A Preliminary Investigation of Mobile Mapping Technology for Underground Mining

Accurate and frequent mapping in an underground mine is essential for roadway development as well as rock mass classification and hazard detection. The utilization of traditional mine mapping equipment in underground mines have been difficult due to unavailability of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals, limited lighting conditions, restricted accesses, and intrinsic safety (IS) requirements. Recent advances in sensor technology and post-scanning algorithms have led to the development of portable and mobile laser scanning devices that can work without the need for GNSS by using the principles of simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) to obtain a relatively registered laser scan (or point cloud). However, commercially available SLAM based systems are mainly designed for indoor urban applications and their utility in an underground mining environment needs to be tested. In this study, a portable SLAM based mobile mapping system (Zeb-Revo) has been used in an underground coal environment to evaluate its potential and identify related challenges.