Mine Mapping

For over 40 years, the most common aerial survey methodology for mining has been based around aerial photography and photogrammetry. In this time there have been many changes, such as:

 - Fully digital metric survey cameras have largely replaced film cameras
 - Camera position and attitude are now measured on-board
 - Time from image capture to delivery is faster but much more CPU intensive
 - The same imagery available simultaneously for multi-users in many locations
 - More uses for aerial survey data and imagery on mine sites
 - Greater diversity of aerial survey products
 - High resolution satellite imagery as a viable alternative imagery source

The success and popularity of this method with AAM mining customers is dependent on many things but none are quite as fundamental as having a permanent and metric photographic record of the whole mine site captured in almost the same instant. This is especially useful when a range of imagery products are required for a variety of interested users on the client mine site.

One particular open-cut mine site in Australia is photographed every month by AAM. The 3350ha site is covered by 85 frames of photography. The primary deliverable is to supply, within three days, an update of the pit model to enable mine site survey staff to calculate end of month volumes. However, the supplied updated mine mapping and imagery also provides for many other uses including:

 - Engineering and mine planning
 - Earthwork contractor monitoring
 - Stockpile volumes
 - Spoil dump design and monitoring
 - Tailings Dam monitoring and void volumes
 - Spoil rehabilitation monitoring and reporting
 - Asset management
 - Environmental monitoring and reporting

Each of these uses requires mine mapping data that has different characteristics that is best achieved by customising the data capture. This customising relates to feature identification and the density of the data captured.

The result is efficient data sets that, in many ways, are designed to replicate the style of data captured by the site surveyors. Some examples are as follows:

 - Areas of active extraction related to contract mining such as pre-strip, pit and ore body surfaces require correct feature coding and greater density of data capture to enable accurate volume calculations
 - Areas of waste dumping need to be correctly feature coded but require less data for volume calculations
 - Areas of spoil undergoing rehabilitation need separate feature coding and a well defined accurate final surface
 - Road infrastructure requires accurate feature coding, especially where heavy vehicles are to be separated from light vehicle traffic 
 - It is especially critical to correctly identify and code features related to water, site drainage and containment of runoff
 - Areas of natural surface are coded separately to provide a means of automating the measurement of disturbed areas and mapped accurately to provide a required ‘start of contract’ surface
 - Ortho rectified imagery for environmental monitoring invariably requires better colour and less contrast than imagery for mine engineering and planning

To enable the delivery of fit for purpose mine mapping data for the multitude of users at this site, AAM makes maximum use of the best available technology. In addition to the technology, a vital element of this aerial survey methodology is the knowledge and experience of our spatial science staff. The combination of best available technology, staff knowledge and experience ensures that we deliver complete and fully feature coded data in the very short time frames demanded.
 

           
Above: Sample Mine Mapping and Ortho Image