Aerial survey technology is revolutionising these inspections, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), like drones, to gather, display, and analyse huge amounts of spatially located data, ensuring the accurate positioning of mining excavations.
Key fact: Drone technology obtains more accurate and frequent details at mine sites for only 10% of the time and money usually spent
UAV inspections combine Lidar technology with digital cameras, allowing the drones to gather high-resolution images of a site. These can be used to create accurate orthophotos, topographics maps, and 3D digital terrain models.
This type of aerial photogrammetry is crucial to pit mapping and forecasting mine development. Drone inspections also improve health and safety measures by flagging critical points of data, such as unstable mine faces, monitoring the integrity of the mine, and analysing the above-ground situation.
Aerial survey technology is particularly useful at conducting remote inspections of sites that are inaccessible or hazardous. Providing real-time images, UAVs replace the need for in situ surveying, while improving the quality of data needed to inform mine development.
Benefits
Improves mine planning
Improves safety
Improves data quality
