Volumetric Surveys & Safety Documentation for Mining & Aggregates
High-accuracy volumetric data and safety inspections for open-pit mines and quarry operations. Monthly drone surveys, haul road monitoring, slope stability.
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Send us the building location, approximate square footage and required deliverables. We'll review the scope and get back to you. Send us the building location, approximate square footage and required deliverables. We'll review the scope and get back to you.
Mining and aggregate operations measure success in tonnes, and every operational decision, from reserve planning to reconciling a shipment invoice, depends on volumetric data that is accurate and repeatable month over month. A stockpile estimate that is off by a few percentage points compounds into a real financial discrepancy across a full production year.
DCMS runs drone LiDAR and photogrammetry surveys for open-pit mines and quarry operations, delivering stockpile volumetrics, haul road condition monitoring and slope stability data on a recurring schedule that matches how the site actually operates.
This page covers how we run recurring volumetric surveys, what goes into a slope stability monitoring program, and how reclamation documentation fits into a mine's regulatory obligations.
Stockpile volumetric reporting
Stockpile volume drives inventory accounting, shipment reconciliation and production reporting, and manual estimation methods carry error margins that are difficult to justify at scale. Drone LiDAR captures the full stockpile geometry in a single flight, producing a volume calculation traceable to a specific date and flight.
We run these surveys on a recurring schedule (commonly monthly) so operations and finance teams get month-over-month volume deltas rather than a single point-in-time snapshot.
- Drone LiDAR (DJI M300 RTK with L1 payload) for repeatable, high-density stockpile capture
- Volume reports delivered within 48 hours of flight
- Month-over-month reconciliation against production and shipment records
Haul road and slope monitoring
Haul road condition and pit slope stability directly affect site safety, and both change continuously as an operation progresses. Repeated LiDAR surveys let a site geotechnical team track slope movement and haul road deformation over time, catching early signs of instability before they become safety incidents.
We deliver elevation change maps and movement vectors comparing successive surveys, formatted for direct use by a site's geotechnical engineer.
Reserve estimation support
Accurate topographic data feeds directly into reserve estimation models. Our surveys provide the up-to-date terrain surface a mining engineer needs to reconcile modelled reserves against as-mined conditions, supporting both internal planning and external reporting requirements.
Reclamation and closure documentation
Mine closure and reclamation plans typically require documented evidence of site conditions at defined milestones, both for regulatory submission and for tracking progress against a reclamation bond. We provide baseline and progress surveys formatted to match what regulators expect for closure reporting.
Site access and safety coordination
Active mine and quarry sites have their own safety protocols, exclusion zones and blast schedules. We coordinate flight windows with site operations to avoid active blasting, equipment movement and shift changes, and our pilots hold the certifications required to operate near active industrial sites.
Typical scope & deliverables
What a standard engagement in this industry usually includes.
| Deliverable | Typical use | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Stockpile volumetric report | Inventory and shipment reconciliation | PDF report + point cloud |
| Haul road condition map | Safety monitoring, maintenance planning | PDF / GIS |
| Slope stability movement report | Geotechnical monitoring | PDF, comparative deltas |
| Reserve estimation surface | Mine planning | DWG / DXF surface |
| Reclamation baseline/progress survey | Regulatory closure reporting | PDF report |
| Site-wide orthomosaic | Production planning, visual reference | GeoTIFF |
What goes wrong without accurate as-builts
Volumetric error compounds quickly in a production environment. A stockpile miscalculation carries through inventory accounting for a full reporting period, and a missed sign of slope movement can escalate from a maintenance issue to a safety incident.
Sites relying on infrequent or manually estimated surveys typically discover the cost of that gap during an audit, an incident investigation, or a reserve reconciliation that does not match production records.
- ▸Inventory discrepancies when stockpile volumes are estimated rather than measured
- ▸Missed early warning signs of slope instability, increasing safety risk
- ▸Haul road deterioration going unaddressed until it affects equipment or safety
- ▸Reserve estimation errors that affect financial reporting and mine planning
- ▸Regulatory non-compliance when reclamation progress is not documented to the expected standard
- ▸Site area coverage and survey frequency (monthly recurring vs. single capture)
- ▸Number of stockpiles and complexity of pit geometry
- ▸Whether slope stability monitoring requires repeat comparative analysis
- ▸Site access constraints and coordination with active blasting or equipment schedules
- ▸Reserve estimation and reclamation reporting scope
- ▸Drone vs. combined drone/terrestrial capture depending on required accuracy
Reference ranges: scan-to-DWG $0.35–$0.85/sq ft, LOD 300 Revit $0.90–$1.80/sq ft, digital twin build $1.50–$4.00/sq ft. Final pricing depends on the drivers above.
- 01Site coordination to confirm survey frequency, exclusion zones and flight windows
- 02Drone LiDAR or photogrammetry flight, timed around active operations
- 03Data processing and volumetric or comparative analysis
- 04Report delivery, typically within 48 hours of flight
- 05Ongoing recurring survey schedule with month-over-month reconciliation
Related services and service areas
These pages cover the delivery details and Montréal-area logistics behind this industry work.
Frequently asked questions
How often do you recommend surveying an active quarry?+
Monthly is the most common cadence for stockpile and inventory reconciliation, though some operations run bi-weekly during peak production periods.
How fast do we get volumetric results after a flight?+
Standard delivery is within 48 hours of the flight for stockpile volume reports.
Can you monitor slope stability over time?+
Yes. We run repeat surveys and produce elevation change maps and movement vectors that a geotechnical engineer can use to track slope performance.
How accurate are drone-based volumetric calculations?+
Typical volume accuracy is within ±1.2% year over year when surveys are flown consistently with the same control points.
Can you fly during active blasting operations?+
No, we coordinate flight windows around blast schedules and other active operations to keep crews and equipment safe.
Do you support reclamation and closure reporting?+
Yes. We provide baseline and progress surveys formatted for the documentation regulators typically require at reclamation milestones.
Get a Quote for Your Project
Send us the building location, approximate square footage and required deliverables. We'll review the scope and get back to you. Send us the building location, approximate square footage and required deliverables. We'll review the scope and get back to you.