Each topic below explains the evidence, the business problem it creates, how GLOBEIR solves it, the benefits to your organisation, and how your data stays private and secure.
1. Mineral Prospecting with Remote Sensing and Geoscience Data
Mineral exploration starts by narrowing a large area down to a few targets worth drilling. Remote sensing helps at that first stage. Hydrothermal alteration, iron oxides and clay minerals leave spectral signatures that multispectral and hyperspectral sensors can detect, and imagery also shows the faults, lineaments and lithological contacts that often control where ore forms. In a peer-reviewed study of the Hutti-Maski gold deposit area in southern India, airborne AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral data mapped alteration minerals such as chlorite, goethite, kaolinite and muscovite with 94.4 per cent overall accuracy against 900 validation points [15].
India's public geoscience base is now large and increasingly digital. GSI's National Geochemical Mapping programme samples on a 1 km by 1 km grid for 62 elements, ground gravity and magnetic surveys are mapped at 1:50,000, and multi-sensor aerogeophysical surveys over areas of obvious geological potential had already carved out more than 100 potential mineral exploration areas from the first four blocks by early 2021 [7]. Since December 2023 this data has been gathered on one GIS platform, the National Geoscience Data Repository (NGDR), created under the National Mineral Exploration Policy 2016, which launched with 35 geological, geochemical and geophysical map services that registered users can view and download [6].
The pressure to use this data well is rising. The National Critical Mineral Mission tasks GSI with 1,200 exploration projects from 2024-25 to 2030-31, plans the auction of more than 100 critical mineral blocks and introduces an Exploration Licence to bring in private explorers [8]. For Field Season 2026-27, GSI placed 1,068 projects before its programming board, including 236 on critical minerals and 58 geoinformatics and data analysis projects using AI/ML modelling, and the Ministry advised exploration agencies to consult the NGDR to avoid duplicating work [9].
Business problem
Explorers, block bidders and state directorates must judge more ground in less time. The evidence sits in many places: NGDR map services, legacy reports, the company's own sampling and drilling, and imagery of varying quality. Bringing it together by hand is slow, results vary between geologists, and the reasoning behind a target is often lost when teams change.
Our solution
- A project geodatabase that brings NGDR layers, client drill and assay data and imagery into one coordinate system.
- Alteration mineral, lineament and lithology mapping from multispectral and, where available, hyperspectral imagery, using our remote sensing workflows.
- Prospectivity models built with weighted overlay or machine learning, tested against known occurrences.
- Ranked target maps on WebGIS, with the evidence behind each target, and field checks planned in the My GLOBEIR app.
Benefits
- Field mapping, sampling and drilling go first to the ground with the strongest combined evidence.
- Industry example: hyperspectral mapping at Hutti-Maski reached 94.4 per cent overall accuracy for alteration minerals [15].
- Industry example: GSI's aerogeophysical surveys over the first four blocks pointed to more than 100 potential exploration areas [7].
- Every target carries a documented trail of data and reasoning that survives staff changes and supports bid or investment decisions.
Privacy & data security
- Drill results, assays and target maps are commercially sensitive before an auction or disclosure; they stay in the client's project space and are never shared with other clients or used to train models for them.
- Access to targets and raw data is limited by role, and every view and download is logged.
- Public NGDR data is used under the portal's terms; client data is never uploaded to public platforms without the client's instruction.
2. Mining Surveillance and Lease Boundary Monitoring
Satellite surveillance of mining leases is now routine in India. The Mining Surveillance System (MSS), operational since 2016, captures unusual land use change on satellite imagery in a zone up to 500 metres outside the boundary of a mining lease and flags it as a trigger for state governments to check [1]. By August 2024, 3,405 mining leases had been plotted in the system, with triggers generated in five phases from 2016-17 to 2023-24 [2]. Since 2016-17, 950 triggers have been generated, 574 verified and 80 unauthorised mining activities confirmed; a mobile app has been built for MSS, and 179 state officers have been trained to apply it to minor minerals [1].
Coal has a parallel system. The Coal Mine Surveillance and Management System (CMSMS), launched by the Ministry of Coal in July 2018 and developed by BISAG-N and CMPDI, is a web GIS with lease, coal block and coalfield boundaries, satellite layers and a citizen app, Khanan Prahari, through which complaints are geo-fenced and routed to the nodal officer for the area [12]. The Ministry of Environment notes that the geo-coordinates of each lease in environmental clearance letters can be used with GIS-based applications to locate unauthorised mining [1].
These systems serve regulators. Lessees face the same question from the other side: is all of our excavation, dumping and haulage inside the sanctioned boundary, and is anyone mining without authorisation next to us? The IBM SOP asks for lease boundary pillar coordinates, in both geographic and UTM form, with every drone survey submission [4].
Business problem
Pits, dumps and haul roads change week by week, while boundary checks happen rarely. A dump that creeps over the line or a road cut outside the lease can become a violation before anyone notices, and unauthorised workings next door can draw unwanted scrutiny. State departments, meanwhile, must verify many triggers on the ground with limited staff.
Our solution
- Lease boundaries digitised from pillar coordinates and validated against imagery.
- Change detection on repeat satellite and drone imagery over each lease and a buffer chosen by the client.
- Alerts with before and after views on a monitoring dashboard, and a Heatmap of where changes cluster.
- Field verification tasks sent to the My GLOBEIR app, closed with geotagged photos and notes.
Benefits
- Deviations are found while they are still small and easy to correct.
- Industry example: national satellite surveillance has confirmed 80 unauthorised mining activities from 950 triggers since 2016-17 [1].
- Each alert has an auditable trail from detection to field check to closure.
- State mining departments can apply the same approach to minor mineral leases that national systems cover less closely.
Privacy & data security
- Lease boundaries and alerts are shared only with the users the client authorises; findings about neighbouring land are handled with care and used only for the client's compliance purpose.
- Field verification photos can show people and vehicles; forms can be set up to capture the site rather than individuals, and photos are kept under role-based access.
- Location tracking in the My GLOBEIR app is opt-in, with a persistent notification while it runs.
3. Mine Planning with DEMs and Drone Volumetrics
Drone surveys have become a regulatory requirement for larger mines. The Mineral Conservation and Development (Amendment) Rules, 2021, notified on 3 November 2021, allow mine plans and sections to be prepared by DGPS, total station or drone survey, and require lessees with an annual excavation plan of one million tonnes or more, or a lease of 50 hectares or more, to submit drone survey images of the lease and 100 metres beyond its boundary every year; other lessees submit high-resolution satellite images [3]. The IBM SOP under Rule 34A sets the detail: a survey in April or May, an orthomosaic at 5 cm per pixel or better, DSM and DTM at 15 cm or better, at least five GCPs per square kilometre, 80 per cent forward and 70 per cent side overlap, a 16-class land use shapefile, an RMSE report, submission by 1 July, and retention of raw and processed data for five years [4].
The same data is valuable for planning. The SOP itself notes that centimetre-level drone data gives more precise volumetric measurements than traditional surveys and that irregular stockpiles can be surveyed more easily [4]. In coal, CMPDI received a conditional exemption in 2021 to fly drones with optical, LiDAR and thermal payloads for mapping, volumetric measurement and inspections in Coal India coalfields [14]. The Ministry of Coal's technology roadmap benefits report lists overburden volumetrics, mine closure monitoring, thermal mapping of fire zones, blasting and haul road monitoring and terrain models for planning, and states that drone capture is about twice as fast as land-based methods [13].
Research supports the accuracy. In an ISPRS study of an open pit quarry, a UAV survey measured a 12,749 cubic metre stockpile within 1.1 per cent of a GNSS survey, inside the plus or minus 3 per cent accuracy that mining rules often specify [16].
Business problem
Many lessees treat the annual drone survey as a filing. Data is flown to meet the 1 July deadline, submitted and archived, while monthly planning, production reconciliation and contractor billing still rely on slower ground surveys. Errors in GCPs, overlap or land use classes can also force resubmission.
Our solution
- Processing of drone imagery into orthomosaic, DSM and DTM to the IBM SOP, with accuracy reported against check points.
- Preparation of the land use shapefile, GCP and boundary pillar files and RMSE report for submission.
- Cut and fill, stockpile and dump volumes, and bench and haul road mapping from the same surfaces.
- 3D terrain models and a Digital Sand Model view for planning reviews, and all surveys kept on a WebGIS timeline.
Benefits
- One survey serves compliance, planning and reconciliation.
- Industry example: UAV stockpile volumes within 1.1 per cent of GNSS in a quarry study [16].
- Industry example: the Ministry of Coal reports drone capture about twice as fast as land-based survey [13].
- Fewer surveyors on stockpiles, dumps and active benches.
Privacy & data security
- Orthomosaics at 5 cm are finer than the 1 metre threshold in India's geospatial guidelines, so they are stored and processed only in India and never passed through a foreign entity's servers [21][22].
- Raw and processed survey data are retained for the period the SOP requires and then deleted or returned as the client directs [4].
- Survey data, volumes and production figures are visible only to authorised roles, with audit logs.
4. Reclamation and Environmental Compliance
Reclamation is reported with imagery. Star rating under Rule 35 of MCDR is mandatory: every lessee files an online self-assessment for the previous year before 1 July, together with the digital images of the lease under Rule 34A, and must reach at least three stars within four years of starting mining and keep it year on year [5]. The IBM land use classes include actual excavation, overburden dumps, backfilled, reclaimed and rehabilitated area, afforestation, topsoil stacks, tailing ponds and green belt [4]. The 2021 MCDR amendment also added forfeiture of financial assurance if a final mine closure plan is not submitted on time [3].
Coal India has measured reclamation by satellite for years. CMPDI has reported satellite-based land restoration and reclamation monitoring of 75 opencast coal projects producing more than 5 million cubic metres a year (coal plus overburden) for 2025, alongside 35 smaller projects [11], and these reports are also published through the CMSMS portal [12].
Business problem
Reclamation evidence is gathered site by site, often as photographs and tables that are hard to compare across leases and years. Preparing star rating, closure plan and environmental reports takes effort every year, and it is difficult to show an auditor, investor or regulator that a plantation is actually establishing rather than just planted.
Our solution
- Land use classification of satellite and drone imagery into the IBM classes, by lease and by year, using environmental remote sensing.
- Vegetation indices and year-on-year change to show whether reclaimed and afforested land is establishing.
- Comparison of progress against the approved mine closure plan.
- Map and table exports for star rating, closure and environmental reporting, with field checks recorded in the My GLOBEIR app.
Benefits
- Consistent, repeatable reclamation figures across every lease.
- Industry example: CMPDI's satellite-based reclamation monitoring covers 75 large opencast projects for 2025 [11].
- Evidence ready for star rating, closure and environmental audits.
- Early warning where plantations or backfill are not progressing.
Privacy & data security
- Environmental and reclamation data is generally about land, not people; published outputs are land use maps and statistics rather than raw close-up imagery.
- Draft compliance figures stay private to the client until the client decides to submit or publish them.
- All versions are kept with audit logs, so reported figures can be traced back to source imagery.
5. Mine Safety and Hazard Mapping
Mining remains one of India's most hazardous industries. A Lok Sabha answer of August 2026 reported 41 fatal accidents and 51 deaths in coal mines and 43 fatal accidents and 63 deaths in non-coal mines in 2025, a total of 84 fatal accidents and 114 deaths [10]. The causes listed include falls from height, flying pieces and explosives, landslides, rope and chain failures, dumper and drilling machine accidents and power cables. The Government's answer points to provisions for scientifically designed pit and dump slopes, a Strata Control and Monitoring Plan, risk-based safety management plans and emergency response plans [10].
Geospatial data supports several of these. Repeat drone DEMs show where faces, benches and dumps have gained or lost material between surveys, and the same data maps slope angle, bench height, drainage and haul road gradient and width. The Ministry of Coal also lists thermal mapping of mine fire zones and haul road monitoring among drone applications [13]. Globally, the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, convened by UNEP, PRI and ICMM, aims to prevent catastrophic failure of tailings facilities and applies a structured approach to risk classification [17].
Business problem
Slope, dump and road conditions change continuously, but they are usually assessed in separate inspections and drawings. Safety teams lack a single, current map that shows where the ground is changing fastest and where roads or benches no longer match design, so inspection effort is not always where risk is highest.
Our solution
- DEM differencing between successive drone surveys to map surface change on faces and dumps.
- Slope, bench height, drainage and haul road gradient layers from the latest survey, using our data analysis workflows.
- Hazard maps on a monitoring dashboard that safety teams use to plan inspections.
- Inspection checklists in the My GLOBEIR app, and opt-in live tracking for field crews where the client chooses.
Benefits
- Inspections are prioritised to the slopes, dumps and roads that are changing most.
- Industry example: the Ministry of Coal reports that drones let surveyors cover hazardous areas without walking dangerous zones or climbing stockpiles [13].
- A historical record of surface change supports investigations and design reviews.
- Supports, but does not replace, geotechnical studies, instrumentation and the statutory duties of mine management.
Privacy & data security
- Worker location data from live tracking is personal data under the DPDP Act; tracking is opt-in, shown by a persistent notification, and used only for the safety purposes the client defines [18].
- Accident and incident records are restricted to authorised safety and management roles.
- Hazard maps are built from terrain and asset data, not from monitoring individuals.
6. Slope Stability and Mine Safety with InSAR
Slope and dump failures in opencast mines usually follow a period of slow, accelerating movement. Satellite interferometric SAR (InSAR) measures ground displacement at millimetre scale across a whole mine from stacks of radar images, independent of cloud cover. A peer-reviewed study of Sentinel-1 data detected clear accelerating displacement before the failure of an open-pit copper mine slope in November 2016, with up to 30.2 mm of line-of-sight movement recorded between 9 and 15 November, while surrounding areas stayed largely stable, and concluded such events could have been located several days or weeks in advance [24]. The authors note that early warning has mostly relied on in-situ sensors and that satellite InSAR can now support decision-making [24].
In India, the Coal Mines Regulations, 2017 require scientific study of pit and dump slopes before mechanised opencast working, and DGMS Circular No. 02 of 2020 set out guidelines for systematic, real-time monitoring of slopes in coal and metalliferous mines. Certain mines have slope stability radar for early warning, while others monitor with prisms and total stations [25]. A Lok Sabha reply in August 2026 lists landslides among the causes of mine accidents and records 51 fatalities in coal mines and 63 in non-coal mines in 2025 [10]. The same reply lists provisions such as a Strata Control and Monitoring Plan, scientific design of pit and dump slopes and a risk-based safety management plan, with DGMS enforcing the OSH&WC Code, 2020 [10].
Business problem
Ground radar and prisms give high-frequency data at chosen points, but cannot cover every bench, dump and tailings structure, nor the ground around the mine. Movement in an unmonitored area can go unnoticed until cracks appear. Safety teams need a wide-area view that tells them where to look and where to place instruments.
Our solution
- InSAR processing of satellite radar stacks for pit walls, waste dumps, tailings embankments and nearby infrastructure, by our Remote Sensing team.
- Velocity and time-series maps with accelerating zones highlighted, reviewed with the mine's geotechnical team.
- Integration with ground radar, prism and inspection records on one monitoring dashboard, with drone DEMs from Topic 3 for slope geometry.
- Regular updates on an agreed schedule; InSAR complements, and does not replace, the mine's statutory monitoring.
Benefits
- Mine-wide deformation coverage between instrument points.
- Inspections and ground instruments focused on zones that are actually moving.
- A historical record of ground movement to support scientific studies and slope design reviews.
- Industry example: Sentinel-1 InSAR detected precursory acceleration days to weeks before an open-pit slope failure [24].
Privacy & data security
- Deformation data concerns ground and structures, not individuals, but safety-critical results are restricted to authorised geotechnical and management roles.
- Mine layouts and infrastructure maps are treated as confidential and kept in the deployment the client chooses, including on-premise.
- All access and changes to alert thresholds are logged.
7. Haulage, Dispatch and Logistics Tracking
Every tonne leaves a mine by truck, conveyor or rail, and haulage is a large share of operating cost and of the risk of mineral leakage. GPS vehicle tracking with geofences around loading points, weighbridges, stockyards and sidings shows where each vehicle is and flags deviations. Coal India subsidiaries reported 10,235 vehicles with GPS-based vehicle tracking and 7,198 CCTV cameras at weighbridges, sidings, workshops and coal stocks; at SCCL, all registered vehicles carry RFID tags and GPS, and deviations are reported to control rooms [26]. For sand mining, MoEFCC's 2020 enforcement guidelines ask that sand-carrying vehicles be registered and fitted with GPS and that stockyards have weighbridges with CCTV [1]. CMPDI has also demonstrated vehicle tracking and 5G-enabled drones on India's first private 5G network at a coal mine [27].
Business problem
Without tracking, managers cannot see cycle times, queueing at crushers or weighbridges, idle trucks or unplanned stops, and cannot prove that every load reached its intended destination. Haul road design and fleet sizing are then based on assumptions rather than measured trips.
Our solution
- A mapped haul network with loading points, crushers, weighbridges, stockyards and sidings.
- Live Tracking of trucks and field teams with geofences, approved routes and alerts.
- Trip analytics for cycle time, idle time and route deviations, with Heatmap views of congestion and stoppage hot spots.
- Inspections, incidents and road condition reports logged by supervisors in the My GLOBEIR app and shown on the same WebMap.
Benefits
- Real-time visibility of every load from face to dispatch.
- Faster response to deviations and unauthorised movement.
- Data-driven haul road maintenance and fleet planning.
- Industry example: Indian coal companies use GPS tracking with geofencing and control-room alerts across more than 10,000 vehicles [26].
Privacy & data security
- Driver and staff locations are personal data under the DPDP Act [18]; tracking is limited to work purposes and duty hours agreed with the client.
- Background tracking in the My GLOBEIR app is optional and opt-in with a persistent notification.
- Management reports use aggregated trip statistics; individual trip histories are visible only to authorised supervisors.