Utilization of multi-sensor remote sensing technologies for open pit mine monitoring

Falabella, Francesco (author), Pepe, Antonio (author), Oštir, Krištof (author), Gubaidullina, Rushaniia (author), Kozmus Trajkovski, Klemen (author), Grigillo, Dejan (author), Grabrovec, Veronika (author), Hamza, Veton (author), Pavlovčič Prešeren, Polona (author), Blaha, Hannes (author), Teodoro, Ana Claudia (author), Calò, Fabiana (author)

Nowadays, Earth Observation (EO) sensors with different technical characteristics installed on various platforms can provide data for multiple applications. Integrating, combining and processing data for various mining-related applications is required to assist decision-making and process adaptation procedures. Moreover, jointly using different data sets or products created from various sources allows for increasing precision and overcoming inherent measurement uncertainties, thereby enhancing the reliability of the results. Our research shows the potential of an integrated multi-sensor/multi-wavelength SAR data monitoring system that implements an innovative model-aided Phase Unwrapping (PhU) approach for generating ground displacement maps and time series in critical open pit mining areas. This allows us to mitigate the risk associated with rock falls and instabilities that can lead to severe damage to workers and neighbourhoods. Furthermore, the study also points out that jointly using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and spaceborne optical data is valuable to remotely estimate stockpile volume changes with enhanced accuracy and precision, supporting the mining companies’ management.Danes lahko senzorji za opazovanje Zemlje z različnimi tehničnimi značilnostmi, nameščeni na različnih platformah, zagotavljajo podatke za številne aplikacije. Vključevanje, združevanje in obdelava podatkov za različne aplikacije, povezane z rudarstvom, so potrebni za pomoč pri sprejemanju odločitev in postopkih prilagajanja procesov. Poleg tega skupna uporaba različnih podatkovnih nizov ali izdelkov, ustvarjenih iz različnih virov, omogoča povečanje natančnosti in premagovanje pripadajočih merilnih negotovosti, s čimer se poveča zanesljivost rezultatov. Naša raziskava prikazuje potencial integriranega večsenzorskega/večvalovnega sistema za spremljanje podatkov SAR, ki izvaja inovativni modelno podprt pristop razkrivanja faz (PhU) za izdelavo zemljevidov premikov tal in časovnih vrst na kritičnih območjih odprtega rudnika. S tem lahko zmanjšamo tveganje, povezano s skalnimi podori in nestabilnostmi, ki lahko povzročijo hudo šk odo delavcem in soseskam. Poleg tega študija poudarja, da je skupna uporaba brezpilotnih zrakoplovov (UAV) in optičnih podatkov iz vesolja dragocena za daljinsko ocenjevanje sprememb prostornine zalog z večjo natančnostjo in točnostjo, kar podpira upravljanje rudarskih podjetij.

• Language: English
• Keywords: geodesy, mining monitoring, remote sensing, differential synthetic aperture Radar interferometry (DInSAR), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), satellite photogrammetry
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FGG - Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Author Accepted Manuscript
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 16 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 143, sep. 2025
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-173586
• UDC: 528.7:55
• ISSN on article: 1569-8432
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jag.2025.104834
• COBISS.SI-ID: 249478915
• Publication date in RUL: 18.09.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of applied earth observation and geoinformation. ǂthe ǂjournal is the successor of the former ITC Journal and has been published by Elsevier since 2002
• Publisher: International Institute for Aerial Survey and Earth Sciences
• ISSN: 1569-8432
• COBISS.SI-ID: 512222489

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: geodezija, monitoring rudnika, daljinsko zaznavanje, diferencialna radarska interferometrija (DINSAR), globalni navigacijski satelitski sistem (GNSS), brezpilotna letala (UAV), satelitska fotogrametrija

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 101091616
• Name: SECURE AND SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY OF RAW MATERIALS FOR EU INDUSTRY
• Acronym: S34I