At Candrone Demo Day 2025, we had the opportunity to chat with Derek Holmes, Principal at Holmes Mining Consultants Ltd., a boutique firm specializing in regulatory permitting and compliance for rock quarries and gravel pits across British Columbia. But beyond paperwork, Holmes Mining is flying high—quite literally—by using drone technology to collect critical site data and transform how mining operations plan, monitor, and reclaim their sites.
Mining Smarter: Aerial Data for Regulatory Compliance
As Derek explained, drone technology has become an integral part of their workflow. “We use drones to collect data, and then we use that data almost on a daily basis to produce mine plans and reclamation plans,” he said. For industries dealing with complex regulations and evolving environmental standards, having accurate and up-to-date geospatial data is non-negotiable.
The Tools of the Trade: Matrice 300 & V70 LiDAR
Holmes Mining’s drone fleet includes two go-to workhorses:
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The DJI Matrice 300 RTK, paired with GreenValley International’s V70 LiDAR system
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The compact but capable DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise
The M300 + V70 combo is particularly valuable in heavily forested or remote areas, where the goal is to understand what lies beneath the canopy. Traditional photogrammetry can’t cut through the foliage, but LiDAR can—offering bare earth models, stream bed detection, and insights into historic geological features.
When Remote Means Remote: Real-World ROI
One of the most compelling parts of the interview came when Derek shared a real-world use case. His team was assigned to a 100-acre remote site with dense tree cover and no connectivity. “We’re trying to pick up millions of points,” he said. Using traditional survey methods, a crew of three or four people would take a full week to gather that level of detail.
With their drone setup?
“We can do it in a matter of hours,” Derek explained. Not only is it faster, but it’s also safer and more accurate, with the LiDAR payload collecting far more data than any ground crew ever could. This kind of efficiency leads to a rapid return on investment—especially when scaled across multiple sites.
Who Benefits: Operators, Landowners, and Project Developers
Unlike firms that support survey teams or subcontracting groups, Holmes Mining works directly with mine site operators and landowners. Whether it's someone looking to launch a new gravel pit or ensure compliance with reclamation guidelines, their drone-enabled services help clients expedite approvals, mitigate risk, and make better decisions—all grounded in high-quality aerial data.
The Future of Drones in Mining: Beneath the Surface
While current drone systems excel at surface modeling, Derek is excited about what’s next. “If we could get some different sensors that could see below water or below the ground—that would be a real game changer,” he said. As technology advances, tools like ground-penetrating radar or subsurface imaging mounted on drones could unlock new layers of exploration, pushing drone use even further into geotechnical investigations and mineral exploration.
