Hexagon: Driving Mining Reclamation With Digital Twins

Hexagon's green-tech division, R-evolution, has launched airborne LiDAR flights across Vale, a Brazilian mining site.

The aim is to capture 3D insights into the entirety of the site in order to monitor the ecological impact of mining sites. 

Through this, the mining industry could become more consciously-aware and engaged in conservation, aided by digital twins and Minecraft worlds.

An ongoing issue

Hexagon is a global leader in measurement technologies, helping industries build, navigate and innovate across manufacturing, construction and mining. Its green-tech subsidiary, R-evolution, combines the sustainability transition alongside profits. Its innovations aim to empower an autonomous and sustainable future for generations to come.

The mining industry is a significant player in the ongoing energy transition. As renewable sources rely on materials such as lithium and copper, mining companies around the world are facing greater demand than ever before.

However, while these companies are producing materials which aid in the sustainability takeover, operations themselves often have a negative impact on the environment.

Deforestation is a major concern surrounding the mining industry, as is the attack on natural resources such as water. Moreover, emissions from extraction processes and transportation are a huge contributor to rising temperatures. Though global mining companies have began to make the switch to more sustainable technology and logistics, there is still a lack of visibility into mining operations, with the critical industry having major environmental effects.

To tackle this impact, reclamation efforts are underway in the extractive industry.

Hexagon's R-evolution is hoping to play a significant role with this, due to its newly launched technology.

Redefining the industry

On 15 April, R-evolution announced the launch of its first missions deploying advanced hybrid airborne imagery and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. This is a key part of the Hexagon Green Cubes initiative and is working to help drive reclamation efforts in the mining industry.

Green Cubes is a digital twin which captures complex natural environments. It is integrating reality capture technologies, including the satellite and airborne LiDAR and imagery, terrestrial LiDAR, camera traps, acoustic sensors and ground-penetrating radar. By using this solution, the mining industry can gain access to an integrated 3D environmental monitoring system. 

The insights taken from this model then go through an AI-powered Green Cubes platform in order to offer a "digital window" into forest ecosystems. This helps give thorough insights into the surrounding environment of the mine – demonstrating information otherwise missed or not understood. As a result, mining leaders can understand the impact their operations are having, or work to find solutions to co-exist with the natural landscape.

“Green Cubes is redefining how the extraction industry approaches environmental responsibility – providing transparency from space to the roots,” says Erik Josefsson, President of Hexagon’s R-evolution. 

“By embedding Green Cubes digital reality into the mining life cycle, we’re enabling our mining partners to accelerate restoration, improve compliance, and unlock new value through natural capital.”

The flights taking place are powered by Leica Geosystems’ hybrid airborne system. As a result, it simultaneously captures LiDAR and high-resolution imagery. This allows the flights to map more than 20 square kilometers in order to generate a digital twin.

This will cover the natural habitats around mining assets, including protected areas and their surrounding landscapes. 

From these flights, mining companies can gain highly detailed 3D modelling of the forest structure, with keen precision to provide accurate insights into environmental conditions. It will explore trees, ground-level vegetation and can even map the smallest branches in order to give a thorough image of the surrounding environment, making sure no stone goes unmeasured. 

The aim is to help mining companies to monitor biodiversity, assess rehabilitation progress and better manage sustainability efforts. It also provides greater opportunity for community engagement, as it includes educational initiatives to promote long-term resource mobilisation. 

In doing this, Hexagon is encouraging mining companies to be more transparent and more responsible, taking care of the resources around them and bringing the local communities into the conversation surrounding sustainable operations. 

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Proven impact

This technology is already being deployed by Vale, one of the world's largest iron ore producers, at its Mina de Águas Claras site near Belo Horizonte, Brazil. It is a 1,908-hectare mine which is currently undergoing a repurposing project. Since deploying Green Cubes, Vale reports having already gained more notable environmental monitoring results.

It has spotted its first Puma concolor in 10 years, as well as having recorded the first maned wolves on video at the site.

More than 140 bird species have been identified across 90 days due to an AI-enhanced camera and sound traps. With the addition of the LiDAR flights, there will be an entire mapping of the 20km² area in full 3D at 10-centimetre resolution. 

Green Cubes is also trying to encourage younger generations to get involved in mining and conservation. Through a gamification technique blende with education, Green Cubes is using Minecraft to connect with these people. Within the game, the mining site can be recreated, allowing players to explore nature, learn about biodiversity and gain key insights into how mining can impact and work alongside reclamation and restoration. An initial test hosted 14,000 individual players, with a recreation on the Minecraft Agonia server.

Another major iron ore producer, Samarco, is deploying Green Cubes across its operations, with potential expansion across other applications and into wider areas. 

Through this technology, education and collaboration, Hexagon is helping mining companies act with more responsibility. As mining companies are facing greater demand, it is important that they can gain access to these insights in order to grow their operations in a safe, sustainable and impactful way.