Implementation and Integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Technology in Open-Pit and Underground Mining Operations: A Comprehensive Analysis of Current Applications …

Digital photogrammetry has emerged as a prevalent, widely adopted, and popular technique for mapping and modeling geological features, as well as for the characterization of rock masses in mining operations. Despite the utilization of ground-based photogrammetry methods, the persistent challenge of capturing geological and structural data in remote mining regions remains, leading to incomplete geotechnical models of mines and geomechanical mining databases. The lack of comprehensive data acquisition in inaccessible areas can have significant consequences, such as the potential for major collapses in massive underground excavations, including extraction stopes.The kinematic analysis of a region's discontinuities can serve as a valuable tool for predicting potential failures by addressing the gaps in geotechnical data acquisition in inaccessible areas. The practical implementation and ease of use of …