GoldenEye Project gathers ground based data at Bulgarian Copper Ore Quarry
The EOS Data Analytics team went to a copper ore quarry in Panagyurishte, Bulgaria, and gathered ground-based data to validate the satellite monitoring technology for the AI platform developed within the three-year GoldenEye EU H2020 project for the European mining industry.
EOSDA also attended the project’s General Assembly. The event took place on May 30–31 in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, and brought together 16 companies and research partners to share updates on their work.
GoldenEye entails developing an analytics platform for monitoring and analysing mine sites across the EU to improve their productivity and worker safety and reduce the environmental impact of extraction.
The platform, powered by machine learning algorithms, combines earth observation technologies with on-site sensing: It processes data from satellites, drones, and ground-based sensors and extracts actionable intelligence about mining sites. That way, the AI platform supports decision-making at all stages of the mine’s life cycle, from exploration to extraction and post-closure.
Under the terms of the GoldenEye program, EOS Data Analytics is providing satellite data processing. Notably, the specialists are in charge of ecological monitoring on numerous indicators, such as the assessment of slope stability, allocation of areas of active extraction, humidity and surface temperature, and vegetation condition of adjacent territories. They also evaluate the dynamics of changes in water surface area in tailings.
“GoldenEye is a unique project, implementation of which requires the synergy of many participants and the use of cutting-edge technologies like satellite monitoring. To analyse satellite imagery, EOSDA uses various image processing approaches, including machine learning and deep learning algorithms. Not all methods work the same around the world and with all types of minerals. Therefore, we can’t go without an area’s visual overview and ground data collection. We need them to calibrate and validate results obtained from satellites. An interesting addition to the trip was the fact that the Panagyurishte quarry is located in a cultural and historical region of Bulgaria: there are dozens of Thracian burial mounds,” notes Dr. Nataliia Borotkanych, Projects Coordinator at EOS Data Analytics.
Five mining sites in Germany, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Kosovo were chosen for piloting the GoldenEye platform. The participants are finishing collecting, processing, and analyzing data. The next step is to test the platform to ensure it’s ready for deployment.
