ToolFusion
πŸ“‹ Case Study

Gold Mine Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) Settlement Monitoring

Regulatory requirement for monthly 1 cm vertical accuracy settlement reporting; traditional水准 (leveling) limited to 12 benchmarks per month

πŸ—οΈ Project Overview

Granny Smith Mine, Western Australia

🎯 Challenge

Regulatory requirement for monthly 1 cm vertical accuracy settlement reporting; traditional水准 (leveling) limited to 12 benchmarks per month

πŸ”§ Design Approach

Monthly dual-frequency GNSS-aided photogrammetric survey using fixed-wing eBee Agri; orthomosaic + DSM generation with GCP-less bundle adjustment validated via 8 permanent CORS stations

πŸ“ Design Diagram

TSF Settlement Monitoring SystemCORS Stations (n=8)eBee Agri UAVDual-Freq GNSS + RGBOrthomosaic + DSMGCP-less Bundle AdjustmentVertical RMSE = 0.8 cm (vs CORS)Settlement Rate = 3.4 cm/yrMonthly Survey CycleChallenge:1 cm accuracy requiredLeveling: ≀12 BMs/month

AI-generated project design illustration

πŸ“ Key Calculations

Vertical RMSE (vs CORS)

Οƒ_z = √(Ξ£(z_drone βˆ’ z_cors)Β² / n)
Result: 0.8 cm
Meets WA DMP TSF Standard 2.1

Settlement Rate

Ξ”z / Ξ”t (cm/yr)
Result: 3.4 cm/yr
Within acceptable range but requires trend analysis

πŸ“Š Results

Achieved full TSF coverage (280 ha) in single 45-min flight; delivered auditable PDF reports with embedded geotiffs and metadata logs to regulators within 24 hrs

πŸ’‘ Lessons Learned

  • β€’Fixed-wing drones outperformed multirotors for large-area TSFs due to endurance and wind stability
  • β€’Embedded EXIF metadata + SHA-256 hash ensured evidentiary integrity for audits

βœ… Key Takeaways

  • 1Fixed-wing drones outperformed multirotors for large-area TSFs due to endurance and wind stability
  • 2Embedded EXIF metadata + SHA-256 hash ensured evidentiary integrity for audits