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Drones in Mining - Transforming the Mining Sector in India

Orbit’s Drones presents Aerial Mapping / Surveying for Mining sites employing fashionable drone technology. We have served Government and Private enterprises with grand success for improvement of efficiency and productivity of large mine sites. We even cater to project managers with stockpile management by quick, accurate, and real-time monitoring. Having satisfied Centimeter Level Accuracy, our GIS maps assist operation managers in the process of enhanced decision-making, allowing mines to be more productive and smart. Along with 30x faster data collection and 100% safety Drone Powered Surveys, smart management allows companies to keep track of stockpile management, Mining operations, Haul road optimization, water and sediment flow, mining exploration, mine blast assessment, etc.

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All drones used by us are of premium quality and are outfitted with RGB sensors to acquire aerial data of mining sites. Our GIS experts intensify the data accumulated and portray them as Geotagged 3D maps, Contour lines, 3D Point cloud, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), Digital Terrain Models (DTM), or Digital Surface Models (DSM). These models mirror vital characteristics such as safety berm heights, crests and toes, road boundaries, slope length, elevation change, etc., which promote the improvement of worker and site-safety management.

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With our drones obtaining more than 1000 data points and up to 350x more data points for one stockpile than traditional GNSS Surveys, our drones reflect highly accurate measurements. Paired with machine learning and geotagging of stockpiles, we provide volumetric calculations remitting a 99% accuracy guarantee.

We can help with

Stockpile management

Professionals who adapt drones into their mining operations quickly realize the significant added value they bring to their industry.

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Namely, drones in mining improve the overall efficiency of large mine site and quarry management by providing accurate and comprehensive data detailing site conditions in a very short time. They also support better coordination among teams onsite and internationally, offering dynamic oversight of all operations.

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Above all, this data can be safely produced by on-site workers who have minimal surveying experience at a fraction of the cost of traditional survey methods.

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Drone data provides more precise volumetric measurements than traditional surveying methods, such as ground-based GNSS. This allows better valuation of stockpiles.

Mine Monitoring and Operation planning

We encourage mining site managers to outline and maintain site operations efficiently. Our highly accurate drone data and GIS maps help design haul roads accurately, optimize traffic flow, and initiate team collaboration to ensure quick decision making to restore and retain safety.

Monitoring and inspection

Mining is among the most unsafe industries for workers, especially those performing deep underground activities. Workers can be subjected to hazards such as rock falls, extremely humid conditions, gas leaks, dust explosions and floods. Therefore, mining companies have used drones in underground mines to monitor and inspect deep shafts. In addition, drones are also being employed to inspect mining equipment, which is an expensive and time-consuming process, requiring a highly-skilled workforce. Moreover, the quality of data collected manually may be affected by the very short time allotted to inspection.

Automatic surveying and mapping

Normally, surveying and mapping of mineral landscapes is a time-consuming process. By employing drones and a drone pilot, instead of a piloted plane, a mine can save around 90% of the cost per hour, and collect unlimited aerial data - including fine measurements by simultaneously capturing high-end orthoimages.

Stockpile management

One of the greatest challenges any mining company faces while managing stockpiles is their extreme height and area, which tends to change frequently. Drones can enable mining companies to generate aerial terrain models of the inventory. Further, deploying drones frequently could ensure companies consistently keep track of stockpile movement.

Haulage road optimisation

The haul road network has a significant impact on the efficiency of mining activities. To achieve safe and uniform transit, haul road conditions must be constantly monitored. Drones can facilitate this process by collecting a large amount of aerial data, covering wider areas more precisely, which can then be used by engineers for planning, designing, construction and maintenance activities.

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. This combo of unmanned vehicles and 3D Photogrammetry deliver High-Precision Inspections of the blasting area to make critical evaluations regarding safety. 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 detailed data obtained guide mine planners and project managers to plan thoroughly for future blasts, cut costs, time, and on-site drilling.

Benefits of Drone in Mining Areas

  • 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.

  • Higher-resolution visual inspections with drones compared to ground-based inspections.

  • 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.

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