Skycatch Launches High Accuracy Drone Mapping and 3D Data Analytics Solution

Skycatch has announced during MINExpo INTERNATIONAL 2021 the availability of Flight1x, a first to market cloud-based solution for the DJI M300 that delivers unprecedented drone mapping accuracy and inspection automation for mining and construction industrial operations. Built on technology adopted by the largest mining companies in the world including Komatsu and AngloAmerican, Flight1x is proprietary software developed specifically for the M300 that offers the most complete end-to-end high precision industrial drone capabilities available today. The new solution delivers proven data and network security via Skycatch servers in the United States coupled with advanced automation features like a 3D first mission planner, mining focused workflows and deep integration into Skycatch’s data analytics platform, Datahub.

“Working with Skycatch has been a game changer for the way we operate providing benefits across the organization,” said Sean Gibson, Survey and Engineering at Teck Resources Limited, Line Creek Operations. “They have their finger on the pulse of the drone industry and are genuinely concerned with the success of their clients, which is very apparent when you work with anyone in their team.

Skycatch’s drone mission software outperforms off-the-shelf photogammetry tools and laser sensors by reducing the time to obtain quality, high accuracy 3D data by 60% and delivering results in 10-15 minutes compared to 3 hours. Flight1x takes these capabilities to the next level on the M300, delivering sub-3 cm high accuracy for tailings management and inspection and putting unprecedented fidelity into the hands of geologists and mining specialists where inspection and repeatable high precision is critical to ensure worker safety, reduce surveying costs, improve production planning and minimize the risk of human error in hazardous mining sites. Skycatch’s analytics platform, Datahub, delivers added value for specific industrial workflows such as pit survey, highwall mining and repeatable tailings inspections. Customers opting into the M300 and Skycatch Flight1x bundle receive priority order fulfillment of the M300.

“With easy-to-use workflows, processing, data viewing and access environments, they continue to push the limits of what is possible with cutting edge solutions tailored to client needs. Combining this with the latest drone and sensor technology, Skycatch is dedicated to a complete and user-friendly solution that continues to evolve at the pace of the drone industry. It would be safe to say that Skycatch has become an integral part of our operation.”

Skycatch specializes in bridging data from the physical world to the digital world to deliver the highest levels of data accuracy and analysis. The Flight1x software will work with the M300 to help mining engineers extract data faster than current methods to make safe and commercially impactful decisions quickly leveraging the following:

• Fully automated capture, extraction and processing of high precision 3D point clouds.
• Highly specialized mission planning automation to extract data from complex terrains such as high walls.
• Complete industrial data capture and processing for repeatable and automated spot inspection.
• Consistent data retrieval analysis of thousands of terrain spots in a single location by an automated industrial drone.
• Fully automated aerial robot technology built on Skycatch’s automation platform eliminates need for manual pilots and reduces risk of human error.

“As they plan for their M300 rollouts, this is the moment mining and industrial companies have been waiting for that will give them at least a two to three year competitive edge ahead of everyone else’s drone capability,” said Christian Sanz, Founder, and CEO of Skycatch. “The combination of our widely-adopted and trusted automation and data software paired with DJI’s track record in industrial drone manufacturing is a powerful solution, bringing the path to true automation now within reach to the largest mining companies in the world.”