CybELE LAWGICAL LDA (PT)
With this program, CybELE aimed to apply its services also within the mining industry. The mining industry is facing major challenges related to waste management and pollution mitigation. Environmental compliance has become a top-priority concern for the sector. Mining stakeholders devote an important and growing part of operational expenses to develop best practices and to achieve the highest environmental/ethical standards in order to obtain and maintain a Social License to Operate (SLA). Moreover, regulatory frameworks are becoming increasingly stringent both concerning environmental legal requirements and the liability burden associated with potential remediation of damages. Governmental entities also have a strong interest in using wide-scale monitoring capacities to improve the control of mining areas.
On the basis of consultation with mining stakeholders (industries and governmental entities), CybELE has demonstrated opportunities for innovative solutions to support this sector with the monitoring of environmental status and compliance. The result of the first phase led to CERES, a digital system providing satellite-based environmental compliance monitoring service dedicated to the mining & extractive sector. The system provides both EO & GIS (Geographical Information Systems) datasets answering the specific need of the sector (e.g. monitoring of chemical contamination) as well as a user interface tailored for the services and features required for a mining expert. The service can be used by a series of entities associated with mining activities including mining companies, consulting firms, insurance companies and banks, or governmental agencies and international organisations. It can be integrated into conventional processes and workflows at any stage of the mine life cycle. During this first phase of demonstration, the service has been demonstrated and validated at the stage of mine rehabilitation to monitor the implementation of environmental policies following the closure of a site.
