CASE STUDY

Best practice for

processing UAV data
in Deswik

SURVEY PROCESS | OPEN PIT MINING | Capricorn Copper Ltd, Australia

The purpose of this INTRODUCTION

document is to demonstrate With the prevalence of UAVs within the mining industry, operations
a rapid, repeatable method now have at their disposal unprecedented amounts of data to use.
for generating stockpile data Turning this data into usable and valuable information (both quickly and
efficiently) is the key to providing value. Once the data has been created
from scan files. While each in a point cloud file (*.xyz or *.las) with the associated image file, it is
scanner/Unmanned Aerial up to the mine surveyor (or equivalent) to find the most efficient way to
generate the End of Month (EOM) data for the operation and recipients
Vehicle (UAV) provider can of the reports.
produce a point cloud and Most of the functions in this project rely on standardization of the
associated image, it is reliant layer control and layer names. If any are modified or removed then the
on the user to interpret, processes will cease to operate as designed.

analyze and report metrics By assigning as many commands into the process map as possible, it
reduces the reliance on user input and therefore error in the data.
from the data. In this paper, a
workflow has been developed
to create reportable data DESWIK FEATURES USED
able to integrate with other The following commands/processes are used in this project to aid the
Deswik modules and allow user in the data creation and reporting:

various queries to be run Process Map Functions Deswik.CAD Functions

within a pivot. Document settings Global constants
Drawing defaults Parameter tables
Display process map layers Attributes by formula
Node status Point cloud handling
Bulk export Surface and solid functions
Crop entities bulk Attribute values inside a table
Attributes from polygon grid
Delete entities and layers
Message box
Plane definition
Layer preset
 WORK PROCEDURE
Figure 1 – The created
process map and how
the user interacts with it.

Node status buttons

will be green if the
process map step runs
without errors, and red
if there are errors or if
incomplete

Info buttons
explain what each Buttons link to
step does in the another layer within
process map the process map

Figure 1

Except for the Define Boundaries step, the process map will run all
the commands with minimal user interaction. If the stockpile locations
do not change between intervals, then the boundaries and attributes
can be standardized. They would then be used within Modify | Crop |
Entities Bulk, thus removing another manual step from the process.

USING DEFAULTS, STANDARDS & FORMULAS

The aim is to minimize the amount of manual work required and this
can be assisted by using some defaults and formulas.
Global Constants are set at the start of the workflow. CALC group are
used to generate attributes on the surfaces generated and in the table
of volumes. MONTH is used to automatically fill a title block placeholder.

Figure 2 – Global
Constants table opened
from the process map.
MONTH and CALC values
are updated to reflect
the correct data for the
month. Figure 2

Parameter tables allow for an array to be created which can be

referenced inside the formula builder instead of a nested IF function.
If there are any additional material types to be added, the parameter
table is changed, and the formula remains the same. These are unlikely
to be changed regularly and are located under the Document Settings
button on the process map.
Figure 3 – Parameter
table for MATERIAL INFO
with associated densities
and swell factors.

Figure 3

Figure 4 – Formulas
set inside the process
map under the Data
Figure 4
Calculation button.

By using Global Constants, Parameter Tables, and formulae inside process

maps, the need for user interaction is reduced to only the essential parts.
This not only makes the process much quicker but removes the chance
for user error. The attributes in the project are either created within a
formula, from global constants, as a default, or user-inputted.

Figure 5 – Attributes
written to the point
generated from the
stockpile surface.

Figure 5

MANAGING THE DATA AND CREATING

STOCKPILE SOLIDS
The boundary for each stockpile is digitized and by using an attribute
prompt, the material type can be assigned to the boundary polyline. The
surveyed surface is then cropped by these boundaries and then merged
down to the ROM surface thereby representing a true volume. If the
stockpile boundaries are constant, then this step can be removed.

Figure 6 - The ROM

Boundary and stockpile
locations with the
individual stockpile
boundary polylines and
their id values.

Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 7 – One of the cropped stockpiles made transparent to show how
the surface was cropped and extruded down the base ROM surface.
This process extrudes the stockpile surface down to the ROM base
and then uses the base to close the surface and make a valid solid. The
stockpiles were originally closed off flat at the bottom but with a ROM
surface which is not flat, this can result in volume differences.
This potential for volume difference was investigated further*. One of the
datasets has been cropped to include the whole stockpile. One copy has
been extruded down to the ROM surface and the other has just been
closed off at the bottom.
* The investigation about the volume difference does not represent the practice at this site.

Figure 8 - The ROM

Boundary and stockpile
locations with the
individual stockpile
boundary polylines and
their id values.

Figure 8

These volumes are then compared to illustrate the difference in the

solid creation. The actual difference between the two methods was
not expected to be so high, and a significant amount of the volume
discrepancy amount can be attributed to the area.
 FLAT MERGED TO VOLUME
Figure 9 – Table of SP ID % DIFFERENCE
stockpile volumes CROPPED ROM DIFFERENCE
showing the disparity A 2114 3218 1104 34%
between the methods for B 1063 2018 955 47%
making a solid stockpile C 2621 4048 1427 35%
from the surface.
TOTALS 5798 9284 3486 38%
Figure 9

By taking a slice through the stockpile, the volume discrepancy becomes

obvious. The red highlighted area is the part of the solid which is missing
when the surface is closed instead of merged down to the ROM base.

Figure 10 – Volume
difference between solid
creation methods.

Figure 10

While this may present a situation towards one end of the spectrum,
it certainly raises the issue of not merging to the original surface. Just
as important is that the base surface is kept up to date, as daily vehicle
movements will cause the surface to change. Unchecked over time these
volume changes can add to a significant amount.

REPORTING THE DATA

This project takes advantage of the ability to reference attributes on
entities in the model space to fill cells within a table.

Figure 11 – Table
populated automatically
from the stockpile data
and used within the
layout.

Figure 11

This table is inserted into the layout as a Table Placeholder and the layout
uses a Plane Definition so that there is no user input to update the plot.
Using the command File | Export | Bulk export
within the process map, entities on specific layers
can be exported to a selected destination and
use attributes and lookup tables to create the
filename. The data to be exported all have the
EOM MONTH and EOM YEAR attribute on them.
This system creates an archive of the processed
data for each month to act as a backup.
Pivot tables allow for a variety of queries to be
made on the data and for custom expression
fields to be created.

Figure 12 – Pivot table

graph generated from
all the data on MASTER
DATA\SP MEASURES
layer. Data has been
sorted into MATERIAL
TYPES and shows the
balance by month.

Figure 12

By generating the data in a pivot report, a variety of queries can be made

on the data very quickly. This data can be used further in dashboarding
software to disseminate important information to key stakeholders in an
easy to digest visual process.
 CONCLUSIONS
This process serves as an introduction to processing point cloud
data and generating reports. The use of attributes is one of the key
fundamentals to getting the most out of Deswik software. The stockpile
data could have more attributes assigned to them which would be used
within other Deswik products, such as Deswik.Sched, Deswik.LHS, and
Deswik.OPSTS.
Each dataset took less than 10 minutes to process and gain the
required data to be fed into the pivot report. As operations become
more reliant on shorter term control over material handling, a simple,
efficient workflow to take the raw data and generate reports is
becoming necessary. These concepts can be expanded on to suit each
sites requirement and the outputs tailored for the recipients.

Stephen Rowles
Product Manager | Survey

For more information on how you can get the most out of your data and
generate similar workflows, contact your local Deswik support office at
[email protected]

www.deswik.com

DISCLAIMER This study has been produced with data from Capricorn Copper Ltd. The material types, densities, volumes, stockpile
names and dates of survey have been modified from the original values. Data presented in this study is used for indicative purposes to
demonstrate functions within Deswik.CAD and is not to be treated as professional advice. The workflows and other information in this
document may be inapplicable to your particular circumstances, conditions or desired outcomes. Please exercise your own skill and care
when using the information in this document, and to the extent you are not qualified any use of this information should only be done in
conjunction with a qualified and experienced professional. Deswik does not accept any liability resulting from your using, relying on or
acting on any information in this document.

Deswik wishes to thank Capricorn Copper Ltd for their assistance in providing the datasets to make this paper possible.