Equipment such as the Air (Vant) and Vessel Vehicles, both unmanned, guarantee greater accuracy in monitoring all of Samarco's geotechnical structures. The new technologies have been used by the company since 2021 through the Monitoring and Inspection Center (CMI). The tools provide geotechnical improvement and greater productivity in the acquisition of geometric data such as mapping, inspections and topography. Thus, they contribute to greater efficiency in monitoring the structures and progress of the ongoing works, de-characterization of the Germano dam and pit.      

In addition to the quality and speed in obtaining the information gathered, the two equipment operated remotely ensure more safety for technicians and operators in the execution of monitoring, avoiding carrying out surveying activities in the conventional way.    

“From a technical point of view, we gained in productivity.  A conventional topography team produces, on average, 8 hectares of survey per day. Using the Vant with the battery kit we have today, we can map an area of ​​600 hectares. As for the vessel, we gained in precision in navigation and greater repeatability in the data gathered, which allows for greater precision in the data”, explains the process analyst of the Geotechnics management and technical in charge of the activity, Rodrigo Estevam.   

Click here to learn about the new unmanned equipment.    

Safety     

The Monitoring and Inspection Center (CMI) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The unit has approximately 1,500 state-of-the-art equipment, which transmits data in real time to a specialized team, made up of specialist technicians and engineers who carry out visual inspections and systematic interpretation of the results of automatic and manual instruments. Periodic field inspections are also carried out. Samarco's geotechnical monitoring is performed in accordance with the main engineering safety practices and in an integrated manner.