Feedback from Ghana: Drones Are Transforming Mining Efficiency

Drones were primarily applied in military and research sectors when first invented. With progressive technology development and evolving regulations, their applications have expanded into large-scale industries — especially mining.

So how and why are drones reshaping the mining industry?

This time, the YANGDA support team carried out a 5-day onsite visit to our customers in Ghana to offer product guidance and delve into this growing trend in drone application.

The Role of Drones in Transforming Mining Efficiency

Mining indeed is a rather traditional industry—dating back over 40,000 years. However, even with the mature industry structure and advanced machines today, the harsh physical environment in mining—such as high altitudes, steep slopes, and limited daylight, still significantly restricts human intervention in mining operations and management.

Yet, as observed by the YANGDA team in Ghana, drones have significantly streamlined mining operations in surveying, mapping, production monitoring and site patrolling, to some extent overcoming long-existing environment limitations.

• Surveying & Mapping: As a form of large-scale mineral exploitation from the earth, mining requires elaborate preliminary site surveying and precise positioning of infrastructure, drill points and boundaries. Given the demanding production schedule and the vast scale of mining operations, drones deliver a more flexible solution than manual surveying, providing comprehensive and accurate data to support safe and efficient exploitation.

Above-ground Mapping Achieved With Drones

• Production Monitoring: Mining production involves complex operations such as explosion, long-distance hauling and centralized material processing. Instead of relying on human labor and logistical efforts for occasional monitoring, drones enable regular inspections regardless of the potential dangers or remote distance, delivering real-time feedback in a safe and reliable way.

Hauling Monitoring with AI Tracking

• Site Patrolling:With broad and extensive borders, asset security becomes quite a challenging issue in mining management, as maintaining a high level of safety often requires significant costs and human effort—making it highly cost-inefficient. Drones, however, offer a more optimized solution. Equipped with high-tech payload cameras, drones deliver long-endurance and real-time remote patrolling with clear night vision and accurate locating, enabling timely responses to any potential abnormalities.

Clear Night Vision for Site Patrolling

Physical harshness in mining cannot be eliminated, even with today’s cutting-edge technologies. However, the application of drones has significantly mitigated these limitations. “Drones streamline our mining routines quite a bit, and it’s truly encouraging to see our heavy work transformed into a smarter workflow”, said an executive from Ghana mining site.

Devices Overview

VTOL Drone: YANGDA Sky Whale Max Hybrid VTOL Drone

Gimbal Camera: Storm Eye-30IE-HTM50 5KM Laser Rangefinder EO/IR Camera

Datalink: Videopass-N150 Long Range Digital Video And Data Link

Ground Control Station: ROCK-II Ground Control Station