Maptek 3D Scanning Technology used in Deep Underground Lab

Maptek I-Site laser scanning expertise and software technology is being used to map the geology and layout of the deepest underground laboratory to be established in the USA.

The Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab (DUSEL) in the former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, will provide for scientific studies in particle and nuclear physics, geology, hydrology, geo-engineering, biology, and biochemistry.

Maptek I-Site technical Services Manager, Scott Schiele, scanning drifts at the 300-foot level in the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota.

The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, will allow geoscientists and engineers to research the behaviour of subsurface rock, minerals, water and energy sources.

A key reason for selecting Maptek to carry out the underground scanning of drifts is the experience of technical personnel in both mining and laser scanning, as well as in data filtering and modelling.

Maptek's I-Site technology is at the forefront of its field. I-Site Studio software is the ideal choice for projects with vast datasets.

Homestake, the deepest mine in North America with galleries at 8000 ft (2438 m), is well suited for experiments that require extremely low cosmogenic backgrounds.

In April 2009 Maptek technical services staff scanned 2 drifts at the 300-foot level, capturing 8 million points - 8 Gb data - for geological mapping and evaluating structures. These drifts were last mined in 1920, and lacked geological mapping to the level of detail required.

I-Site Studio software has been designed with mine surveyors in mind; DUSEL has a few extra requirements. Maptek developed new tools to manage the massive volume of captured data, maintaining the required accuracy and detail for analysis.

These tools provided the ability to combine lower resolution scan data with high resolution photographic imagery. Modelled surfaces incorporating photographic detail could then be constructed from this data and exported for use in Maptek Vulcan for geotechnical analysis.

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