2023-04-18 15:45:00
The mining and metallurgical company Eramet worked with Capgemini to improve the rehabilitation of its mining site in Senegal using drone imaging and artificial intelligence techniques. The idea is to map the environment precisely to try to restore it in good condition once the operation is finished. The two French companies have been collaborating since 2020.
Eramet operates a mining concession in Senegal specializing in mineral sands such as ilmenite, zircon and rutile, through its local subsidiary Grande Côte Operations (GCO). To extract them, the company has an itinerant mine which advances from seven to thirteen kilometers per year and is made up of a dredge and a concentration plant.
Who says restitution says good knowledge of the initial environment
An activity which obviously has a heavy impact on the environment, which Eramet wishes to minimize, the subject being one of its CSR priorities. The company, like many others in recent years, seeks to adopt the posture of a responsible group.
Under the mining code, which was tightened at the end of 2022, GCO has the duty to return the land to the Senegalese state in any case while respecting the biodiversity of the territory, which requires having a good knowledge of the biomass and vegetation initially present.
This is the whole purpose of “Connected Concession”, the platform created by Capgemini for Eramet, which identifies and monitors the environment of operated land. It aims to facilitate the re-vegetation of the land once the mining operation is completed.
Mapping carried out by drone
To feed it, Capgemini sends drones that capture shots. The images collected are then processed using algorithms combining computer vision and advanced artificial intelligence (deep learning) technologies to identify objects of interest, including trees, bushes, fields and certain types of buildings and proceed to their precise counting and geolocation. This information is then transmitted in near real time and provides a map of the area.
Several advantages were highlighted by Capgemini in its press release. Before drones took over, dozens of people (local employees) were sent into the field to collect this information and sometimes had to travel to hostile areas to carry out the manual census.
saving time and money
Beyond the reduction of risks for employees, the time saving is obviously important: “an area previously mapped in half a day is now mapped in minutes“, assures Capgemini. In addition, the company assures that the automation of the process would contribute to an overall reduction in annual operating costs of 300,000 euros for Eramet.
Finally, the precision of the solution would make it possible to “restore identical areas“, even “identify areas suitable for the introduction of new food crops which might then be exploited by local communities“.
New functionalities of the “Connected Concession” platform would be under study to extend the tool to the monitoring of water resources and the identification of alternative routes for the mine. Making the technology available to local communities, government authorities or NGOs would also be considered in an open data logic.
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