Around the world, geospatial technologies are being applied in creative and unexpected ways to solve complex problems. This session highlights real-world case studies that push the boundaries of what’s possible—whether through mapping in extreme environments, deploying sensors in remote regions, or integrating advanced analytics to overcome data and logistical challenges. Attendees will gain insight into how innovators are adapting geospatial tools to meet unique demands, deliver actionable intelligence, and drive progress in some of the world’s most challenging conditions.
The following presentations will be shared in this session:
Launch Your Manufacturing Digital Twin With Reality Capture
Presented by Brian Carovillano, Kinetic Vision
In this session, you’ll discover how to accelerate the rollout of fully operational digital twins across your manufacturing sites—without costly downtime or months of surveying. We’ll begin by framing the business impact of a live digital twin—live dashboards that centralize process data, expose bottlenecks, and unlock AI-driven insights to boost overall equipment effectiveness. Then, we’ll demonstrate a reality-capture workflow using mobile SLAM lidar and photogrammetry to scan an entire plant in just 1–2 days at 5 mm accuracy. You’ll see how AI-powered pipelines automatically clean, register, and semantically enrich point clouds into photorealistic 3D models—ready for virtual tours, layout planning, and immersive training. Finally, we’ll show you how to feed live telemetry and synthetic data into an AI-enhanced simulation engine, enabling continuous “what-if” testing to drive down downtime, cost, and risk while fine-tuning system performance.
Harnessing Innovative Remote Sensing Technology (Drones, Lidar and Thermal Imagery) for Mine Site Reconnaissance in Challenging Environments
Presented by Sarah Ostertag, Ramboll
This presentation highlights the innovative application of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS or drones) equipped with true-color (RGB), light-detection and ranging (lidar), and thermal sensors for aerial inspection and reconnaissance at a decommissioned mine site characterized by steep terrain, lack of cell coverage, and complex health and safety challenges. The challenging environment demanded meticulous planning, including overnight camping for personnel and thorough safety protocols. Utilizing drones such as the DJI Matrice 300 with Zenmuse P1, L1, and H20T payloads, operated by FAA-certified remote pilots and trained visual observers, this project aimed to create high-resolution basemaps, 3D building models, and perform site reconnaissance to identify potential mine openings. Flight operations resulted in over 250 gigabytes (GB) of raw data processed into detailed basemaps with a resolution of approximately 0.3 inches per pixel. Thermal sensors were deployed during exploratory nightime missions to detect temperature anomalies (e.g., subsurface airflow, surface drainage) indicative of potential mine openings. Oblique imagery, ultra-high-resolution inspection photos, and 360-degree panoramas provided additional documentation in inaccessible regions of the site, and lidar further enhanced spatial accuracy for structural assessments in areas impacted by previous fire events. Data was served in an interactive online portal, Drone Deploy, in addition to various Esri ArcGIS platforms, to facilitate ongoing client interaction. This study underscores the efficacy of sUAS in overcoming environmental and logistical obstacles to achieve detailed documentation for remote project sites.
The Intelligent Mine: How Multispectral Lidar is Shaping the Future of Digital Mining
Presented by Arthur Heitmann, Iridesense
This presentation will provide a deep dive into the transformative impact of advanced lidar and multispectral lidar technologies on the mining industry. We will move beyond traditional survey-grade lidar to explore how the integration of multiple spectral bands is creating unprecedented opportunities for geological analysis, environmental monitoring, operational efficiency and 3D mapping.
The session will demonstrate how this next-generation sensing technology enables real-time material differentiation, ore-grade estimation, and tailings dam monitoring with unparalleled accuracy. We will discuss the technological advancements that allow for the deployment of these systems on terrestrial, mobile, and aerial platforms, providing a holistic and dynamic view of the entire mine site. By focusing on the data and its applications, we will illustrate how multispectral lidar is not just an incremental improvement but a paradigm shift, enabling safer, more productive, and more sustainable mining operations for the 21st century.
