Applications | Hyperspectral Mine Restoration Monitoring

The requirements for green mine construction are shifting from point-based remediation toward region-wide, full-lifecycle refined supervision. The Mineral Resources Law of the People’s Republic of China specifically establishes a section on “mine area ecological restoration.” The Ministry of Natural Resources and the State Administration for Market Regulation have jointly issued the Green Mine Construction Specifications series of national standards, setting requirements across six areas: resource extraction, comprehensive resource utilization, green and low-carbon operations, ecological restoration, scientific and technological innovation and standardized management, and mine area environment.

In implementation, policy focuses on three questions: whether the restoration timetable can be fulfilled, whether the restoration process is recorded, and whether restoration results can pass acceptance.

Optosky’s approach combines UAV-borne hyperspectral imaging, ground rotating-scan hyperspectral imaging, and portable field spectroradiometers into an air–ground collaborative mine ecological restoration monitoring solution—giving reclamation results data, maps, and records.

01  What Mine Ecological Restoration Monitoring Needs to Examine

The ecological restoration outcomes assessed in green mine evaluation mainly focus on four categories:

• Vegetation: coverage, growth grading, chlorophyll and moisture status

• Soil: moisture content, salinization degree, organic matter and fertility

• Surface materials: weathered and altered minerals, water-bearing and hydroxyl-bearing minerals

• Water environment (optional): chlorophyll, turbidity, and other indicators of mine water bodies, used to investigate water environment risks around reclamation areas and tailings ponds

02  Why Use Hyperspectral Imaging?

Hyperspectral imaging generates a continuous spectral curve for each pixel, achieving “spectrum–image integration”: leaf water deficiency, soil salinization, and mineral weathering all leave characteristic absorptions on the spectral curve. Early changes not yet visible to the naked eye can be detected first in the spectrum.

In the shortwave infrared region, the combination and overtone frequencies are close to those of chemical bond vibrations in mineral crystal lattices. This allows observation of water-bearing or OH⁻-bearing minerals (mainly layered silicates and clays), as well as some sulfate and carbonate minerals. This is also why hyperspectral imaging is widely used in geological mapping, delineation of hydrothermal alteration zones, and identification of mineralization anomalies.

More importantly, the data are comparable: regular monitoring at the same location with the same calibration workflow, overlaying two-phase imagery, can reveal changes in vegetation coverage, saline patches, and other surface features in reclamation areas.

03  Air–Ground Collaboration

Air – large-area reconnaissance: Optosky ATH9010SL UAV hyperspectral imaging system (400–1000 nm, spectral resolution better than 1.3 nm), suitable for rapid full-area imaging of mining areas, spoil grounds, and reclamation areas.

Ground – fixed-point continuous monitoring: Optosky ATH3010 rotating-scan hyperspectral imager can automatically scan a target over long periods. The online ATH3010OL can rotate 360°, preset multiple scanning positions, and features an automatic wiper and heated defrost. After pole mounting, it can operate unattended continuously.

Calibration – ground calibration and validation: Optosky ATP9110-25 broadband field spectroradiometer covers 300–2500 nm and is used to collect true ground spectra, validate inversion results from the UAV and rotating-scan systems, and ensure the reliability of remote sensing data.

Air  ATH9010SL

Ground   ATH3010

Calibration  ATP9110-25

04  Three Typical Scenarios

• Spoil grounds and mining slope faces: identify weathering alteration zones and exposed areas, track changes in revegetation coverage, and provide a basis for slope treatment and adjustment of reclamation plans.

• Tailings dam surfaces and mine water environment: observe vegetation anomalies and moisture change trends on dam surfaces, and combine mine water body indicators to help investigate seepage and soil–water environmental risks.

• Reclamation area performance assessment: conduct regular, periodic repeated observations to form traceable data records that support green mine evaluation and ecological restoration acceptance.

05   Making Restoration Results Traceable

In the past, judging the effectiveness of mine ecological restoration mainly relied on manual site inspection and empirical estimation. Now, by installing equipment on slopes and dam surfaces and repeatedly measuring the same locations at regular intervals, changes can be clearly presented. Optosky’s UAV hyperspectral imaging system, ground rotating-scan equipment, and handheld spectroradiometer work together to record vegetation, soil, and surface changes in reclamation areas period by period, making regional changes and recovery conditions clear at a glance.

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Email: [email protected]

Web: www.optosky.net