The use of drones, officially referred to as Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS), has been forecasted to play a key role in the digitalization and further optimization of a variety of industries that utilize geomatics principles in their operations and management. For example, the aggregates mining and waste landfill industries rely heavily on volumetric calculations to monitor their stockpiles of materials. 

Digital Elevation Models (DEM) derived from RPAS data allows for the rapid calculations of volumes of materials which allows for more optimized/effective monitoring of stockpiles. Regular RPAS data collections allow for the creation of reports that monitor how much material is available in stockyards, how much material is going to processing, and how much needs to be excavated from the mine or ordered in the landfill. DEMs can also be used for calculating the volume of surfaces which can help monitor the remaining airspace in landfills which can provide insights on how to extend its lifespan.  

This two (2) hour hands-on workshop is intended for personnel in the aggregates mining and waste landfill who have beginner to intermediate experience in geomatics. We will discuss requirements needed to operate RPAS, how to plan a RPAS data collection to achieve high accuracy, how to process the data to create DEMs, and conduct volumetric calculations.