From helping farmers increase crop yields to assisting in disaster response, the images and data collected from space play an important role in many industries.

One of the industries that has benefited most from the increased availability of satellite imagery—and other types of Earth observation (EO) data—is mining.

The mining industry has made significant advancements in recent years by using satellite imagery for various purposes, such as site monitoring, survey planning, resource exploration, and environmental monitoring.

Here are five ways Earth observation data can improve operations and spur innovation in the mining industry.

Resource exploration

One of the most common applications of satellite imagery in the mining industry is identifying potential areas for resource exploration and mapping the distribution of minerals and other resources within a region.

Resource exploration is done by looking for specific geological features that are known to be associated with particular mineral deposits. For example, certain rock formations often indicate the presence of gold deposits, while others may be more likely to contain iron ore.

By using satellite images to identify these geological features, mine operators can target their exploration activities more efficiently, saving time and money. Satellite imagery also allows geospatial analysts to map the region’s distribution of minerals and other resources. By combining satellite images with other data sources, such as geological surveys, mining companies can better understand a given area’s composition, identify potential areas of interest for exploration or extraction, and optimize their operations by understanding which areas may be already heavily exploited by other operators.

Site mapping

Combine satellite imagery with geospatial applications, such as ArcGIS, to create detailed maps of mining sites, highlighting topography and the location of infrastructure, such as roads and buildings.

Satellite imagery can also be used to identify potential future issues with the proposed site. Mining operators might want to review historical imagery to see how the site has changed over time, and extrapolate these patterns into the future, to identify potential issues, such as topographical shifts that could affect the integrity of the mine structure.

Environmental monitoring

Satellite imagery is an essential tool for monitoring the environmental impacts of mining and managing reclamation efforts.

The use of satellite imagery to monitor environmental impacts associated with the mining industry has increased in recent years, partly because large land areas can be imaged at high resolution at a relatively low cost. There are several ways satellite imagery can be used to monitor the environmental impacts associated with mining, such as assessing the extent of vegetation loss or changes in land use.

Satellite images can also be used to identify sources of pollution, such as acid mine drainage, and track the spread of contamination.

In addition to monitoring environmental impacts, satellite imagery can support reclamation efforts. For example, before and after images can be used to monitor the success of revegetation projects. Satellite images can also assess the long-term stability of mine tailings dams. This information from satellite imagery can be used to improve the sustainability of mining operations and ensure that any negative impacts on the environment are minimized.

Safety monitoring

The mining industry also uses satellite imagery to monitor sites for safety hazards and identify potential risks before they become critical safety issues.

Satellite images can be used to monitor mining sites for various safety hazards. For example, images can be used to identify unstable slopes, which may threaten the integrity of the mine, or the presence of toxic substances. In addition, satellite data can be used to track the progress of safety remediation efforts over time.

Satellite imagery is an essential tool for keeping mine workers and communities safe. By monitoring mining sites for potential hazards, we can take steps to prevent accidents and protect both mining employees and those in surrounding areas from harm.

Production monitoring and forecasting

Satellite imagery can be used to track the progress of mining operations and provide critical insights into production to inform subsequent steps in the supply chain.

For example, operators can use satellite imagery to monitor the day-to-day progress of the mine and track the movement of equipment and activity to improve efficiency and optimize production.

Satellite imagery and data can also be used to monitor the volume of minerals extracted, help operators forecast when sites need to be closed, and plan remediation efforts.

Conclusion

Satellite imagery has become an invaluable resource for the mining industry. It can inform various processes, from identifying mineral deposits to optimizing site operations and planning land reclamation efforts. This technology has revolutionized the way mines are managed and operated.

As satellite imaging evolves, it will become even more helpful in supporting all aspects of the mining industry. By using satellite imagery for resource exploration, survey planning, site mapping, and environmental monitoring, mining companies can better understand the geography of a region and plan and optimize their operations.

Perhaps even most importantly, satellite imagery can be used to monitor safety hazards, and ensure the safety of workers and those in surrounding areas.

In conclusion, satellite imagery is a powerful tool for the mining industry. It can map out potential exploration sites, detect the environmental effects of operations, and monitor land usage changes. By using cutting-edge technology like this, companies in the mining sector can ensure safe and efficient operations that avoid unnecessary risks, while conserving resources.

As new technologies arise, it will be interesting to see how they can further improve our understanding of resource extraction processes and enable more sustainable practices within this important industry.

Let’s explore how satellite imagery is used in a utility use case.

The goal of using satellite imagery in the utility industry is to help monitor assets, vegetation, and third-party interference. Satellite data is a hands-off and detailed method to streamline compliance efforts. 

Traditionally, monitoring assets means sending employees to various locations and inspecting sites for quality checks. Continuous monitoring with satellite imagery can limit physical visits, saving the employer time and resources. With medium, high and very high resolution data, organizations can detect a change in an area of interest (AOI) and use AI methods, like tip and cue, to take a closer look at the problem before taking action. 

Here are two practical examples of how companies in the utility industry can use satellite imagery.

Electricity 

Wires and transformers are vulnerable to third-party interference and can impact their environment if broken or tampered with. 

With satellite imagery and a tip and cue method, organizations can continuously monitor vegetation and right-of-ways with free low-resolution imagery. For example, when vegetation height or extent exceeds a threshold value, the maintenance/forestry group will be notified of the problem area. From there, they can cue up high-resolution imagery to get a better idea of what is happening and then decide if it is worth sending out arborists. If arborists are needed to visit a site, they will know exactly where to go and how large of an area they will need to work with. This allows utility operators to be more effective with their workforce and proactive with their right-of-way management.  By decreasing the possibility of encroaching vegetation altogether, operators will lessen the likelihood of a power outage, avoiding operational and financial implications. 

Monitoring vegetation growth can help electric companies reduce risk by helping them stay on top of maintenance and avoid outages or, worse, wildfires. Using recent imagery can optimize operations. It will help establish where, when and how often vegetation needs to be trimmed back and identify third-party interference without in-person monitoring—saving power producers more time and money. while also increasing their reputation and reliability with clients. 

Aside from the savings, consistent satellite monitoring increases reliability with clients. Reliability is key for most utility companies, building your reputation as efficient and trustworthy.

Using satellite imagery to monitor other mechanisms, such as solar panels, explore similar themes:

1. Identify all the objects in an AOI you are looking to monitor
2. Measuring its environment to detect changes 
3. Take action quickly when changes are detected

Why not just send someone out to check on these assets in person?

Using satellite imagery over employees to monitor physical spaces reduces risks and costs for the employer. The ability to visit grounds that you know need attention will save costs to get equipment and people out on the field. 

Oil & Gas

Underground utilities such as water, oil, and gas often use mapping for underground lines and supportive structures. Satellite data is a cost-effective and detailed method of mapping. Many specialists will use satellite imagery of the desired AOI to map the site and then shift to monitoring practices to monitor the land during construction. If any unplanned changes happen during construction, they can be addressed before further damage is done. 

Beyond third-party interference or vegetation, monitoring oil and gas sites can also support compliance efforts.

In many industries, oil and gas companies must meet industry safety standards. Remote sensing provides visual proof of compliance efforts and allows the team to take action quickly in the event of a spill. 

Monitoring pipelines for spills or leaks can help organizations stay ahead of disasters and protect the environment. 

Remote sensing data for the oil and gas industries support:

1. Mapping the area for construction to ensure a project is not disrupting a vulnerable environment 
2. Monitoring pipelines for spills or incidents to take action quickly
3. Easy and visual reporting structures for compliance

For other ideas, read our article The potential for Earth Observation to reduce risk in the Oil & Gas industry.

These are just a few examples of how to use remote sensing data in the Utility Industry. 

If you’re interested in exploring the world of satellite data, please chat with us.

Commercial Real Estate Investments

Commercial real estate developers are looking at long time horizons. They’re developing buildings that are going to be only in place in a few years, if not decades and hypothetically operational for decades to come.

You’re looking at a property to ultimately build something on, and you want to make sure it’s going to be around for the next few decades.

For example, if you are trying to build a commercial real estate development on Miami Beach, how do you know that Miami Beach coastline will be the same in 10 years time as it is today?

As a commercial real estate developer, you’d want to know that your facility is safe for the next X number of years.

If you look at something like coastal erosion, which is easily able to be monitored via satellite imagery, you could be able to get a good sense as to what your location will look like in 5, 10, 20 years time.

We have many customers monitoring coastal erosion across the globe to understand the impact of climate change and ultimately, from a commercial real estate developers perspective how it would affect their bottom line.

The investment community is always looking for a competitive edge and satellite imagery can actually offer that in space.

Lumber Production, Livestock Tracking and Electric Vehicles

One of the most interesting applications is in something like lumber where you would be able to track specific lumber production across various mills in North America.

We saw this be particularly apparent in 2021 with the influx of lumber pricing and we actually had a lot of customers coming onto the platform for that specific use case

These types of use cases are able to give investors a competitive edge when they’re looking at public markets.

Electric vehicle production is another interesting use case where people can see the week by week progression on, say, Tesla factories producing Tesla vehicles.

What this gives a sense of is the downstream implications for that production and how that would influence something like Tesla stock price.

Satellite imagery can be used to track a wide range of commodities and production facilities.

Global Supply Chain Monitoring

Another area being disrupted by satellite imagery is the global supply chain.

What we can do with satellite imagery is monitor each individual part of the supply chain and better understand how it’s functioning.

As an example in 2021 there was a significant number of ships outside Long Beach port.

We had an influx of customers asking for data to count the ships to understand how many ships are there, trying to get access to trucks and offload their goods.

These are just a few of the examples of how customers are leveraging observation data.

There is an infinite number of possibilities, and ultimately, what we want to enable here at SkyWatch is for you to look at the Earth a little bit differently from space.

Managing Critical Infrastructure In Oil and Gas

Oil and Gas is an industry where old practices are used for a long period of time and new technologies can be difficult to be introduced.

However, satellite imagery is one of those technologies being introduced into the Oil and Gas industry and changing how operations are being done on a day to day basis.

What we see is critical infrastructure like well pads or pipelines can be monitored using earth observation data in a much more scalable and repeatable way than using other items like drones or helicopters.

Pipeline Monitoring

Where satellite imagery really is useful is by using a wide range of resolutions to ultimately solve a business problem.

As an example, you could use low resolution data to see some macro changes on a pipeline.

You might see those changes, be perhaps worried about something occurring, maybe vegetation encroachment.

Then you would taska high resolution satellite to go capture imagery over that pipeline. That then allows you to see in depth what is actually going on.

Then, if you need to stage an intervention, you know exactly what needs to be done, and can be fully prepared for that in advance of deploying people.

The Human Impact Of Satellite Imagery

This satellite imagery is impactful on both the business’s bottom line, but also on the human component, ensuring that humans who are going off into sites are not putting themselves at risk.

This is referred to as “third party interference” – when a third party may be interfering with the pipeline over a stretch of land.Pipeline operators need to know what’s going on and they can use satellite imagery across a range of resolutions to accomplish this.

They can use low resolution data to look at the entire pipeline, see any macro changes and then task, high resolution satellite data to see exactly what’s going on.

Then they can decide if a human team needs to be deployed.

Real Operational Impact

Oil and Gas operators have a lot of challenges on their day to day work flows.

Using satellite imagery means that they don’t have to use human resources for every application.

Oftentimes what will happen today in Oil and Gas operations is humans are sent to site, say to a well pad to do a visual inspection.

What that will entail is perhaps them taking a company truck, on a poorly maintained or maybe snowy road out to a rural site in say, Western Canada.

There is both a cost from a business perspective on sending a human out there, but also a safety cost where there could be issues in the actual operator getting out there to see if there’s a well pad issue.

 Both the human and the safety costs are where satellite imagery really shines.

5. Developing a New Font

Have you ever explored the world on Google Earth and stumbled upon something that looks like a letter of the English alphabet? This sparked MIT alumni Joey Lee and Benedikt Groß to develop a font only made up of vectors found in satellite imagery called Aerial Bold. As if this wasn’t ambitious enough, they don’t plan to stop there – they hope to create a searchable database of such letters using an algorithm. Consequently, the API for this searchable database could be accessed by other designers, allowing them to utilize any new discoveries when creating or modifying their own alphabets.

4. Taking a Sneak Peek at North Korea’s Elite Family Compounds

With a country so secretive, satellite imagery has offered outsiders an insight into the high living of North Korea’s premier family. East of Pyongyang stands Ryongsong Residence – the home of Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. This compound was built by his grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, in 1983 and is kitted out with amenities to rival any five-star complex -including an Olympic-sized pool with a waterslide, a man-made lake, stables for horse riding and, last but not least – its own railway line connecting it to Pyongyang. BBC sources inside North Korea have confirmed that this very residence served as the main home of Kim Jong-Il before his death in 2011. The images accessed through satellite allow onlookers to view the major gap between the elites and their general population. You can also see these epic snapshots on Google Maps (be aware that images of Kyongsong may be conspicuously blurred).

3. Becoming a Space Archaeologist

Sarah Parcak, the 2016 TED Prize winner, is trying to unearth the world’s hidden history using satellite imagery. Considering herself a space archaeologist, Parcak wants everyone to join her in this endeavour. Her goal is to rely on the public to study satellite photography and uncover clues that point to historical artifacts and activities. To do this, she has built Global Xplorer – a platform for amateur space archaeologists. Its imagery will encompass both the visible light spectrum and infrared spectra; users will be asked to look for vegetation changes that could indicate man-made structures underneath. Through Global Xplorer, Parcak seeks to revolutionize modern exploration – though her major ambition remains launching her archaeology-dedicated satellite – by creating a network of remote sensing analysts.

2. Responding to Refugee Crises

In 2014, South Sudan experienced its most severe food shortage on record, which led to a civil war and caused more than one million of its citizens to abandon their homes and seek refuge in refugee camps supported by international organizations such as the United Nations. The size of these settlements grew rapidly, raising the difficulty in preparing to supply necessary goods like food and shelter. Aerial imagery supplied by satellites proved extremely useful for this purpose but also gained utility in other ways: the UN could track human displacement and anticipate regions prone to future disputes. Earlier this year, satellite imaging played an essential role in tracing approximately 38,000 people from South Sudan during another conflict. The UN is prepared to provide immediate assistance upon arriving at a destination with the potential for another food crisis.

1. Tracking Down a Long-Lost Home

In 1986, Saroo Brierley, a 5-year-old, fell asleep while he was meant to meet his brother at a station. He woke hours later on a train, far from home and without any idea how to get back. Three weeks passed before he was taken in by an orphanage and eventually adopted by an Australian couple who raised him in Tasmania until he was 30. With only his parents’ names as clues, Brierley searched for his old home for many years. After analyzing thousands of bird’s eye photos of the area surrounding Calcutta, he finally identified the village of Khandwa thanks to a familiar waterfall he remembered from childhood. He immediately went there and met his mother soon afterwards – 25 years after his initial disappearance.

Since the first satellite photograph of Earth was taken more than half a century ago, satellite imagery has come a long way. As higher resolutions become available to the public, more opportunities for cool use cases open up. Let us know if you’re interested in using satellite imagery to solve a unique problem.