Mapping change: the rapid evolution of survey technologies

Fixed-point surveying has rapidly evolved. Credit: Masmikha via Shutterstock

It seems nothing moves quicker than technology right now. No sooner one development revolutionises the way we work, another supersedes it. Andrew Tunnicliffe speaks with the authors of a new book which, they say, addresses gaps in our understanding of how the latest technologies can be applied in mining – with a particular focus on surveys and mapping – and how rapid developments have fundamentally altered the way we do things.

For many reading this, mining is in their blood. Around the world, miners will tell you their parent or grandparent did it and so did generations before them. While the processes they use today will vary – often significantly – from those of their ancestors, the concept remains. To mine, we look at what lies beneath.

The earliest known example of a mine is said to be in southern Africa, created around 40,000 years ago. Since then, the principle of extracting minerals from the earth has remained largely true – although academics and billionaires alike are increasingly pursuing propositions beyond this planet. Today,  this generation of miners increasingly looks to what lies above the earth for answers as to what’s beneath it.

In recent months, MINE has reported on Australia and New Zealand’s Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN), and the growing application of unmanned aerial vehicles and systems (UAV/S) in mining. Last year, research by MINE’s parent company GlobalData found that the number of mining sites that have invested in drones barely has barely risen since 2018, moving from 44% to 45%, despite the  productivity, safety, and cost-saving benefits they offer. Australia leads the way, with three-quarters of those surveyed saying they had either fully invested or made a considerable investment. 

Surveying and mapping is where such technologies have the most notable impact, the survey found. Nashon Adero, lecturer at the Taita Taveta University School of Mining and Engineering in Kenya, seeks to understand the technology: “Mining surveys have advanced mainly in instrumentation and data-driven technologies. Safety, efficiency and productivity have remained critical, causing a shift away from traditional ground-based optical solutions with limited terrestrial scopes to technologically-advanced solutions with expanded applications at scale, such as underground environments, in space, aerial surveys, and deep-sea exploration.”

Adero recently co-authored the second edition of Project Design for Geomatics Engineers and Surveyors with colleagues Clement Ogaja and Derrick Koome.

Ogaja, a geodesist with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, described the first edition as a response to what a “key gap” in the literature covering the principles of design and professionalism in surveying and geomatics engineering. Since publication of the first edition in 2010, rapid advances in geographic information systems (GIS), spaceborne and airborne solutions, and the advancing role of engineering and mining surveys in modern society meant updating the book  was “urgent and important”. He says: “Software-driven solutions have been advancing, for example deploying digital photogrammetric and GIS solutions as opposed to the mainly hardware-based solutions of the past.”

The trio of authors say that significant developments include advances in imaging and sensor-based technologies for data collection and mapping, the miniaturisation and convergence of sophisticated technologies, global navigation satellite system with enhanced accuracies from continuously operating reference station and augmentation services, UAVs equipped with laser scanners generating point clouds, automation and robotics with human-to-machine models, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in spatial data processing and predictive modelling, ground penetrating radar, and advanced active and hyperspectral remote sensing providing precise solutions from interferometry and finer spatio-temporal resolutions from satellite imagery.

Some practical examples of these technologies include 3D laser scanning using handheld devices for volumetric analysis, virtual, augmented and mixed reality environments for design and “as-built” applications, such as digital twins and building information modelling, hyperspectral and active remote sensing with enhanced resolutions, and machine learning for GIS-based classifications from imagery data, providing cloud-based and analysis-ready or decision-ready data. Examples of the latter, they add, include Digital Earth Australia and Digital Earth Africa.

These are platforms that catalogue vast amounts of digital observational data on the earth via satellite networks, supported by open-access software and other services which, says Digital Earth Australia, allow a growing number of industry users to catalogue large amounts of earth observation data. They also provide Python-based application programming interface capabilities for high performance querying and data access, give users the ability to perform exploratory data analysis with ease, allow scalable continent-scale processing of stored data, and track the provenance of data to allow for quality control and updates.

Koome, a Kenya-based geospatial engineer working with Cheswick Surveys, says: “These rapid developments have been necessitated by the rising demands on the mining industry to improve operational efficiency, safety and productivity, so as to remain competitive in meeting the escalating needs of mineral-based products, for example, in powering construction, consumer electronics, and energy transition.”

As the three have alluded to, these developments have had a real impact on the industry. On their own, UAVs have facilitated faster and more effective decision making, right from the beginning of a mining project throughout its lifecycle. As well as largely removing the need for physical manpower when surveying and mapping, which increases safety and cost efficiencies, they provide geo-tagged 3D maps and contour lines from which digital terrain and surface models can be complied. This allows teams to conduct detailed analysis to make decisions based on reliable data, ultimately leading to cost savings and, more importantly, cutting the risk of injury or worse for teams on the ground. 

Mining surveys are an essential part of a mine’s lifecycle, helping determine first whether a project should even go ahead, then managing its lifespan. Surveys can support scoping to deposit modelling, mine design to planning, and safety to monitoring. They can also help plan infrastructure, reduce operational risks, measure environmental impact, improve cost efficiency and ultimately profitability.

“Unlike in the past, these new technologies offer faster and more cost-effective data and solutions for large scales of work that are also demanding on the speed of completion,” says Ogaja. He believes population growth and increasing living standards, which consume more minerals, have led to the growing prominence of the sector, and its mounting importance to future economies. These evolutions mean mining is better placed to address those growing needs.

The benefits of modern surveying will be further enhanced as developments continue, the three believe. “Increasing automation is foreseeable, with less time taken to reach solutions,” says Koome. “AI will be key to predictive modelling, for instance, giving better predictions of minerals, better matching of humans to machines for enhanced labour productivity, better rehabilitation plans, and better risk models to inform de-risking mechanisms.”

Ogaja sums up by adding: “AI and big data will make multi-criteria spatial decision support systems more accurate and widely applicable to addressing hitherto complex mine planning and decision problems.” He says these involve multiple drivers, complex socio-economic and environmental variables, and diverse stakeholders with competing and conflicting interests in the mining sector.

Mapping and surveying mines has advanced beyond the imagination of the early adopters of the practise those tens of thousands of years ago. Indeed, the trusted dial and measuring chain of yesteryear is a world away from where we are right now; with satellites, UAVs and mixed reality headsets now almost commonplace, surveying has never before been both so advanced and so accurate. With technology evolving so fast, it remains to be seen what the profession of tomorrow might look like. One thing is certain: gone are the days when looking at our feet was as good as it got.