Mining

Mining is a high investment, high risk and usually a strictly regulated industry that requires timely and accurate geospatial data. DigitalGlobe imagery is used in mining to plan exploration, perform daily operations, ensure environmental compliance, and complete land reclamation.

Our imagery solutions help mining professionals identify, analyze, and act on geological data. Additionally, they reduce the time and resources required to find, mine, and recover the resource site. Existing vegetation, hydrology, population centers, soils, and infrastructure are easily mapped using satellite and aerial imagery; and evaluating before and after images show progress, boundary compliance, and restoration needed to return the site to pre-mine health. Because imagery eliminates much of the onsite field study previously required for day to day and follow up operations, the industry gains valuable insight and efficiencies about investments and operational impact, while enjoying significant cost savings.

A DigitalGlobe base map of high-resolution imagery is valuable for feature extraction, analysis and, classification through all stages of the mining lifecycle. The following aspects of mining are some of the ways that our imagery has helped leading global mining companies.

Developing Exploration Strategies
DigitalGlobe’s satellites can mobilize anywhere in the world, even in remote, mountainous, and hostile areas that would otherwise be costly to research. With our high-resolution satellite imagery, geologists can detect and study multispectral images to analyze topographic surface features along with geological data to predict subsurface geology and understand where to mine.

Perform Daily Operations
A detailed base map over real world imagery allows geologists to extract features and see where best to drill, avoiding infrastructure such as buildings, roads, pipelines, water resources and utilities. It also provides an historical perspective that easily integrates with the mine plan and models. Newer imagery can later be added to detect changes over time.

Monitor Environmental Operations
Before initiating mining operations, engineers can employ multispectral imagery to plan and implement control measures for air, noise, land and water pollution and ensure regulatory compliance. The near infrared band is essential for analyzing the impact to surrounding vegetation and quantifying the effects of daily mining activities, especially in areas of underground mining. A well developed plan minimizes the impact of mining activities on the immediate environment, neighboring communities and long term land capability.

Reclaim Impacted Areas
DigitalGlobe imagery of varying dates reflects the impact of mining a habitat and documents the progress restoring it to acceptable condition per government standards. Imagery as a tool to quantify and monitor vegetation and disturbance over time is efficient and cost effective for both underground and open cut mining.

Manage Assets
Mining industries can best protect their investments with accurate base maps of ground assets. Our imagery shows the mining and surrounding areas to the detailed level of 60cm or better, and it can be easily annotated to represent regional mines, prospect and regional geological data. Costs for planned production, location of reserves and restoration can be linked to prospective and active mine locations. Integrating DigitalGlobe with leading GIS software is simple, so the imagery becomes the backdrop for specialized mapping with links to associated data layers and tables.