in addition to other development and humanitarian NGOs working in Angola.

The landmine field survey application

The survey application consists of three different types of landmine survey reports based upon the international Mina Action Standard published by United Nation Mine Action Service (UNMAS 2001).

Top

Level 1 reports or National surveys are the process designed to identify and record general situation and location of mine contaminated locations in a country. The national surveys describe natural and socio-economic characteristics of the location known or suspected of being contaminated with landmines and/or unexploded ordnances. It also describes the sort of mine action conducted on the location. Most minefields have been mapped as points. Roads have been mapped as lines. Some minefields have also been mapped as polygons.

Level 2 reports or Technical surveys are a mine verification and area reduction processes for each recorded mine field in a National survey. Level 2 surveys are seldom conducted in Angola.

Level 3 reports or clearance reports are status reports from landmine clearance operations. These reports carry details of the area cleared and the landmines and unexploded ordnances found and destroyed.

Information available on mine fields and unexploded ordnance locations

The mine action database can currently provide a set of key data regarding the minefield and it's location. This information is described in the table below. Further information can be obtained from the Mine Action database.

Top

NAME ON WEB	EXPLANATION	VALUES ALLOWED
INAROEE NO	Reference number at INAROE
TIPO DE SURVEY	Type of survey	L1_HR, L1_LR, L1_MA, L2_HR, L2_LR, L3_ACT, L3_SUSP, L3_COMPL
DATA	Date of survey
ORGANIZA	Organization conducting the survey
ORGANIZATION NO	Reference number of the surveying organization
PROVINCIA	Official names of provinces in Angola
MUNICIPIO	Official names of provinces in Angola
COMMUNA	Official names of Communas and Bairros in Angola. Sometimes locations are used intstead of Communas and Bairros.
DESCRIVER AREA	Description of the area mined by the surveying organization
TIPO DE TERRENO	Description of the landcover in areas contaminated with mines and UXO.
NOME DE MAPA	Map name	Number code
SERIA DE MAPA	Map series	Secreto and Uso limitao
ESCALA DE MAPA	Map scale	1:100.000, 1:50.000 or 1:1.25.000
DATUM DE MAPA	The official Map Datum in Angolais called Camacupa. According to the National Institute of Geodesy and Cartography this is equivalent to the Datum Arc 1950 Zambia.
PROJECTION DE MAPA	Map projection	UTM Zone reference
X COORDINATE ON MAP	This is a reference point for mined locations such as polyongs, lines and points.	The reference point can be outside or in a distance of the polygon, line or point.
Y COORDINATE ON MAP	X coordinate on map. This is a reference point for mined locations such as polyongs, lines and points.	The reference point can be outside or in a distance of the polygon, line or point.
LATITUDE ON MAP	Latitude on map. This is a reference point for mined locations such as polyongs, lines and points.	The reference point can be outside or in a distance of the polygon, line or point.
LONGITUDE ON MAP	Longitude on map. This is a reference point for mined locations such as polyongs, lines and points.	The reference point can be outside or in a distance of the polygon, line or point.
ANTI PERSONNEL MINE	States if the area is suspected or known to be contaminated with Anti personnel mines
ANTI TANK MINE	States if the area is suspected or known to be contaminated with Anti Tank mines
UXO	States if the area is suspected or known to be contaminated with Unexploded ordnance (UXO)
DESCONHENCIDO	States if the area is suspected or known to be contaminated with mines or UXO of unkown type
PRIORITADE DE DESMINAGEM	Priority of humanitarian mine clearance as defined by the surveying organization

Data quality in recorded field survey reports

Field surveys aims at being complete for the whole country. The civil war in Angola has made a complete survey impossible. Not all of the country has been surveyed for fields of landmines and unexploded ordnances. Areas where the war is fought can have become remined. Areas thought of having no landmine contamination can still be contaminated due to lack of knowledge by the informants.

Trained employees in the government, UN agencies and NGOs have undertaken field surveys. Government employees have entered and controlled data in the database.he report form has undergone one major revision in 1998. Certain data fields are not consistent before and after this change.

Few forms are completed. It is often not clear why this information is lacking, i.e. if investigations have not been undertaken or that the informants replied that they did not know.

Certain data in the database has been lacking due to technical errors that has remained undiscovered since the revision of the database in 1998.

The Mine Accident database application

The accident application consists of reports describing locations of landmine accidents, the victims and their activities leading to the mine accident. No accident reports have been assigned map coordinates.Information regarding mine victims can be obtained from INAROEE. 

Information currently available on mine accidents

The table below describes the information available on mine victims from the Mine Action database. 

Top

Data quality in recorded mine accident database

The Mine accident reports in the database are not complete for the country. Surveys are completed in areas where Mine awareness campaigns are undertaken. Hospitals and health posts also records mine accidents. However many accidents have never and will never be recorded due to accessibility to victims, organized system for reporting.

Trained employees in the government, UN agencies and NGOs have undertaken interviews with victims.  Government employees have entered and controlled data in the database.

Few forms are completed. It is often not clear why this information is lacking, i.e. if investigations have not been undertaken or that the informants replied that they did not know

There is currently errors in the database regarding how many victims that have been recorded and the accidents the victims were involved in.