NSW Satellite Imagery Hub Story

SATELLITE IMAGERY FOR DETECTING UNAUTHORISED ANCILLARY MINING ACTIVITIES AT NSW MINES

The role of Planet Imagery in enforcement of the Mining Act 1992 (NSW) by the NSW Resources Regulator

Objectives

Under the Mining Act 1992 (NSW) holders of active mining leases in NSW are not permitted to carry out certain ancillary mining activities outside of authorised mining areas without holding ancillary mining authorisations.

Outcomes

Planet Imagery - Planetscope and Skysat scenes

A comparison of daily and monthly imagery over time allowed the regularor to add maps of the boundaries of mining leases to Planet Imagery to identify change over time at locations where ancilary mining activities allegedly occured.  Important source of contempory evidence not available on other platforms.

Time, cost and safety benefits to inspectors

Planet Imagery enabled the regulator to accurately and reliably source evidence of alleged non-compliances at several mines across NSW without the need to travel to alleged locations of unauthorised ancillary mining activity or enter areas with unknown safety risks.

Timely enforcement

Planet Imagery enabled the regulator to inform relevant mining lease holders of irregularities and alleged non-compliance to achieve timely compliance with requirement of the leglislation.