Drone-Based Identification of Erosive Processes in Open-Pit Mining Restored Areas

Joan-Cristian Padró, Johnsson Cardozo, Pau Montero, Roger Ruiz-Carulla, Josep Maria Alcañiz, Dèlia Serra and Vicenç Carabassa
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Joan-Cristian Padró: Grumets Research Group, Departament de Geografia, Edifici B, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Johnsson Cardozo: Grumets Research Group, Departament de Geografia, Edifici B, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Pau Montero: Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Roger Ruiz-Carulla: Division of Geotechnical Engineering and Geosciences, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, E08034 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Josep Maria Alcañiz: Grumets Research Group, Departament de Geografia, Edifici B, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain
Dèlia Serra: RPAS Unit, Aerial Support Service, Rural Agents Corp Government of Catalonia, E08130 Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, Catalonia, Spain
Vicenç Carabassa: Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), E08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), Catalonia, Spain

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: Unmanned Aerial Systems, or drones, are very helpful tools for managing open-pit mining operations and developing ecological restoration activities. This article presents a method for identifying water erosion processes in active quarries by means of drone imagery remote sensing, in the absence of pre-existing imagery or mapping for comparison. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) with a spatial resolution (SR) >10 cm and an orthophoto with an SR >2.5 cm were generated from images captured with a drone and their subsequent photogrammetric processing. By using Geographical Information Systems tools to process the DEM, a detailed drainage network was obtained, the areas of detected water erosion were separated, and the watersheds in the gullies identified. Subsequently, an estimated DEM before the erosive processes was reconstructed by interpolating the gully ridges; this DEM serves as a reference for the relief before the erosion. To calculate the volume of eroded material, the DEM of Differences was calculated, which estimates the volume difference between the previously estimated DEM and the current DEM. Additionally, we calculated the material necessary for the geomorphological adaptation of the quarry and the slope map, which are two valuable factors closely related to the monitoring of erosive processes. The results obtained allowed us to identify the erosion factors quickly and accurately in this type of mining. In the case of water-filled quarries, it would be important to characterize the subsurface relief. Essentially, the presented method can be applied with affordable and non-invasive materials to create digital grid maps at 10 cm resolution, obtaining data ready for 3D metrics, being a very practical landscape modelling tool for characterizing the restoration evolution of open-pit mining spaces.

Keywords: UAS; Unmanned Aerial Systems; mining; restoration; erosion; digital terrain models; GIS tools (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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