GICHD Innovation Award 2025
Integrating quantitative risk methodologies from other disciplines offers significant potential to revolutionize the process of land release in Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA). The Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR™) standards, developed within the cybersecurity domain, provides a structured data-driven framework for assessing complex risks in scenarios requiring zero tolerance for failure. Such is the case with explosive ordinance (EO) contamination. Applying FAIR principles to mine action helps challenge traditional and at times logically flawed risk assessment practices. Additionally, it introduces robust quantitative rigor to estimating hazardous areas, thereby directly addressing accuracy challenges in land release decisions and upholding the paramount principle of “do no harm”.
Cross-disciplinary innovation leverages established solutions, reducing initial trial-and-error phases and enhancing methodological rigor. In cybersecurity, particularly within Operational Technology (OT) environments like critical infrastructure, risk analysis demands precision due to severe real-world consequences. Applying FAIR™ methodology would quantify uncertainties by systematically integrating diverse datasets already collected by the HMA sector like military records, community reports, historical incident data, and open-source information into probabilistic assessments. Such quantitative modeling techniques, including Bayesian inference, Monte Carlo simulations, and AI-driven regression analyses, can similarly transform mine action risk estimation. This structured approach substantially diminishes subjective error margins, providing a defensible and continuously refined prediction of EO contamination as it does on critical infrastructure networks within the developed world.
The feasibility of adapting FAIR™ methodology into mine action is high, grounded in established since FAIR™ utilized statistical principles and computational techniques widely used across all disciplines of risk assessment and gives direct action to implement those techniques. Comprehensive feasibility analysis reveals minimal barriers to implementation, given that data collection practices already exist within mine action programs. Scalability is similarly robust, as FAIR methodologies are inherently adaptable and easily integrated into existing information management systems, enabling rapid adoption across varying scales and contexts within mine action operations globally.
Operationally, introducing a FAIR™-inspired quantitative modeling approach will profoundly improve effectiveness and efficiency. By converting qualitative assessments into actionable data, mine action programs can strategically allocate resources, optimizing technical and non-technical survey processes. This iterative, feedback-rich system ensures continuous model calibration, effectively integrating operational outcomes to refine predictive accuracy. Consequently, resources such as funding, manpower, and equipment, typically scarce in humanitarian contexts, are allocated more precisely, significantly reducing costs and improving clearance rates.
Beyond operational benefits, adopting comprehensive quantitative risk assessments greatly enhances safety and community involvement. Transparent methodologies grounded in statistical rigor foster trust among affected populations, stakeholders, and donors. Clear, defensible metrics promote international accountability and comparability, aligning well with treaty obligations and humanitarian standards. Moreover, precise quantification of residual risk directly informs community engagement and socio-economic reintegration strategies, reducing unnecessary land restrictions and promoting proactive community participation.
Mine action stands enormous benefits from embracing FAIR™’s structured quantitative approach. This innovative, interdisciplinary application transforms subjective judgments into measurable, iterative, and continuously improving risk estimates. Adopting quantitative methodologies like FAIR™ fundamentally shifts mine action towards greater transparency, accountability, and resource optimization, creating a safer, more efficient, and community-centered framework for land release.