Autonomous inspection
for mining

Mining inspection is the process of inspecting a mine to:

• Monitor operations, to optimize operations such as materials transport planning
• Ensure that it meets mining standards and regulations, to prevent the occurrence of accidents. Mining inspectors are responsible for ensuring that mines comply

The most popular use of drones in the mining industry is pile inspections. Leveraging their unique aerial view, drones provide an accurate and efficient method of monitoring stockpiles. Drones are also used to inspect other assets, such as tailings dams, and perform security patrols.

Many mines rely on drones to perform inspections of critical assets such as piles, tailings, conveyors, pits, and more. Often a service provider arranges for a drone pilot to arrive on site to fly the drone, and send out the data to generate 3D models and other insights. Some companies operate the drones in house, and others rely on autonomous drones, which can be operated remotely, from an off-site remote operations center.

Fully autonomous drones can help improve mining safety and efficiency. Because fully autonomous drones don’t require a pilot to perform inspections, mines can be operated completely remotely. Remote operations in mining are becoming increasingly desirable for safety concerns, remote locations of mines, covid-19, and efficiency. Remote operations also allow site managers and company executives to know what’s going on at their facility from any location.

UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) mining is a new and emerging technology that allows for unmanned monitoring and inspections of mines. This uses unmanned aerial vehicles to efficiently and safely monitor mines during regular operations, shutdowns and in an emergency.

Stockpile management is the process of managing stockpiles of materials. It includes planning, monitoring and controlling stockpiles to meet production requirements.
The key elements of stockpile management are:

• Planning – Planning for future needs is essential. The plan should include information about current and expected demand, storage capacity, and available supplies.
• Monitoring – Stockpiles must be monitored regularly to determine if they are meeting production requirements.
• Controlling – When needed, stockpiles should be moved or destroyed according to established procedures.

There are two steps to measuring stockpiles with drones – data capture, and data analysis.
The first step to measure stockpiles with a drone is data capture. First, you need to fly your drone, capturing high-resolution images of the pile you’d like to measure. There are two ways to do this. One is to manually fly a drone over the stockpile, and the other is to rely on drone software to automatically operate the drone capturing the correct data.
Step two is analyzing the data. Data analytics tools will convert the images captured into an elevation map which will determine the volumetric measurement of the pile.