Drone and thermal imaging monitoring a mining leach pad from above, detecting abnormal water accumulation, irrigation issues, runoff, and potential ground instability while an operator reviews visual evidence.
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Leach Pad Integrity, Seen from Above

Turning drone and thermal imagery into early warning for irrigation failures, water accumulation, runoff, and ground instability.
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By the time ground damage is obvious, the precursor may have been developing for days.
WHY THIS "LEACH-PAD INTEGRITY" CHALLENGE?
Pooling, runoff, and irrigation-line disconnections can remain unnoticed until deformation affects roads, conveyors, mineral inventory, or production continuity. Wide-area aerial visibility helps teams find abnormal water behavior earlier and direct field validation where exposure is highest.
Key benefits
Find the water pattern before it becomes a ground problem

Drone and thermal imagery give operations a wider field of view turning subtle surface conditions into prioritized evidence.

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Catch the precursor, not just the consequence

Detect water-related conditions before serious instability develops.

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Cover terrain crews cannot continuously walk

Inspect large and difficult-to-access areas from above.

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See irrigation behavior as a system

Identify pooling, runoff, disconnections, and uneven distribution.

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Know where, what, and when

Trace findings by pile, area, anomaly type, and inspection cycle.

How NTT DATA helps

01
Design the observation strategy

Define flight plans, imagery requirements, frequency, and priority areas.

Mining specialists planning a drone inspection strategy for a leach pad, defining flight paths, imagery coverage, inspection frequency, and priority monitoring areas before aerial deployment.
02
Read water and terrain together

Use segmentation to detect accumulation, runoff, affected terrain, and irrigation infrastructure.

Mining specialists reviewing drone imagery of a leach pad as Physical AI identifies water accumulation, runoff paths, affected terrain, and irrigation infrastructure across the site.
03
Surface distribution problems earlier

Recognize possible disconnections and areas with nonuniform water behavior.

Mining specialist inspecting irrigation infrastructure at a leach pad, reviewing a potential water leak or pipeline disconnection while monitoring conditions across the surrounding site.
04
Organize evidence around operations

Structure findings by pile and operational area in a monitoring platform.

Mining operations specialist reviewing aerial monitoring data organized by individual leach-pad piles and operational areas, with visual findings and status indicators displayed in a centralized monitoring platform
05
Improve with every field check

We don’t treat AI findings as final truth. Field validation confirms observations and strengthens model performance over time.

Mining specialists validating an AI-detected condition directly in the field, comparing aerial observations with the physical site and recording the confirmed evidence for future analysis.
Mining specialists overlooking a large leach-pad operation while a drone surveys the site, combining wide-area aerial monitoring with human field review to identify potential issues before they affect operations.
Proven impact
See wider. Validate earlier. Protect continuity.
Results that matter
Earlier aerial evidence helps operations act before water-related conditions escalate.
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Flag critical precursors sooner

Early warning for pooling, runoff, and disconnections.

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Extend inspection reach

Wide-area coverage without relying only on walking inspections.

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Improve irrigation visibility

Better view of distribution across affected areas.

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Protect exposed infrastructure

Reduce water-related risk to roads, conveyors, and production zones.

Find the warning signs before they reach ground level.

Protect leach-pad integrity with earlier, wider visibility.

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