most of the times,

大部份的時候，

you feel pretty safe and comfortable, right?

你會覺得很安全也很自在，對嗎？

Now imagine if there were land mines

現在，想像一下，

buried right here,

如果地雷就埋在這裡，

scattered around,

散佈在周圍，

and you'd never know when you might step on one.

你永遠不會知道 你會不會踩到其中一個。

That's how it is for many in my home country, Colombia.

在我的祖國，哥倫比亞， 很多人的生活就是如此。

As a result of a 50-year internal armed conflict,

經過了五十年的內部武裝衝突，

we have an undetermined number of land mines

有不知道多少數量的地雷，

buried throughout the countryside,

埋在鄉間各處，

affecting more than one third of the Colombian population.

影響到超過三分之一的 哥倫比亞人口。

These anti-personnel mines

這些殺傷性地雷的設計，

are designed to maim, not to kill their targets.

是要讓目標受重傷殘廢，而非死亡。

The logic behind this, which is awful,

這背後的邏輯十分可怕，

is that more resources are taken up caring for an injured soldier

因為照顧傷殘的士兵所花費的資源，

than dealing with a person who has been killed.

比處理被殺死的人更多。

I met Adriana Rodriguez about five years ago

約在五年前，我認識了 阿德瑞娜羅德里奎茲，

while I was working for the Colombian government

當時我在為哥倫比亞政府工作，

as a documentary filmmaker.

我是個紀錄片製作人。

During the conflict,

在衝突期間，

she was forced to leave her house ...

她被迫離開了她的家，

with her kids in her arms.

懷中抱著她的孩子。

One day, one of her neighbors was killed

有一天，她一個鄰居被炸死了，

while he stepped on a land mine.

因為他踩到了一枚地雷。

He was actually inside an abandoned house, not outside,

其實當時他在一間 廢棄的房子裡面，不是在屋外。

a house exactly like the one Adriana was forced to leave.

阿德瑞娜被迫離開的， 也是類似那樣子的房子。

Ever since, she has been living with the fear that she, or her children,

此後，她一直活在恐懼中，

might step on a land mine.

擔心她或她的孩子可能會踩到地雷。

You know, the Colombian conflict has been running for so long

哥倫比亞衝突持續了很久，

that neither me nor my mom have seen our country in peace,

我或是我母親都沒有見過 我們的國家有和平的時候。

and for someone like me,

像我這樣的人，

who has been living detached from all this suffering,

過去一直超然生活在這苦難之外，

there was only two options:

只有兩個選項：

either I get used to it,

我可以習慣它，

or I can try to change it with all my heart.

或是我可以全心全意來改變它。

And I have to admit that for almost 30 years,

我得要承認，幾乎三十年的時間，

I was getting used to it, you know?

讓我已經習慣了它。

But something changed for me when I met my wife.

但當我遇見我太太時，改變發生了。

She is a political scientist

她是個政治科學家，

completely passionate about the Colombian armed conflict.

對於哥倫比亞武裝衝突非常有熱忱。

She helped me to understand

她協助我了解

how deeply our country has been affected by land mines and by war.

我們的國家受到地雷 及戰爭的影響有多深。

We decided to come here to the United States

我們決定來到這裡，美國，

in search of new skills

來尋找新技能，

that would enable us to contribute in a fair way to our society,

讓我們能用一種公正的方式 來對我們的社會做出貢獻，

and maybe even help heal it.

甚至協助治癒它。

While in grad school,

在研究所時，

I started developing

我開始開發一種擴增實境，

an augmented reality, really broad application

應用非常廣，

to help military personnel to deactivate land mines more safely.

它能協助軍人用 更安全的方式解除地雷。

During that time, I also realized

在那時期，我也了解到

that Colombia is not the only country in the world

哥倫比亞並非世界上唯一

that has to worry about land mines.

要擔心地雷的國家。

In fact, more than 58 countries

事實上，超過 58 個國家

are still contaminated with any sort of explosive device.

仍然遍佈著各種爆破性裝置。

Only in 2015, due to an escalation of war

直到 2015 年，因為 一些國家的戰爭情況加劇，

in countries like Libya, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen,

例如利比亞、敘利亞、烏克蘭和葉門。

the number of [land mine casualties] almost doubled,

地雷受害者的數目幾乎倍增，

from 3,695 to 6,461 people.

從 3,695 人變成 6,461 人。

Imagine that.

想看看那狀況。

While some countries are trying to get rid of land mines,

有些國家在試圖擺脫地雷，

some others are increasing their use.

其他國家卻用得更兇。

But what happens when a conflict that involved land mines

當使用地雷的衝突結束之後，

comes to an end?

會發生什麼事？

There are two consequences.

有兩個結果。

On the one hand,

一方面，

the internally displaced population will start returning to their lands,

國內背井離鄉的人口 會開始返回家園，

and on the other hand,

另一方面，

hidden land mines are going to start exploding more often

隱藏的地雷會更常被平民觸發

on the civilian side.

而爆炸。

That's the reason why I decided to join

那就是為什麼我決定加入

the Computer Science Department at NYU,

紐約大學的資訊科學系，

along with Professor Claudio Silva

和克勞迪奧席爾瓦教授合作，

to start to develop an app called MineSafe.

開始開發一個叫做 MineSafe （直譯：地雷安全）的 app。

MineSafe uses information from the community

MineSafe 用來自社區的資訊，

to suggest paths that have been declared as the most transited

來建議最常有人通行

without accident or incident caused by a land mine.

並且沒發生地雷意外的路徑。

These traffic patterns can also be used to determine

這些交通模式也能被用來判定

the top priority zones to be de-mined.

哪些區域最需要掃雷。

Almost 15 million people are living now in the countryside of Colombia.

幾乎有一千五百萬人現在 住在哥倫比亞的鄉間。

Imagine, for a moment, if we can crowdsource information from all of them

想像一下，如果我們 能向他們全體收集資訊，

to help people like Adriana and her children

來協助像阿德瑞娜及她的孩子的人，

to find safe and reliable paths.

找到安全可靠的路徑。

This information can not only be used for that.

這些資訊不只能用在這上面。

This information can also help them to become more productive.

這些資訊也能協助他們 變得更有生產力。

Farmers will be able to find

農夫將能夠知道

which lands have been cleared from explosive devices,

哪些地方的爆破性裝置已經被清除，

and in that way, they will be able to find new, fertile grounds

這麼一來，他們就能 找到新的肥沃土地，

to start growing food again.

再次開始種植作物。

MineSafe has now a partnership with the Colombian government

MineSafe 現在有和 哥倫比亞政府合作，

for the initial pilot,

來做一個前導計畫，

and we have now some connections with Cambodia and Somalia as well.

現在我們也和柬埔寨 及索瑪利亞有了一些連結。

This project is being funded by private money

這個專案計畫是在美國

here in the United States,

由私人資金所資助的，

but we don't want to stop here.

但我們不想到此為止。

We want to go big,

我們想做更大，

and we want to scale the project to every single place

我們要把這個專案計畫

where land mines are still a threat.

擴展到每一個受地雷威脅的地方。

The Colombian armed conflict is finally coming to an end,

哥倫比亞武裝衝突終於要結束了，

but the consequences of years of war are still buried under our feet.

但多年戰爭造成的後果， 仍然埋在我們的腳下。

We at MineSafe are working to help both people and land

我們 MineSafe 的這群人， 在努力協助人民以及土地

to find peace.

找到和平。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）