This session showcases practical applications of geospatial technologies for infrastructure management, environmental monitoring, shoreline assessment, and cultural resource documentation. Case studies demonstrate how remote sensing, UAV mapping, GIS integration, geodetic frameworks, and historical imagery are improving decision-making and operational efficiency across diverse sectors.
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM
High-Resolution Hyperspectral Workflows for Rare Earth Elements – Practical Applications for SWIR/Thermal Fusion
Presented by Steve du Plessis, ITRES – a Hexagon Company
Nighttime and low‑light hyperspectral and thermal imaging are rapidly becoming powerful complements to traditional daytime mineral‑mapping workflows. Reduced solar clutter and stronger emissivity‑driven contrast at night reveal geologic, environmental, and operational features that are often obscured during daytime acquisitions. This presentation introduces key phenomenology from thermal and SWIR airborne systems, demonstrating how nighttime conditions enhance anomaly detection, improve material discrimination, and support mine‑site monitoring and rare earth element exploration. Through practical case examples, attendees will learn how thermal–SWIR fusion strengthens geologic interpretation. The session also covers mission‑planning considerations and real‑world applications, offering a clear understanding of the operational value of Thermal-SWIR fusion for REE exploration.
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM
Beyond Grayscale Reality Capture: Real-Time 3D Chemical Mapping and Autonomous Grade Control in Large-Scale Quarries
Presented by Arthur Heitmann, IRIDESENSE
Traditional reality capture in mining and industrial mineral extraction has mastered geometric mapping but remains compositionally blind. While a standard monochrome lidar can capture high-density 3D topography or stockpile volumes down to the centimeter, it cannot differentiate between high-grade ore and dilutive waste rock at the loading face. Consequently, operations rely on static geological block models or delayed laboratory assays, leading to unplanned ore dilution, massive haulage inefficiencies, and catastrophic energy waste in downstream processing.
This presentation introduces a paradigm shift in industrial perception: the integration of Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) multi-wavelength spectroscopy with active 3D time-of-flight mapping. By utilizing an active polarimetric multispectral lidar system operating within the 1400–1700 nm window, practitioners can now capture georeferenced spatial point clouds where each individual point is natively enriched with its exact chemical signature.
Anchored in a real-world case study from large-scale limestone and dolomite quarry operations (referencing field trials conducted at Carmeuse quarry facilities), this session will deconstruct the end-to-end workflow of shovel-mounted and mobile multispectral perception. We will explain how measuring the Degree of Linear Polarization (DoLP) of the backscattered laser echo isolates a material’s true chemical fingerprint from the extreme physical surface roughness of blasted muckpiles. This allows for the real-time, instantaneous (under 100 milliseconds) identification of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) grades and the mapping of hidden silica (SiO2), alumina, and clay inclusions directly during extraction.
Furthermore, we will demonstrate the profound operational and thermodynamic leverage of “sorting at the face.” By preventing high-silica and moisture-loaded clay impurities from entering industrial calciners, operations can eliminate the vitrification/sintering effect that forms glassy, non-porous coatings on rock pebbles—a phenomenon that traps CO2 gas, forces extended residence times, and triggers massive fuel waste. Stabilizing the feed chemical composition unlocks a 5% to 8% reduction in natural gas consumption in lime kilns.
Finally, the session will showcase how this active vision layer interfaces with modern digital infrastructure. We will explore its integration with autonomous haulage fleets via networks like Cat MineStar Command, where bucket-level chemical classifications are transmitted over private LTE to dynamically update a rigid dump truck’s routing path before it leaves the pocket. This closed-loop system removes human misclassification errors, reduces waste handling, and provides the quantitative ground-truth data required to substantiate corporate ESG goals and maximize carbon-capture (CCUS) flue-gas efficiency. Attendees will leave with a clear roadmap for transitioning from passive visual surveying to actionable material intelligence.
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM
Drone-Based Gravity Sensing: The Subsurface Revolution Has Taken Off
Presented by Alex Friend, GravTech Solutions
Traditional gravity surveys — the gold standard for subsurface mapping — have been locked behind the cost and complexity of manned aircraft, ships, and large ground crews. Until now.
GravTech Solutions, a UK based start up, has miniaturised gravity sensor technology and put it on a drone. The result is Continuous Gravity Gradiometry (CG3) delivered at scale: subsurface mapping with a fater access of subsurface insights, at a higher resolution, with lower cost, and deployable anywhere — including terrain that was previously impossible to survey.
In this session, GravTech CEO Alex Friend will explain how the technology works, show real data outputs, and explore what drone-based gravity sensing means for infrastructure planning, mining, utilities, and environmental monitoring and more.
4:15 PM – 4:30 PM
Beyond the Shoreline: Advancing Photogrammetric Digital Reconstructions into Deepwater Environments
Presented by Ryan Fochs, Oceaneering
Digital reconstructions have become a cornerstone of modern geospatial workflows, transforming inspection, monitoring, and management of infrastructure across terrestrial environments. However, extending these capabilities into deepwater environments presents unique challenges, including GNSS-denied operations, limited and variable visibility, and artificial illumination, all while still requiring survey-grade measurement accuracy. This is particularly relevant today as industries face aging offshore infrastructure, increasing demand for remote inspection, and continued growth in subsea asset management.
This presentation explores the development of metrology-grade photogrammetric digital reconstructions for subsea infrastructure. Drawing from deepwater inspection and survey applications, the discussion examines how image-based reconstruction techniques can be applied within underwater environments where traditional positioning methods are unavailable or significantly constrained. Emphasis is placed on transforming large image datasets into actionable digital representations that support dimensional inspection, asset integrity assessment, change detection, condition monitoring, and long-term lifecycle management.
As offshore industries increasingly adopt data-driven decision-making frameworks, metrology-grade subsea digital reconstructions are emerging as a powerful bridge between traditional survey deliverables and immersive geospatial intelligence. This presentation highlights opportunities to extend reality capture technologies, and subsea photogrammetry in particular, beyond the shoreline and beneath the waves, enabling accurate, measurable, and defensible digital representations of critical infrastructure in some of the world’s most challenging environments.
