DRONE SURVEY- NEW TECHNOLOGIES CHANGING THE FACE OF THE TESTING AND INSPECTION INDUSTRY

With its 85 years legacy in the TIC industry, Mitra SK is one of the leading Assayers and Independent Third-Party TIC companies in the world. We believe that our deep understanding of the various aspects of TIC combined with our new age approach, will help us to maintain our position as a leader in the global market.?

With our focus on adapting to technological advancements, we have introduced Drone Survey for Physical Stock Verification. We have inhouse capability to perform this survey as our field personnel have been trained for this service.

Drone Survey refers to the use of a drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), to capture aerial data with downward-facing sensors, such as RGB or multispectral cameras, and LIDAR payloads. During a drone survey with an RGB camera, the ground is photographed several times from different angles, and each image is tagged with coordinates.

With a drone, it is possible to carry out topographic surveys of the same quality as the highly accurate measurements collected by traditional methods, but in a fraction of the time. This substantially reduces the cost of a site survey and the workload of specialists in the field.

The traditionally used Total Stations Method can only measure individual points. But the Drone Survey produces thousands of measurements, which can be represented in different formats (orthomosaic, point cloud, DTM, DSM, contour lines, etc). Each pixel of the produced map or point of the 3D model contains 3D geo-data.

Flight Goals:

? Survey the raw material stockpiles within the storage area (open area).

? Create a 3D model using photogrammetry

? Calculate raw material volumes using cut and fill analysis

Key elements of project:

? to carry out an internal volumetric survey.

? Use of internal and external photogrammetry access to the GPS network

During a standard external (or outdoor) survey our drones can gather position data from GPS network. Within indoor environments this is not possible, so an alternative system is required. The drone is primarily performs external inspections, to eliminate the risks of placing personnel within confined spaces, at height or in polluted environments. It records high resolution visual data and transmits this back to the operator live.?

To calculate the raw material stockpile volume, the UAV team requires visual data to form a 3D model. In order to do this safely in an indoor & outdoor environment, the drone is deployed to capture high resolution imagery of the interior or exterior space. Equipped with an onboard lighting system, the drone is able to flood the subject area with light, allowing the capture of high-resolution visual data in totally dark environments. Within the raw material domes, this lighting was used to illuminate the rear of the stockpile, allowing the intersection with the retaining wall to be identified.

The gathered data was processed, producing a 3D model which then provided the volume calculations.