{"id":769315,"date":"2025-10-28T19:44:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T02:44:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&#038;p=769315"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:20:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T20:20:03","slug":"custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action","title":{"rendered":"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10882,358402,291],"tags":[482202,18442,426301,485582,296552],"arcnews_issues":[493219],"class_list":["post-769315","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri-training","category-learn-arcgis","category-nonprofit","tag-capacity-building","tag-data-collection","tag-demining","tag-esri-academy","tag-humanitarian","arcnews_issues-fall-2025","arcnews_sections-collaborations"],"acf":{"short_description":"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Hidden dangers lurk beneath the surface in dozens of countries worldwide, where human conflict has left behind a deadly legacy of land mines, cluster munitions, and improvised explosive devices. The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is at the forefront of efforts to mitigate these threats, providing critical advisory services and support to affected nations. At the heart of its operations lies modern enterprise GIS technology, which has transformed mine action work around the globe.\r\n\r\nThe GICHD\u2019s mission is to develop and professionalize solutions that help reduce risks from explosive ordnance. As an Esri Nonprofit Program member, the GICHD relies on ArcGIS technology to use and manage critical data and help mobile personnel, researchers, and others make evidence-based decisions."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":769316,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cBecause mine action is a geographic problem, the most important priority for us is determining the location of the explosive ordnance,\u201d said program manager Noor Zangana, who leads the Information Management division\u2019s Capacity Strengthening program.\r\n\r\nThe GICHD\u2019s Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA Core) is an ArcGIS Enterprise system that facilitates data collection, storage, analysis, and reporting that complies with the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention and other global treaties. Zangana oversees a training program for IMSMA Core and ArcGIS apps. Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so training for IMSMA Core and other GIS technology must be scalable and accessible to diverse audiences.\r\n\r\n\u201cEvery country we support has different needs and approaches to dealing with explosive ordnance,\u201d Zangana shared. \u201cThey have experts and people new to the humanitarian action world.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Capacity Strengthening program offers in-person IMSMA Core training at the GICHD\u2019s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in various countries. For many individuals, however, obtaining travel visas and funding to attend these events is challenging. Women, in particular, may face hurdles.\r\n\r\n\u201cIn some affected countries that we support, it\u2019s difficult for women to travel, even if they have financial support from their government. We are trying very hard to support all types of people, all types of countries, all levels of knowledge,\u201d said Zangana.\r\n\r\nTo deliver training that\u2019s accessible anywhere, and to anyone who needs it, Zangana partnered with Esri\u2019s Training Services team to develop custom e-Learning courses."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Fit-for-Purpose Training<\/h2>\r\nThe GICHD\u2019s Information Management division works with up to 10 information management professionals in each supported country to provide an IMSMA Core portal provisioned with ArcGIS user types, data, and apps."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":769317,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"\u201cWe customize the portal and tools for each country based on their needs and to be fit for their purpose,\u201d Zangana said.\r\n\r\nZangana firmly believes that training should be tailored to the needs of those who will be managing and using an IMSMA Core portal. When Esri training consultant Andrew Sandifer informed her that Esri could create and deliver custom training, Zangana saw value in developing e-Learning tailored to IMSMA Core and mine action workflows.\r\n\r\n\u201cThrough the e-Learning modality, we have capacity to support all people who need training,\u201d she said.\r\n\r\nZangana\u2019s team and Esri\u2019s custom training team worked together to create courses that introduce foundational IMSMA Core and GIS concepts, explain how GIS apps support mine action, and provide practical experience with the ArcGIS tools used to collect, visualize, analyze, and share data that supports explosive ordnance planning and removal operations.\r\n\r\nEach course includes conceptual content, interactive activities, and step-by-step exercises using sample training data. Some courses feature videos from the GICHD\u2019s Information Management staff. Quizzes are included to measure and reinforce knowledge."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Expanding Accessibility<\/h2>\r\nZangana\u2019s strong focus on supporting each country\u2019s unique training needs extends to language. The GICHD\u2019s custom e-Learning courses were written in British English, which is widely spoken in the organization\u2019s supported countries. But in 2024, Zangana noticed an increase in requests for support from French-speaking countries.\r\n\r\n\u201cA lot of French speakers are suffering from mines. The needs of those countries made us consider linguistic accessibility, and we wanted to have a plan to support them,\u201d she said. \u201cWe care about all the people from the countries we support who are taking training. They have input because we want to make sure that we include everybody based on the objective of the training that we are building.\u201d\r\n\r\nUpon learning that Esri could publish e-Learning in French, Zangana commissioned French-language versions of courses covering data collection with ArcGIS Survey123 and data visualization using web maps and dashboards.\r\n\r\nThe GICHD translated the British English text into French and returned it to the Esri team. The team placed the French text into the instructional content sections and course interface elements to deliver a custom training experience designed especially for learners in francophone countries."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":769318,"image_position":"left","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>The Next Phase: Supporting Field Operations<\/h2>\r\nMore than 2,000 people have taken the GICHD\u2019s e-Learning courses, and the educational content has been well received.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey are so excited and really interested to learn about IMSMA. They are asking us to develop more topics,\u201d Zangana said.\r\n\r\nTo that end, she and her team are planning to add another custom e-Learning course. It will have a French-language version as well, since that\u2019s now considered a best practice at the GICHD. The primary audience for the course will be mobile operators, and the content will focus on using IMSMA Core and ArcGIS software and apps to conduct holistic mine action workflows.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe\u2019re going beyond information management professionals to train operators in each country,\u201d Zangana shared. \u201cCollecting mine data is very complex, and surveying a confirmed hazardous area is very expensive. Accurate data is so important because in the next stage, operators will do clearance,\u201d meaning they will remove the mines\u2014many of them unexploded\u2014from their hidden locations.\r\n\r\nBy providing customized enterprise GIS systems and training, the GICHD leads in helping countries take informed action to clear threats from past conflicts and raise hopes for a safer future.\r\n\r\nLearn more about the <a href=\"https:\/\/gichd.org\/\">GICHD\u2019s programs<\/a>. For more information on Esri\u2019s custom training program, email <a href=\"mailto:GIStraining@esri.com\">GIStraining@esri.com<\/a>."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-29T20:20:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/arcnews-banner-custom-wide.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/arcnews-banner-custom-wide.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2025-10-29T02:44:52+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2025-10-29T20:20:03+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"ArcNews Articles\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/41c803b2ea8734c36f9c4e9586d1449d\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Amy Ambard\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Amy Ambard\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews","description":"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews","og_description":"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","article_modified_time":"2025-10-29T20:20:03+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/arcnews-banner-custom-wide.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews","twitter_description":"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/10\/arcnews-banner-custom-wide.jpg","twitter_site":"@Esri","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action","name":"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action | Fall 2025 | ArcNews","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-10-29T02:44:52+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-29T20:20:03+00:00","description":"Each year, hundreds of people around the world use ArcGIS to collect data and support demining activities, so technology training is key.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/custom-e-learning-clears-the-way-for-mine-action#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ArcNews Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Custom e-Learning Clears the Way for Mine Action"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/41c803b2ea8734c36f9c4e9586d1449d","name":"Amy Ambard","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f356480172f8ad0bc8d72b855e84171c52f1944c7c7779f3e425d73bf3efa3c7?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Amy Ambard"},"url":""}]}},"sort_order":"24","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews\/769315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/arcnews"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews\/769315\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769315"},{"taxonomy":"arcnews_issues","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews_issues?post=769315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}