The new International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) on Technical Survey (IMAS 08.20) have been released in March 2013. We are very pleased to read that they are addressing many issues also raised by the study  "Land Release in Action: In-field study of practices in use in six countries", in particular the need of differentiating between machines for clearance and machines for technical survey and the need of defining how to assess the performance of different assets for technical survey especially in terms of the extent to which the asset will preserve information associated with hazard items, the speed and cost with which the asset can undertake the technical survey function and the suitability of the asset in light of the surrounding environment, infrastructure and climate.

It's an incredible good news for the mine action community, hopefully paving the road to a larger use of LOCOSTRA!!