Perth, Western Australia-based company, Sandpit Innovation is to launch a new technology called mineRECON, which is a material reconciliation technology developed in conjunction with technology partner Lockheed Martin. It uses satellite imagery to measure stockpiles and provide rapid mining stockpile volume reports.

Currently, the mining sector mainly uses a combination of ground surveys and aerial fly overs, with the use of drones starting to emerge, to determine the volumes of mining stockpiles on a monthly or more frequent basis. mineRECON delivers a new level of speed and effectiveness to this traditional application and has the capability to redefine the process of material reconciliation as it provides large multispectral satellite images with numerous reporting formats available and the ability to capture multiple mine sites in a single image – ie a snapshot in time.

It also means the elimination of safety hazards through the removal of manual and aerial surveying methods and reduced cost when compared to current aerial surveying methods. It makes for rapid data capture and processing turnaround, using dvanced processing techniques to reproduce precise information. The final comprehensive reporting provides “trusted and reliable material volume reconciliations.”