3D model of the quarry, created by use of laser scanningIn 2013, Trimetari Consulting LLC in collaboration with The Institute of Mining of the Russian Academy of Science performed surveying of one of the copper ore quarries of UMMC in order to develop a methodology for monitoring geomechanical processes in the open-pit sides. The quarry is located in the Middle Urals, Russia.

  The reconnaissance of the career 1000 m long, 600 m wide and 150 m deep was made in order to identify the best locations for the 3D laser scanner stations, as well as their quantity, necessary to bring together all the results of laser scanning into a single coordinate system and obtain a single 3D-model of the open excavation.

3D laser scanning of the open-pitThe field work was carried out by Leica Geosystems laser scanner HDS8800. The device has a range up to 2 km, which is sufficient for scanning large quarries. The ingress protection IP65 and a wide operating temperature range (from -40 to +50 degrees C) make it possible to work in the harsh conditions of the Russian climate. Moreover, special targets and reflectors are not required for the implementation of georeferencing data, which speeds up and simplifies the fieldwork.

For georeferencing of laser scanning data GPS surveying of geodetic network, located in the project area, was performed. Altogether surveying of the whole open-pit with the total area of 54 hectares from 7 stations of the laser scanner took one day of field work.

Point cloud of the open cast, taken from one station of laser scannerA known point of standing and orientation of the device to a known point (a “known station” method) was used to merge the data into a single coordinates system. The scanner was installed and oriented on the points of geodetic network with known GPS-coordinates.

The office processing of the results consisted in georeferencing of the data according to the GPS-coordinates. The result of the processing is an array of spatial data in the form of XYZ coordinates (a point cloud). The point cloud is an exact digital copy of the real quarry at the day of the survey. It can be used to solve various surveying tasks: to make large-scale topographic maps, to calculate the volume of excavated rock, to build slices, and to define breaklines.

3D laser scanner Leica HDS8800 is working on the copper ore quarry in The Middle Urals, RussiaThe 3D documentation, created by the experts of Trimetari Consulting LLC is suitable for the solution of geomechanical problems in the management of open pit mining, as well as for planning of overburden and mining operations and other industrial applications. Trimetari Consulting LLC is a provider of laser scanning services, including renting of laser scanners in Russia and the CIS countries. Various 3D laser scanners are available for hire on a daily and weekly basis.