On the possibility of using combined LIDAR and photogrammetric surveys from unmanned aerial vehicles as a method to monitor mining facilities

A.S. Ivanov, I.Yu. Rozanov
Mining Institute Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russian Federation
Russian Mining Industry №2/ 2026 p. 146-151

Abstract: The article explores the possibility of integrating two remote sensing methods, i.e. the LIDAR and the photogrammetric imaging, using unmanned aircraft to monitor deformation processes on the daylight surface of a mining facility, which is affected by underground mining operations. The main purpose of the work is to enhance the reliability and completeness of spatial information on the condition of the open pit mine walls through mutual complementation of the data obtained by two different methods. The full cycle of research is described from planning and performing flights with account of the terrain to complex post-processing of data and comparing the results with measurements previously performed using ground-based methods. Special attention is paid to the method of combining point clouds, constructing digital terrain models and orthophotomaps, as well as applying several approaches to detecting changes, e.g. through comparing point clouds, polygonal surfaces, and raster models. The analysis revealed a significant number of sites with signs of displacement, some of which were classified as critically important. A unified design of the site information card is proposed to systematize the results, including the spatial, geometric, visual and geological data, as well as quantitative characteristics of the deformations. The article emphasizes that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles opens up new opportunities in mining sites monitoring, especially in conditions of challenging terrains and the potential hazards concerned with the ground-based surveys. Unmanned aerial vehicles provide high mobility, rapid data collection and the ability to repeat surveys multiple times without significant investment of time and resources, thus providing a reliable basis for subsequent analysis of the deformation processes and enhancing reliability of the monitoring results.

Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles, airborne laser scanning, aerial photography, photogrammetric survey, LIDAR, open pit wall stability

For citation: Ivanov A.S., Rozanov I.Yu. On the possibility of using combined LIDAR and photogrammetric surveys from unmanned aerial vehicles as a method to monitor mining facilities. Russian Mining Industry. 2026;(2):146–151. https://doi.org/10.30686/1609-9192-2026-2-146-151

Article info

Received: 03.12.2025

Revised: 09.02.2026

Accepted: 17.02.2026

Information about the authors

Aleksandr S. Ivanov – Lead Engineer, Laboratory for Geomonitoring and Open-Pit Wall Stability, Mining Institute, Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Ivav Yu. Rozanov – Cand. Sci. (Eng.), Senior Research Associate, Laboratory for Geomonitoring and Open-Pit Wall Stability, Mining Institute, Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russian Federation; e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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