Underground mining has long faced challenges with visibility, but a more pressing issue is emerging across the industry: verification. While most operations can now capture large volumes of spatial data, far fewer can confidently confirm whether development is consistently aligned with design.
This distinction matters. In surface environments, deviations are often easier to detect and correct. Underground, constrained conditions and limited access make continuous validation significantly more difficult. As a result, a gap often exists between what was planned and what is ultimately delivered, with direct implications for safety, productivity, and asset performance.
From data capture to usable insight
Over the past decade, investment in reality capture technologies such as LiDAR and photogrammetry has improved the availability of high-resolution spatial data. However, access to data has not always translated into better decision-making. Many mining teams are still working with large datasets that are difficult to process, slow to interpret, and disconnected from operational workflows.
The industry is now entering a new phase of digital maturity. The focus is shifting away from capturing more data and towards extracting meaningful, timely insight from the data already being collected.
Why conformance matters underground
This shift is particularly important in underground development, where even small deviations from design can have compounding effects. Overbreak and underbreak influence dilution and ore recovery. Misaligned headings can disrupt downstream connectivity and ventilation planning. Clearance issues introduce safety risks, and non-compliant ground support can affect long-term stability.
Traditionally, these issues have been identified through manual surveys and periodic inspections. Reporting is often retrospective, meaning discrepancies are discovered after the fact, when remediation is more complex and costly. This approach limits the ability of operations to respond quickly and maintain control over development quality.
Figure 1: heat-mapped mesh clash detection of an underground mine tunnel network
Embedding verification into the workflow
A number of Tier 1 mining companies are now taking a different approach by embedding compliance and conformance checks directly into their digital workflows. In collaboration with a global mining operation in Queensland, new methods have been developed to process spatial data in near real time and compare it against design models.
This allows teams to quantify deviations in roadway alignment, height, and width, and to visualise these differences in a way that is immediately understandable. Automated reporting replaces manual interpretation, providing engineering and compliance teams with consistent, repeatable outputs that can be acted upon quickly.
These methods also extend to structural verification, with the following workflows moving to the cloud:
- Rock bolt extraction
- Convergence monitoring
- Conformance to design verification
- Change over time analysis
Visual outputs such as heatmaps and automated reports help make this information easier to interpret and act on, reducing reliance on manual analysis.
As Matthew James, VP of Business Development at Pointerra, explains, “What we’re seeing is a shift away from data simply being captured and stored, to it being used as a continuous validation tool. When teams can measure conformance and verify critical elements like ground support as development progresses, they’re able to act earlier and with far greater confidence.”
Figure 2: Rock bolt extraction with height intensity for monitoring underground structural integrity
Proven efficiency gains in the cloud
The impact of these approaches can be seen in the time required to complete common underground workflows. Tasks that previously relied on lengthy desktop processing can now be completed more quickly in the cloud, enabling more timely insight and reducing operational bottlenecks.
| Workflow | Desktop (Manual) | Pointerra3D (Automated) |
| Shell Classifier | 30+ minutes | 5-10 minutes |
| Rock bolt extraction & deviation report | 2-4 hours | 10-15 minutes |
| Convergence map (single level) | 1-2 hours | 15-20 minutes |
| Daily drone processing | Backlog (overnight batch) | Same-day turnaround |
Operational impact on safety and productivity
Earlier identification of deviations reduces the need for rework and helps maintain alignment with design intent. Safety outcomes improve as compliance becomes more consistent and easier to monitor. Planning teams benefit from more reliable as-built data, while reporting processes become faster and less resource-intensive.
Importantly, these improvements do not require additional effort from site teams. Automation reduces the manual burden traditionally associated with survey analysis and reporting, allowing technical staff to focus on decision-making rather than data processing.
Supporting the move to remote and autonomous operations
As the industry continues to explore remote and autonomous workflows, the need for accurate and continuously validated spatial information will only increase. Autonomous equipment and remote workflows depend on reliable representations of the underground environment. Without ongoing verification, the risk of operating on outdated or incomplete information becomes more significant.
Figure 3: digital twin of a haul road with feature extraction
Looking ahead
Closing the gap between design and reality is becoming a priority across underground operations. By linking data capture, analysis, and validation into a continuous process, mining companies are improving both control and confidence in development outcomes.
Reliable verification is becoming an important part of maintaining both safety and performance underground.
Pointerra will be discussing these approaches and showcasing proven solutions to underground mining challenges at GRX, Booth #93.
To learn more about Pointerra’s digital mining solutions and how they support underground verification and compliance, visit pointerra.com/industries/mining-oil-gas/ or request a personalised demo with the team.
Editorial note: This article and its content were produced by a sponsor.
