Mining
Fulfil mining operations coupled with 99% accurate measurements and 30x more accelerated data acquisition through Drone Powered Surveys
Drones in Mining - Transforming the Mining Sector in India
Equinox’s Drones presents cutting-edge aerial mapping and surveying solutions tailored for mining sites, employing advanced drone technology. Our services, including mining drone and mining survey solutions, have significantly enhanced efficiency and productivity at large mine sites, catering to both government and private enterprises. We offer project managers precise, real-time monitoring for efficient stockpile management. Our GIS maps, created through drone mining survey techniques, boast centimeter-level accuracy, empowering operations managers to make informed decisions, optimizing mining operations from stockpile management to haul road optimization.
Using high-quality drones equipped with RGB sensors, we capture detailed aerial data from mining sites. Our GIS experts transform this data into geotagged 3D maps, contour lines, point clouds, DEMs, DTMs, and DSMs, replicating crucial features like safety berm heights, road boundaries, and elevation changes. These models enhance worker safety and site management, proving the benefits of drones in mining.
Our drones collect over 1,000 data points and provide up to 350 times more data points for a single stockpile compared to traditional GNSS surveys, ensuring exceptionally precise measurements. Combined with machine learning, our geotagged stockpile volumetric calculations guarantee 99% accuracy, supporting smarter mining practices through drone survey in mining and drone application in mining. From mining inspection to drones for mining exploration, our drone in mining industry solutions set a high standard for efficiency and precision.
The benefits of drones in mining are manifold, including enhanced safety and operational efficiency. Our drone mining survey techniques utilize mining industry software to deliver accurate and timely data. These capabilities ensure that mining inspection processes are thorough and reliable. The application of mining drones for exploring new areas and managing existing operations has revolutionized the industry, providing invaluable insights that traditional methods cannot match.
In conclusion, our drones for mining exploration and the comprehensive data they provide are essential tools for modern mining operations. By integrating drone technology, we deliver unmatched accuracy and efficiency, making us leaders in the field of drone application in mining.
We can help with
Stockpile management
Regardless of whether you operate in construction, mining, or the aggregate sector, effective stockpile management is essential. Allocating your workforce for stockpile measurement can pose risks, consume valuable time, and incur significant expenses. Estimating the volumes of all stockpiles can be a challenging task due to their diverse shapes and sizes when using traditional methods.. Instead, the most optimal resolution would be to use high-quality drones to accumulate survey data. We advance stockpile volume estimation with 99% accuracy and further defeat issues concerning mine operations and personnel safety.
Better inventory tracking and financial reporting
Leveraging the expertise and skills of our GIS professionals, we convert comprehensive drone survey data into 3D models and 3D point cloud maps of stockpiles. These comprise numerous thousand data points that result in highly detailed Stockpile Volume calculations. The data is essential for mining companies for monthly tracking or year-end audits. We have supported numerous mining companies across India by conducting systematic data collection through drone inspections. This has led to improved inventory efficiency and enabled comprehensive management of mining operations.
Mine Monitoring and Operation planning
We encourage mining site managers to outline and maintain site operations efficiently. Our incredibly precise drone data and GIS maps play a crucial role in the accurate design of haul roads, the optimization of traffic flow, and the facilitation of team collaboration. This, in turn, ensures rapid decision-making to enhance safety and maintain it effectively.
Haul Road Optimisation
Regular and routine examinations and evaluations of haul roads play a pivotal role in guaranteeing the efficient functioning of mining operations while significantly reducing the potential for catastrophic incidents. As opposed to traditional methods, Drone Surveying preserves time, money, and acquires data that could never be obtained by human surveyors. Our expert GIS team generates a diverse array of GIS maps, encompassing Digital Terrain Models (DTM), 3D models, 3D Point Clouds, color Slope Maps, and more. These maps serve as a valuable resource, delivering essential information to mine managers, including details on length, slope, and turning angles. With this information, our clients can optimize the roads and significantly diminish fuel costs for moving materials out of mining sites.
Water and sediment flow
The importance of monitoring water and sediment flow cannot be overstated, as they have the potential to trigger operational disruptions and obstruct or entirely halt mining operations. Our well-established Drone Mining Surveys have proven instrumental in assisting numerous mining companies in avoiding these costly setbacks. Our GIS team transforms data into Digital Elevation Maps (DEM), detailed Drone Imagery and machine learning to trace water flow and tailing pond. These visual representations serve as valuable tools for managers, aiding them in ensuring both safety and the optimal flow of water.
Tailings Dams Monitoring
Working with mining company planners, we promptly collect and present drone data to systematically monitor essential mine features such as slopes on Tailings Dams. Tailings are said to be highly toxic and probably radioactive as well; thus, mine managers and planners need to guarantee consistent maintenance of dams for utmost safety through UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Inspections. Our drones can accumulate imagery of the dam to generate 3D Digital Elevation Models (DEM) of the dam for in-depth analysis. Timely monitoring of Tailings Dams conducted through aerial photography can go far to prevent tragedies like the Brumadinho site in Brazil.
Timely regular monitoring of Tailings Dams by drone can go far to prevent disaster like Brumadinho site in Brazil
Mining exploration
UAVs (Unmanned aerial systems) are continually growing as a less invasive approach for procuring authentic images for mineral exploration due to its safe, efficient, and sustainable nature. Our drones are outfitted with state-of-the-art RGB sensors that capture top-tier data. This data serves as a catalyst for our team to create high-resolution orthophotos and DSM maps, further enhancing our capabilities. The gathered data is transformed into a 3D model, enabling us to study and assess the structural aspects of mines. Utilizing drones for mining exploration surveys demonstrates remarkable cost-effectiveness by significantly diminishing the requirement for extensive on-site exploration efforts. Moreover, drones contribute to bolstering personnel safety and enhancing site security.
Periodic inspection and assessment of haul roads are vital to ensure the smooth running of mining operations and diminishing possibilities of a catastrophic event. As opposed to traditional methods, Drone Surveying preserves time, money, and acquires data that could never be obtained by human surveyors. Our skilled GIS crew produces various GIS maps like DTM, 3D Models, 3D Point Clouds, colour Slope Maps, etc. to provide excellent and valuable knowledge such as length, slope, and turning angles to mine managers. With this information, our clients can optimize the roads and significantly diminish fuel costs for moving materials out of mining sites.
Blast Planning & Assessment
One of the principal applications of drone technology can be seen in topography and mining operations, especially in planning, charging, and requiring blasting operations. The combination of unmanned vehicles and 3D photogrammetry enables the achievement of high-precision inspections in the blasting area, facilitating critical safety evaluations. Our experts can replicate data such as GIS Maps, 3D models, and Photogrammetry to encourage clients to carefully examine the site to be drilled, extracted and guarantee sufficient resources. The comprehensive data acquired assists mine planners and project managers in conducting meticulous planning for upcoming blasting operations, resulting in cost and time savings as well as reduced on-site drilling requirements.
Deliverables We Provide
3D point cloud
Through drone data, we can mirror this information as a densified point cloud. In a 3D Point Cloud, each point comprises Geospatial (X, Y, Z) and several color information. 3D point clouds are renowned for their ability to generate accurate data, free from distortions commonly found in 3D mesh models. The industry-standard software known as a 3D point cloud provides highly detailed models that are invaluable for precise distance (both slant and horizontal), area, and volume measurements.
Orthomosaic maps
An Orthomosaic is an extensive map-like image acquired from geometrically correcting an aerial photograph. These revisions include lens distortion, camera tilt, perspective, and topographic relief. Every pixel within the image contains 2D and 3D geographical data (X, Y) and has the capability to promptly acquire precise measurements. Orthomosaic maps empower us to accurately determine the area, volume, and distance of projects.
3D textured mesh
Using the Point Cloud, we can produce the 3D Textured Mesh, a surface composed of triangles. It faithfully represents the boundaries, surfaces, corners, and textures of the area captured by the drone, reducing the disparity between the points in the point cloud and the actual surface. This model is fit for projects that require visual inspections or public involvement.
Digital terrain model (DTM)
Drone images are frequently employed for creating Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), where every pixel contains 2.5D data, encompassing the X, Y, and Z values representing the highest elevation. To attain a precise DTM, it is essential to have substantial overlap between each captured image. The resulting Digital Terrain Model offers both high-speed processing and efficiency.
Our Features
30x Faster Data Acquisition
Our experienced pilots with high-end drones equipped with advanced sensors collect drone data 30x faster
99% Accurate Volume Estimate
We leverage machine learning and state-of-the-art drone technology to measure stockpile volumes with an accuracy rate of 99%
5x Faster Data Delivery
Our team of GIS experts is tirelessly working around the clock to process and analyze the drone survey data, ensuring timely delivery.
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Keep solar farm at peak efficiency, reduce inspection cost and avoid costly mistakes with our Drone Powered solutions.
Benefits of Mining Drones With Equinox's
- Drones can capture more data points than any traditional methods that helps in more accurate volume estimation.
- Drone survey for mining sites are 30x faster than traditional land based methods.
- Avoid Costly MistakeHigher-resolution visual inspections with drones compared to ground-based inspections. - Drone thermal Inspection can easily find a tiny dead cell that can compromise the entire system causing economic damage.
- Increase operation efficiency with high-resolution Drone data in a very timely manner.
- Save cost, time and resources with Drone Survey compared to ground-based survey.
- 100% Personnel safety - Survey, Inspection and Monitoring of mining sites with Drone is completely remote and doesn't require any ground crew.
An Orthomosaic is an extensive map-like image acquired from geometrically correcting an aerial photograph. These revisions include lens distortion, camera tilt, perspective, and topographic relief. Every pixel within the image contains 2D and 3D geographical data (X, Y) and has the capability to promptly acquire precise measurements. Orthomosaic maps empower us to accurately determine the area, volume, and distance of projects.
Drone images are often utilized to generate Digital Terrain Models (DTMs), wherein each pixel comprises 2.5D data (X, Y, and Z value of the highest elevation). For an accurate DTM, there must be sufficient overlapping linking each collected image. The Digital Terrain model yields high-speed and efficient calculations.