Case Studies

Sewer systems are critical to modern cities, but many are decades old and poorly documented. Traditional surveys often mean days spent underground in confined, hazardous spaces just to confirm pipe locations or conditions before construction work can move ahead.

At United Wambo Joint Venture Mine, a partnership between Glencore and Peabody, drone technology is playing a growing role in overcoming operational constraints. With two active pits and a high demand for frequent survey data, the survey team needed a smarter, faster, and more efficient way to support mining operations.

When summer storms sent tonnes of rubble crashing down a ventilation shaft at an underground gold mine in North Queensland, the operator needed a rock-solid plan, fast. They had to know exactly how much debris had fallen, which walls were coming apart and whether it was safe for crews to go back underground.

Mining safety is a top priority in Australia, and accurate inspections of critical infrastructure play a crucial role. At a Queensland open-cut mine, a recent inspection showcased how the Elios 3 drone significantly boosted safety, efficiency, and reliability in handling a challenging underground culvert inspection.

Flyability and our partner Droprise used the Elios 3 and its new LiDAR payload for a road bridge survey in Belgium.

The Elios 3 made it possible to get tank ultrasonic thickness measurements when pilots flew the drone inside the stainless steel tank, even when it was full.

A major utility contractor in New South Wales conduct power line inspections with both helicopter surveying and ground-based methods, which took time and was expensive. They needed a more efficient and safer solution for inspecting power lines and energy assets across a remote and rugged landscape.

An environmental consultancy out of Queensland, Australia needed an efficient, high-precision solution for topographic mapping and geological exploration across extensive, often remote areas. With projects that spanned vast tracts of land, they sought to increase data accuracy while reducing time on-site and operational costs.

A leading energy asset management company was seeking a robust and reliable drone platform to enhance their surveying capabilities for a critical project in coastal South Australia.

Located in PNG, the K92 mining operation team was keen to implement a commercial drone program to help manage key operating tasks that would not only improve the efficiency and indeed, productivity of their operations, but also limit their personnel being put in harm’s way. 

Yancoal, a leading coal producer in Australia, partnered with Sphere Drones to trial HubX at their remote Mount Thorley site in New South Wales. The trial aimed to demonstrate how HubX could streamline and enhance mining operations through automation, increase the frequency of aerial data collection, and improve personnel safety by reducing exposure to potentially hazardous environments.

Evoegy Consulting, a leader in energy asset lifecycle management, recently developed the drone arm of its business to extend its capability in photogrammetric survey and adopting LiDAR. Evoegy has previously used smaller drones but required a larger platform.

CTRL Media, a Sydney-based media agency has been using drones as an essential part of its business since its start, giving clients in the construction and real estate industries unique perspectives from above.

Surf Life Saving NSW needed to find an asset tracking, registration and identification solution for their rapidly expanding drone Surf Fleet. With multiple costal locations and an increasing monetary commitment, they needed a cost-effective process that could provide certainty in this process and uniquely identify every drone, part and accessory.

Last Friday the Sphere Drones team, along with CEO Paris Cockinos visited the FDC Construction & Fitout team in Sydney, Australia. The visit saw the Boston Dynamics' Spot robot dog traverse a construction site, inspecting areas too dangerous for humans and completing a routine inspection.

Agriculture Victoria as part of their ‘SmartFarms’ project, had a requirement for a fleet of application specific, high-technology drones to be integrated with their existing camera technology and with the requirement of comprehensive training and support services.

Sphere Drones recently worked with Veolia, a global leader in water, waste, and energy management, to increase its insights and safety at its water treatment plant and desalination plant on Australia’s east coast.

Drone technologies used to enhance the efficiency of Sydney Waters’ water sampling program.

SIMEC, an international energy and natural resources business, sought to develop a drone lead solution to calculate the volume of their coal stockpiles.

Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) is responsible for inspecting and maintaining over six thousand bridges across NSW, a timely and costly endeavour. The Sydney Harbour Bridge alone contains 4100 elements and 485,000 square metres of steel and paint that needs to be inspected regularly.

Reflecting on 2019, the Sphere Drones operations team worked all over Australia with a wide range of our clients in mining, agriculture, oil and gas and environmental research.

To locate sharks off the northern Coast of NSW, Southern Cross University required a specialist drone package that included a hyperspectral camera payload.

The ATC was seeking to develop a drone division to provide (Australia-first) on-going aerial footage to live broadcast of both event and actual Group One races.

Marano Farms, like most farms in Queensland have been dealing with a feral pig infestation, which are considered Queensland’s most widespread and damaging pest animals which have been wreaking havoc on their sugarcane crops.