Tailings storage facilities (TSFs) are among the most critical and closely scrutinized components of any mining operation. With increasing regulatory demands, stakeholder expectations, and environmental risks, relying solely on periodic inspections or manual reports is no longer sufficient. Today, effective TSF management requires continuous, real-time insight backed by reliable, integrated data.
Forward-thinking mining organizations are turning to Esri’s ArcGIS platform to modernize their approach. By combining sensor data, field inspections, and imagery in a centralized geospatial system, operators gain the situational awareness needed to make faster, smarter, and safer decisions.
The Challenge: Monitor More, Worry Less
TSFs are massive, dynamic environments. Monitoring slope stability, water pressure, structural movement, and operational anomalies often involves juggling a patchwork of siloed systems, each capturing a narrow slice of information. This fragmentation creates blind spots, slows down response times, and makes it harder to correlate field conditions with engineering data.
Common challenges include:
- Disconnected data systems: Instrument readings, inspection notes, and imagery stored in separate platforms
- Manual processes: Field data captured on paper or spreadsheets, leading to delays and transcription errors
- Limited visibility: No centralized view to track real-time trends or assess risk across multiple sites
Real-world consequence:
A delay in identifying elevated pore pressure readings at a TSF could lead to missed early warning signs, putting infrastructure, compliance, and safety at risk.
The Opportunity: A Unified, Real-Time Monitoring Solution
Recognizing the need for smarter oversight, mining companies are implementing integrated geospatial solutions using ArcGIS. These systems consolidate real-time data from geotechnical instruments, mobile inspections, and remote sensing into a single interactive dashboard, designed for engineers, operators, and decision-makers alike.
What sets this solution apart:
- Real-time alerts and dynamic visualization of sensor data
- Geospatial context for understanding where issues are emerging
- Dashboards that unify field-collected and automated data in one view
- Scalability to monitor multiple TSFs or expand across operations
By using ArcGIS as the digital backbone, mining teams can break down data silos, reduce manual effort, and enhance their ability to identify risks early before they escalate into problems.
The Solution: A Centralized Dashboard for Real-Time Monitoring
At the heart of the system is a custom dashboard built with ArcGIS Experience Builder. It consolidates geotechnical data from instruments such as piezometers and inclinometers and updates automatically via direct API connections.
Key features include:
- Real-time sensor readings showing water pressure and structural movement
- Interactive map views with color-coded risk indicators
- Filters by site, instrument type, or date range for focused analysis
- Field inspection data seamlessly linked through ArcGIS Survey123
With this setup, engineers can quickly identify issues, respond proactively, and reduce time spent gathering and verifying data.
Field Data Collection with ArcGIS Survey123
To enhance automated monitoring, mobile field inspections are conducted using ArcGIS Survey123. Engineers capture and submit observations directly from their mobile devices, including geotagged photos, field notes, and instrument readings.
Benefits of Survey123 integration:
- Real-time data entry from the field
- GPS-enabled observations for spatial accuracy
- Dynamic forms that adjust based on inspection type or location
- Streamlined QA/QC with centralized data management
This hybrid approach combines sensor-driven data with human expertise, providing a more complete view of TSF conditions.
Example in Action:
During a routine tailings inspection, a field engineer identifies surface cracking along the dam crest. Using Survey123, they immediately log the observation, attach a geotagged photo, and flag the issue as moderate risk. The entry is automatically synced to the central dashboard, alerting geotechnical teams for review, eliminating delays associated with manual reporting.
Additional Value:
Survey123’s logic-driven forms reduce errors by guiding users through required fields based on context. For example, when inspecting piezometers, the form dynamically displays only relevant fields, such as water level, well condition, and last calibration date, speeding up data entry while improving accuracy.
These efficiencies have shortened inspection times, improved data quality, and ensured faster response to emerging issues in the field.
Visualizing Trends: Graphs and Analytics
Graphing tools were added to support trend analysis and early warning capabilities. Engineers can:
- Track cumulative displacement over time
- Compare historical versus current readings
- Detect anomalies before they escalate into problems
These visualizations make it easier to interpret complex data and strengthen long-term planning and risk mitigation strategies.
To extend insights beyond the core dashboard, ArcGIS for Power BI enables teams to integrate geospatial data into business intelligence reports, combining maps with operational KPIs for executive-level visibility. This is particularly valuable for board presentations or cross-functional updates, where spatial trends must be communicated clearly and concisely.
Meanwhile, ArcGIS for Excel allows engineers and analysts to explore spatial data directly within spreadsheets, making it easier to conduct ad hoc analysis, create custom charts, and share tailored reports with operations teams or regulators.
Example in Action:
A mining operations team uses ArcGIS for Power BI to visualize piezometer trends alongside production data, helping executives quickly assess whether changes in tailings conditions may impact throughput. In parallel, site engineers rely on ArcGIS for Excel to prepare inspection summaries and trend comparisons for weekly field team briefings.
Adding Imagery: Satellite, Drone, and Custom Visual Data
To enrich the tailings monitoring system, mining organizations integrate various imagery sources, providing a comprehensive visual context that complements sensor data and field observations.
Satellite Imagery: Broad Coverage with Regular Updates
Sentinel-2 imagery from the ArcGIS Living Atlas is incorporated into the monitoring platform, updating every two weeks. This medium-resolution satellite data offers consistent, wide-area coverage, enabling teams to:
- Detect Surface Changes: Identify alterations in the tailings facility, such as new water accumulation or structural shifts.
- Cross-Validate Sensor Readings: Correlate anomalies detected by instruments with visual evidence.
- Monitor Vegetation and Erosion: Observe changes in vegetation patterns and potential erosion areas over time.
Example: After a significant rainfall event, engineers use Sentinel-2 imagery to confirm increased water pooling in specific areas of the tailings facility, aligning with elevated readings from piezometers.
Drone Imagery: High-Resolution, Site-Specific Insights For detailed, site-specific analysis, high-resolution drone imagery is integrated into the monitoring platform using SiteScan for ArcGIS. SiteScan is Esri’s end-to-end cloud-based drone mapping solution, purpose-built for managing drone flight planning, image processing, and 2D/3D visualization.
Key Benefits of Drone and SiteScan Integration:
- Detailed Visuals: Capture fine-resolution imagery to identify cracks, ponding, erosion, or structural irregularities.
- 3D Surface Modeling: Create digital elevation models (DEMs) and point clouds for volumetric assessments and dam geometry checks.
- Rapid Response: Launch targeted drone inspections after extreme weather events, seismic activity, or operational incidents.
- Flight Planning and Compliance: Plan repeatable drone flights, log missions, and ensure regulatory alignment within a centralized system.
Example in Action:
Following a heavy rainfall, operations teams use SiteScan to plan and execute a drone flight over the TSF. Within hours, processed orthomosaics and 3D models are available in the dashboard, enabling engineers to assess surface runoff patterns and validate sensor-based alerts indicating elevated pore pressure.
Custom Imagery: Tailored Visual Data Integration
The platform’s flexibility allows for the integration of various custom imagery sources, including:
- Third-Party Aerial Surveys: Incorporate specialized aerial data for comprehensive analysis.
- Historical Imagery: Compare past and present conditions to assess long-term changes.
- Engineering Overlays: Overlay design plans onto current imagery to monitor construction progress or deviations.
Example: By overlaying historical imagery with current drone captures, engineers identify gradual subsidence in a section of the tailings facility, prompting a detailed investigation.
Interactive Comparison Tools: Visualizing Change Over Time
To effectively analyze changes, the system utilizes interactive tools like the swipe comparison feature in ArcGIS. This tool allows users to:
- Compare Imagery Layers: Slide between different imagery layers to observe changes over time.
- Enhance Decision-Making: Quickly identify areas of concern by visually comparing before-and-after scenarios.
- Support Reporting: Create compelling visuals for reports and stakeholder presentations.
Example: Using the swipe tool, engineers compare pre- and post-construction imagery to assess the effectiveness of recent reinforcement measures on the tailings dam.
Integrating diverse imagery sources into the tailings monitoring system provides a multi-dimensional view of the facility, enhancing the ability to detect, analyze, and respond to potential issues promptly. Tools like the swipe comparison feature further empower teams to visualize changes effectively, supporting proactive management and decision-making.
Designed to Scale: A Template for Broader Use
The tailings monitoring platform was developed using a scalable, repeatable template built on Esri’s commercial off-the-shelf software. This approach allows mining organizations to adapt and expand their monitoring systems across multiple sites or operational contexts without starting from scratch.
Key Advantages:
- Rapid Deployment: Easily replicate the solution at additional TSF sites, minimizing setup time and IT overhead.
- Flexible Configuration: Customize dashboards, forms, and data pipelines to reflect each site’s unique instrumentation, geography, or reporting needs.
- Future-Proof Architecture: Seamlessly integrate new data sources, including drone imagery, AI-driven risk analytics, and sensor networks, as operations evolve.
Example in Action:
After a successful rollout at one TSF, a mining company replicated the system at a second site using the same core template. With only minor configuration changes (such as different sensor IDs and inspection workflows), the second site was operational within weeks, compared to months if building a solution from the ground up.
Callout: Template Cloning Made Easy
Using Esri’s API-driven approach, the entire solution, data models, dashboards, forms, and user permissions, can be cloned and adapted for other sites. This dramatically reduces setup effort and ensures consistency across operations.
Real-World Benefit:
This scalable framework allows regional and global mining operators to standardize their approach to tailings monitoring. Engineering teams benefit from a consistent interface and reporting structure, while corporate EHS leaders gain a unified view of performance across multiple sites.
By using a modular and extensible design, the system not only meets today’s monitoring needs but is also positioned to grow with the organization and support future innovations in geospatial intelligence.
The Outcome: One Platform, Many Benefits
By unifying real-time sensor data, mobile field inspections, and imagery within a single ArcGIS Online environment, the mining organization has transformed its approach to tailings monitoring, bringing together people, processes, and technology on one powerful platform.
Key Benefits:
- Increased Situational Awareness: Engineers can now assess TSF conditions at a glance—anytime, anywhere—with live dashboards and map-based risk indicators.
- Streamlined Inspection Workflows: Field teams use ArcGIS Survey123 to collect and submit real-time data, cutting reporting time by more than 50%.
- Reduced Reliance on Manual Data Entry: Automated data pulls from sensors and mobile forms eliminate spreadsheet consolidation and reduce error rates.
- Enhanced Risk Management and Compliance: Integrated data views support proactive risk identification and simplify regulatory reporting and audits.
Example in Action:
During a heavy rain event, real-time piezometer readings began trending upward. The dashboard flagged the condition automatically, prompting a field inspection that confirmed elevated water levels near a sensitive zone. Within minutes, risk mitigation measures were deployed, demonstrating the value of a system that links sensor alerts to field response.
One Platform, Many Stakeholders
From geotechnical engineers to environmental managers and corporate executives, having a single, authoritative platform ensures everyone is working from the same data, improving collaboration, accountability, and decision-making. This integrated, GIS-driven approach is setting a new standard in tailings oversight, making operations safer, more efficient, and fundamentally more data-driven.
Explore What’s Possible
Interested in modernizing your TSF monitoring strategy? Contact us to learn how Esri’s ArcGIS Tailings Management System can help you build a centralized, real-time monitoring platform tailored to your Tailings operations.
