Modernizing mineral exploration methods with advanced drone technology

DroneSOM services integrate electromagnetic (EM) and gravity drone services along with software products designed for geophysical measurements and data interpretation in mineral exploration.

Radai’s Louhi electromagnetic drone

Drone-based services for more efficient and faster geophysical measurements

A drone geophysical service for gravity field mapping

DTU Space at the Technical University of Denmark has developed two types of drones as part of the DroneSOM project, which runs from 2022 to 2024. The first is a fixed-wing drone capable of carrying an 8 kg payload and equipped with iMAR sensors. The second is a quadcopter while its configuration is nearly optimal, it is not yet ready for commercial use. Recent advancements in drone gravity measurements have created significant opportunities, but flight regulations stipulate that drones must have a wingspan under 3 meters and a total weight not exceeding 25 kilograms.

A drone electromagnetic geophysical service

Radai Ltd has created a lightweight electromagnetic drone called Louhi, which consists of an EM receiver unit and an EM transmitter unit (ground loop). The drone tows the receiver unit, and a large transmitter loop is placed on the ground. The system is ideal for mineral exploration targeting 100-500 meters depth penetration.

Drone flight testing in winter

DTU’s drone gravity quadcopter

SOM cluster map

SOM cluster map of the Ezgebirge area based on input data from stream sediment geochemistry, aeromagnetics and aero gamma spectrometry. Image source: Beak Consultants GmbH.

Software solutions for easier data interpretation

GTK is developing advanced 3D frequency-domain electromagnetic inversion techniques to analyze datasets collected by drones. This includes a modified and tested software solution for generating 3D models based on processed geophysical data obtained from drones. The software produces 3D density models from drone gravity data, 3D electrical conductivity models from drone electromagnetic data, and 3D magnetic models from drone geomagnetic data. It is specifically designed to address the challenges and unique issues associated with these types of datasets.

The “GisSOM” software developed by GTK is a market-ready product designed for mineral exploration. It integrates 2D geospatial data using self-organizing maps (SOM) and k-means clustering, enabling users to understand data structures, identify clusters, and visualize results related to mineral deposits. With further adaptations, GisSOM can also be applied to various other geoscientific applications, such as environmental monitoring.

The “advangeo® 3D Prediction” software by Beak Consultants GmbH is a powerful tool that seamlessly integrates various 3D data sources exploration targets with high mineral potential in the subsurface. With the recent addition of self-organizing maps (SOM) for data clustering, the software enhances its capabilities for predictive analytics. It has already established itself with advanced supervised predictive mapping using artificial neural networks (ANN). While it is specifically designed for mineral exploration, its versatility makes it an excellent choice for general geological data integration and critical applications in geo-risk analyses and hydrogeological studies.