Service

Volumetric Surveys

Defensible volume and tonnage figures for stockpiles, excavations, open-pit reconciliation and voids — the numbers that drive inventory, reconciliation and payment.

What it is

Volumetric Surveys — engineered for accuracy.

A volumetric survey answers a deceptively simple question — how much material is here? — with an auditable, accurate number. Survey House captures the surface of a stockpile, excavation, dump or open pit by laser scan, UAV or GNSS, depending on access and the accuracy required, and computes the volume against a reference surface or design.

For open-cast operations this is the heart of survey reconciliation. The original ground is surveyed before any work starts to fix the Original Ground Level (OGL) baseline; successive surveys are then compared against OGL to quantify what has been moved and reconcile mined volumes for planning and payment. Scanning an open pit also removes the old hazard of a surveyor working close to the pit edge.

Stockpiles are notoriously hard to measure by hand: uneven surfaces, changing angles of repose and unsafe footing make manual methods slow and imprecise. Capturing the surface remotely is faster, safer and more accurate, and produces a repeatable record that stands up to audit.

Where it's used

Typical applications

Ore & waste stockpile inventory
Open-pit volume reconciliation (OGL vs actual)
Pre-mining (greenfield) survey baselines
Cut & fill / earthworks quantities
Excavation, void & tailings measurement
Progress-claim verification

What you receive

Typical deliverables

Volume & tonnage reports
OGL & progress surface models
Reference-surface comparisons
Audit-ready computation records

FAQ

Volumetric Surveys — frequently asked questions

Clear answers to the questions clients and search engines ask most about this service.

How accurate is a volumetric survey?

Accuracy depends on the capture method and surface, but laser-scan and UAV-based volumes are typically within a few percent and often better — far more accurate and repeatable than manual measurement.

What is an OGL survey and why does it matter?

OGL stands for Original Ground Level — the survey of the natural ground before mining begins. It is the baseline every later survey is compared against to measure how much material has been moved, which is the basis of open-cast volume reconciliation.

How do you measure a stockpile volume?

The stockpile surface is captured as a dense 3D model by laser scanner, drone or GNSS, then compared against the ground or a reference surface. Software computes the enclosed volume, which is converted to tonnage using material density.

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