Remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or,
colloquially, drones, are making strong inroads into the mining sector.
A bird’s-eye view
By Robyn Grimsley
Drones have evolved from exclusive military use to a flexible, cost-effective tool in a variety of roles,
with applications in the geological and mining industries that have taken off in recent years. A recent
PwC report on the application of drone-powered solutions values the addressable market value thereof
at over USD127-billion.
R
emotely-piloted aircraft
systems (RPAS), also known
as unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) or, colloquially, drones,
are making strong inroads into the mining
sector. The ability of drones to achieve
a bird’s-eye view of a site makes them
uniquely suited to aerial mapping and
scoping. Equipping the drones with suitable
technology allows them to render terrain
12 _ QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER 2017
overviews accurately, even for hazardous
or inaccessible terrain, and to transfer this
data (including images) to operators for
use in planning and tracking progress. All
of this can be done in a matter of minutes,
compared to the painstaking, time-
consuming, and often costly alternatives.
Since drones are still considered to be a
relatively new technology, many countries
have legislative barriers against the use of
drone-based solutions. PwC’s Clarity from
above report examines the commercial
applications of drone technology across
industry sectors, including the broader
applications for business, such as in the
ability to capture unprecedented levels
of data. The report points out that South
Africa’s legislative framework is considered
advanced in that it makes provision for the
commercial use of drone-powered solutions,