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06-02-2008

De Beers Sets its Radar on New Aerial Survey Company – Southern Mapping

 

Barely two months into operation, the Southern Mapping Company has been granted a contract by mining giant De Beers to conduct lidar aerial surveys of its own Namaqualand diamond mine and its newly formed joint venture with government, Alexkor diamond mine.

By: Peter Moir

 

De Beers and Government’s recent agreement to merge the two loss making diamond mines on the West Coast, aims to ultimately see the new entity listed on the JSE.


       Shaded elevation model of mine workings

 

The Southern Mapping Company will conduct lidar aerial surveys of the Kleinzee and Koingnaas areas that form part of the Namaqualand Mining community. Says Hugh Jones, Chief Surveyor at De Beers Namaqualand Mines:  “Through the three-dimensional imaging of the earth as you see it, De Beers will benefit by the invaluable information when planning our mining operations.  The lidar aerial surveys will assist us in accurately quantifying the rehabilitation liability and will provide De Beers with an accurate DTM of the disturbed area, enabling mass haul diagrams or quantities to be computed and costed.”

 

The Southern Mapping Company’s newly leased aircraft has been fitted with the latest in aerial surveying equipment.  The ALTM 3100 EA, which is an airborne laser terrain mapper worth over $1-milion, provides high resolution, high accuracy digital elevation data from a laser.

 

In addition to accurate colour Orto-images and digital raster pictures for visual interpretation, the information obtained through the lidar aerial survey will also assist De Beers in developing a rehabilitation and closure master plan for Namaqualand Mines. 


     Orthophoto image of a mine pit at Kleinzee with contours overlaid

 

“The elevation data that is captured by the laser and camera can be viewed on computer and from these on-screen images, we can generate important information about the land and distances can be easily measured.  This will assist greatly in our township planning of Kleinzee and Koingnaas to facilitate the surveying of plots to enable the proclamation of the towns,” continues Jones.

 

Currently De Beers contributes to 30% of the income generated in the area. The expected lifespan of the Namaqualand Mine is ten years.  Rather than just closing down the mine completely which will affect the employees and subsequently their families, the aim is to create stable communities by surveying and making the necessary repairs to the towns’ infrastructure. Although these townships are currently regarded as mining towns, they will eventually be converted to municipal areas, which in the long run will have a positive impact as more businesses will provide employment to the community.


      Mine pit at Kleinzee

 

“The rapid coverage and data output make it possible for us to cover an area of 100km2 in less than two hours.  The total size of the De Beers area to be surveyed is 85,330 hectares with the total length being 92,75 kilometers. The flying part of the survey will take approximately 3 days to be completed,” adds Peter Moir, CEO of the Southern Mapping Company.

 

 

Having been involved in lidar aerial mapping and surveying since 1995, the team at the Southern Mapping Company has worked on many diverse aerial surveying projects. They have provided topographical maps to mining companies in the DRC, Mozambique, Gabon and Botswana, as well as to various governments and engineering firms for a variety of infrastructure projects.

 

“We’re are pleased to get involved in a project that not only concentrates on extracting information that generates wealth for the country, but one that also creates better living conditions, that will sustain and ensure ongoing growth to the communities and the generations still to come,” concludes Moir.


   Mine pit at Kleinzee

 

Southern Mapping’s million-dollar ALTM laser is acknowledged as the world’s best lidar laser machine. Compact and portable, it requires a simple installation onto fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, and provides high-resolution, high-accuracy, digital elevation data. The laser ranges to trees and to the ground beneath in a single pass. Its rapid coverage and data output sees 1,000 km2 covered in less than 12 hours, and the DEM data is available within 24 hours. 

 
Internet: http://www.southernmapping.com