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Thanks to the development of geodetic methods and equipment, there has been a transition from conventional methods to modern technologies, which can efficiently and accurately acquire a large amount of data in a short time without the need for direct contact with the measured object. Combined technologies such as Structure from Motion (SfM), Multi-View Stereo (MVS) photogrammetry using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) are often used for monitoring geohazards and documenting objects in quarries to obtain detailed and accurate information about their condition and changes. This article deals with the analysis of point clouds obtained with different settings in terms of average absolute point distance, average point density, and time range for surveying and office work. The numerical and graphical results of the research lead to conclusions for scientific and practical applications for activities in the mining industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) combined with various sensors brings the benefits associated with fast, automatic, and contactless spatial data collection with high resolution and accuracy. The most frequent application is the possibility of effectively creating spatial models based on photogrammetric and lidar data. This review analyzes the current possibilities of UAVs. It provides an overview of the current state of the art and research on selected parameters regarding their history and development, classification, regulation, and application in surveying with creating spatial models. Classification and regulation are based on national sources. The importance and usability of this review are also carried out by analyzing the UAV application with selected photogrammetric and lidar sensors. The study explores and discusses results achieved by many authors in recent years, synthesizing essential facts. By analyzing the network of co-occurring High-Frequency Words, in addition, we visualized the importance of the primary keyword UAV in the context of other keywords in the literary sources processed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uranium ore mineralisation occurrences at the Western Carpathians/Slovakia are deposited within Permian volcano-sedimentary sequences. The mineralisation principally consists of two genetic types, the stratiform one and U-Mo vein mineralization linked to andesite volcanites. Geological exploration of uranium mineralization in Slovakia is subject to rigorous assessment of Ministry of Environment and municipalities. The limited energy sources and dependence to foreigner, open space for prospection of new energy sources (reneweable, uranium or traditional from coal, oil, gas).

During the last period is modern geology oriented toward intensive utilisation of mathematical methods. Utilisation of these methods was conditioned by complicated structure of geological bodies, which resulted from interaction of a couple of factors. In the period of projection, realisation and evaluation of geological works one meet many problems of description of a character of geological data. These problems very often trivial arise from the poor knowledge of the principles of statistical methods. Transformation of real geological object into the form of abstract mathematical model is the basic and usually also the most complicated step of mathematical solution. There is also to be mentioned that there is no unitary approach to the modelling or uniform direction for a method of data processing selection. Complicacy of geological objects needs rational simplification of the model, otherwise the solution would be too complicated or even impossible.

World-wide trend of geological data processing leaves old documentation forms and shows the necessity for introduction of computer technologies utilising GIS and CAD systems for the processing of geological documentation. These systems are used for the effective creation, data input, documentation updating, deposit modelling and geological data presentation. The systems can be indicated as computer expert systems, which help us solve everyday geological problems more effectively. Establishing of new system for creation and actualisation of geological documentation and creation of the GIS will simplify the mine practice control system, which in consequence supports the positive development in the economy of the company.

The Geographical Information System (GIS) introduced into the mining practice represents a new technology of a graphical and alphanumerical data overworking. GIS becomes a necessary part of the mining practice control, as it works with many data more quickly and effective by, and enables a presentation of the data in a 2-D and 3-D space by a suitable graphical means. A new way of creating GIS, a new and progressive method of overworking, evaluating and archivating of geological data in Slovakia, is presented in this paper.

In order to improve the present knowledge of the siderite ore deposit at Kobeliarovo, a computer technique and available software were used for basic parameters at V. and VI. horizons. The modeling used for individual parts as well as for all limited deposits made available to clear a distribution of effective and undesirable components and solved the problem regarding the reserve calculation, realized in the extracted block 65.

Core samples obtained from scientific drilling could provide large volumes of direct microstructural and compositional data, but generating results via the traditional treatment of such data is often time-consuming and inefficient. Unifying microstructural data within a spatially referenced Geographic Information System (GIS) environment provides an opportunity to readily locate, visualize, correlate, and apply remote sensing techniques to the data. Using 26 core billet samples from the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), this study developed GIS-based procedures for: 1. Spatially referenced visualization and storage of various microstructural data from core billets; 2. 3D modeling of billets and thin section positions within each billet, which serve as a digital record after irreversible fragmentation of the physical billets; and 3. Vector feature creation and unsupervised classification of a multi-generation calcite vein network from cathodluminescence (CL) imagery. Building on existing work which is predominantly limited to the 2D space of single thin sections, our results indicate that a GIS can facilitate spatial treatment of data even at centimeter to nanometer scales, but also revealed challenges involving intensive 3D representations and complex matrix transformations required to create geographically translated forms of the within-billet coordinate systems, which are suggested for consideration in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suitable route determination for linear engineering structures is a fundamental problem in engineering geology. Rapid evaluation of alternative routes is essential, and novel approaches are indispensable. This study aims to integrate various InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) techniques for sinkhole susceptibility mapping in the Kirikkale-Delice Region of Turkey, in which sinkhole formations have been observed in evaporitic units and a high-speed train railway route has been planned. Nine months (2019–2020) of ground deformations were determined using data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Sentinel-1A/1B satellites. A sinkhole inventory was prepared manually using satellite optical imagery and employed in an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) model with topographic conditioning factors derived from InSAR digital elevation models (DEMs) and morphological lineaments. The results indicate that high deformation areas on the vertical displacement map and sinkhole-prone areas on the sinkhole susceptibility map (SSM) almost coincide. InSAR techniques are useful for long-term deformation monitoring and can be successfully associated in sinkhole susceptibility mapping using an ANN. Continuous monitoring is recommended for existing sinkholes and highly susceptible areas, and SSMs should be updated with new results. Up-to-date SSMs are crucial for the route selection, planning, and construction of important transportation elements, as well as settlement site selection, in such regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ArcStereoNet is a new ArcGIS® based toolbox for stereographic projections that we implement here using Python 2.7 programming language. The reason to develop another stereographic projection package arises from the recent use of Python as an exclusive programming language within the ArcGIS® environment. This permits a more flexible approach for the development of tools with very intuitive GUIs, and also allows the user to take full advantage of all potential GIS mapping processes. The core of this new projections toolbox is based on the capability to easily apply and compare most of the commonly used statistical methods for cluster and girdle analysis of structural data. In addition to the well-known Fisher, K-means, and Bingham data elaborations, a completely new algorithm for cluster analysis and mean vector extraction (Mean Extractor from Azimuthal Data), was developed, thereby allowing a more reliable interpretation of any possible structural data distribution. Furthermore, as in any other GIS platform, users can always precisely correlate each single projected data point with the corresponding geographical/locality position, thereby merging or subdividing groups of structural stations with a simple selection procedure. ArcStereoNet also creates rose diagrams, which may be applied not only to fault/joint planes orientation data, but also for the analysis of 2D microstructural fabric parameters. These include geometrical datasets derived from the minimum bounding approach as applied to vectorized grains in thin sections. Finally, several customization settings ensure high-quality graphic outputs of plots, that also allow easy vector graphics post-processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-Fabric Analyzer (MFA) is a new GIS-based tool for the quantitative extrapolation of rock microstructural features that takes advantage both of the characteristics of the X-ray images and the optical image features. Most of the previously developed edge mineral grain detectors are uniquely based on the physical properties of the X-ray-, electron-, or optical-derived images; not permitting the exploitation of the specific physical properties of each image type at the same time. More advanced techniques, such as 3D microtomography, permit the reconstruction of tridimensional models of mineral fabric arrays, even though adjacent mineral grain boundaries with the same atomic density are often not detectable. Only electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) allows providing high-performing grain boundary detection that is crystallographically differentiated per mineral phase, even though it is relatively expensive and can be executed only in duly equipped microanalytical laboratories by suitably trained users. Instead, the MFA toolbox allows quantifying fabric parameters subdivided per mineral type starting from a crossed-polarizers high-resolution RGB image, which is useful for identifying the edges of the individual grains characterizing rock fabrics. Then, this image is integrated with a set of micro-X-ray maps, which are useful for the quantitative extrapolation of elemental distribution maps. In addition, all this is achieved by means of low-cost and easy-to-use equipment. We applied the tool on amphibolite, mylonitic-paragneiss, and -tonalite samples to extrapolate the particle fabric on different metamorphic rock types, as well as on the same sandstone sample used for another edge detector, which is useful for comparing the obtained results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]