Zimbabwe’s mining sector is entering a new digital era, with advanced surveying technologies such as drones and LiDAR transforming how mines operate. From improving safety to boosting efficiency and production, these innovations are redefining the role of mine surveyors.
The Association of Mine Surveyors of Zimbabwe (AMSZ) has lauded Pickstone Peerless Mine’s embrace of digital surveying technologies, with President Stewart Gumbi highlighting the operation’s adoption of drone technology and LiDAR as a model for modernising the profession, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking to this publication following the AMSZ first-quarter technical visit hosted at the Dallaglio-owned mine, Gumbi outlined key takeaways from the gathering, emphasising the critical role of surveyors in driving safety, efficiency, and production in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
“The use of modern technology in terms of software to predict, to accurately plan and design operations, remember, these people are reviving an old mine and making it into a new mine,” Gumbi said. “That’s why they were explaining to say it’s a new old mine.”
The mine, which resumed underground production in September 2023 after last being mined in 1971, has made surveying the foundation of its digital transformation strategy. Mine Technical Services Manager Mathew Mamina told the visiting delegation that the goal is to become “fully digital in all the processes that we do,” with the surveying pillar at the core of that journey.
Gumbi noted that the adoption of software and high-tech design tools enables Pickstone to revive the operation safely and efficiently.
“The use of software and other high-tech to design this enables them to revive this operation and make it operational very safely,” he said.
Drones and LiDAR Take Surveyors Out of Harm’s Way
A standout feature of Pickstone’s approach is its deployment of drone technology and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) systems, tools that Gumbi said remove mine surveyors from hazardous environments while delivering faster, more accurate results.
“They also have adopted issues to do with drone technology and LiDAR technology, things that remove the mine surveyor from hazardous mining environments. They deploy drones,” Gumbi said. “Number one, it gives them faster feedback, faster measurements, faster feedback and faster reporting. Number two, it keeps people away from danger. People don’t have to enter dangerous zones, but they can deploy drones to see.”
He explained that Pickstone uses drones to map out old workings, ensuring they do not accidentally blast into historical excavations, a critical safety measure in a mine with workings dating back to the 1800s.
“They mentioned they use drones to map out old workings so that they make sure they do not accidentally blast into old workings. So that adoption of proper hardware is also something that is notable,” Gumbi said.
The Technology in Practice
Drone-based surveying technology has proven transformative across the mining industry. A case study from a gold mine in Zimbabwe found that deploying a collision-tolerant drone with LiDAR payload achieved 90% survey coverage in a stope that previously yielded only 40% coverage with traditional methods, a 125% improvement in data collection.
The drone’s LiDAR sensor can capture point clouds accurate to within one centimetre, with a range of 100 metres and one million points per second, enabling quick, accurate scans of underground spaces. The technology also allows surveyors to collect 4K video and 12MP photo data simultaneously, with points of interest location tagged in the resulting 3D model, identifying the exact nature and location of cracks, faults, or ore veins.
In Zimbabwe, major platinum mines, including Zimplats and Implats Sibanye, have already adopted high-density LiDAR surveys coupled with high-resolution ortho imagery for precise topographical surface and terrain information, digital vector line mapping, and annual mine survey status reporting.
Surveying’s Role in Safety and Production
Gumbi emphasised that safety and efficiency are intertwined priorities for the association.
“Remember, one of the key pillars of the association is to increase safety and increase production and also increase output,” he said. “So they’ve demonstrated that they are doing all this. Safety is one of their considerations. Efficiency is there in their planning and their execution, and their output is as good as they have reported it.”
The AMSZ has been actively promoting technological advancement across the profession. At a previous technical visit to Shamva Gold Mine, Gumbi noted that the association needed to “promote and drive sector-specific technological advancements that benefit the mine surveying profession.”
Beyond technology, Gumbi highlighted the importance of professional standards. In 2025, AMSZ launched a nationwide register of qualified mine surveyors, categorised by province and accessible via the association’s website and Ministry of Mines notice boards. The initiative also introduced standardised service rates to prevent both overcharging and underpricing.
“We want miners to easily find registered professionals and ensure compliance,” Gumbi said at the launch. “Our goal is to maintain professionalism and ensure miners pay fair rates for the work being done.”
The technical visit to Pickstone Peerless provided surveyors from across Zimbabwe with an opportunity to interact, share ideas, and learn from the mine’s practices. Gumbi said the gathering allowed professionals to discuss how to execute the cadastral exercise and deliver the best results for the government mandate bestowed on mining surveyors.
“Surveyors had a lot of exchange and interchange that they did at this technical visit,” he said. “So yes, I think those are some of the key takeaways.”
As Zimbabwe’s mining sector continues to modernise, the adoption of digital surveying technologies is set to accelerate. The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s push for a digital cadastre, combined with the mandatory use of survey-grade coordinates for claim registration, places professional surveyors at the centre of the sector’s formalisation drive.
For Pickstone Peerless, the digital journey is just beginning. The mine currently operates at the “point scanning stage,” but Mamina has expressed interest in advancing to more sophisticated tools, including drone-mounted scanners and other instruments to improve surveying capabilities.
Gumbi’s message to the profession is clear, the future of mining lies in technology, and surveyors, equipped with the right tools and training, will lead the way.
