Mine rehabilitation monitoring has traditionally meant boots on the ground—site visits, photo points, and manual vegetation surveys. Satellite monitoring promises to change that, offering continuous oversight at a fraction of the labour cost.

But the technology’s limitations are becoming clearer as early adopters gain experience. Here’s what’s actually working in the field.

The Promise of Remote Sensing

Modern satellites can capture multispectral imagery at resolutions down to 30cm. Combined with analysis algorithms, this data can theoretically detect:

• Vegetation health and coverage progression
• Erosion and land movement
• Water quality changes in pit lakes
• Slope stability indicators
• Rehabilitation success or failure

The appeal is obvious: monthly or quarterly imagery instead of expensive site visits, covering entire lease areas rather than sample points.

Where Satellite Monitoring Delivers

Broad-Scale Vegetation Tracking

For large rehabilitation areas, satellite imagery effectively tracks overall vegetation establishment and trends.

A Queensland coal operation uses satellite data to monitor 4,000 hectares of rehabilitation. Their environmental manager reports: “We can see which areas are establishing well and which need intervention. It’s not precise enough for compliance reporting, but it tells us where to focus ground-truthing.”

Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) analysis works well for broad patterns. Healthy vegetation reflects specific wavelengths that satellites detect reliably.

Erosion Detection

Bare earth and erosion features show up clearly in optical imagery. Changes between acquisition dates highlight problem areas.

A Western Australian iron ore site credits satellite monitoring with catching an erosion issue three months earlier than scheduled inspections would have found it. The early detection allowed intervention before significant remediation was needed.

Land Movement and Subsidence

InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) can detect ground movement of a few millimetres over time. For sites with subsidence risk, this provides early warning that traditional monitoring might miss.

Several coal mines in the Hunter Valley use InSAR to monitor surface movement above underground workings.

Where Satellite Monitoring Falls Short

Species-Level Vegetation Assessment

Regulators often require specific species composition in rehabilitation areas. Satellites can tell you vegetation exists—they can’t reliably tell you what species are present.

“We still need people walking the sites to confirm we’re meeting our species diversity requirements,” explains an environmental scientist at a Bowen Basin operation. “The satellite shows green; it doesn’t show whether that green is the right plants or weeds.”

Soil Development

Rehabilitation success ultimately depends on soil development—structure, organic matter, biological activity. None of this is visible from space.

Ground-based soil sampling remains essential, though satellite data can guide where to sample.

Early-Stage Establishment

Newly planted rehabilitation areas don’t produce enough vegetation signal for reliable satellite detection. For the first 1-2 years, ground monitoring remains necessary.

Cloud Cover in Tropical Regions

Operations in northern Queensland and the Top End face persistent cloud cover during wet seasons—exactly when vegetation growth is most active.

“We might get one usable image every six weeks during the wet,” notes a rehabilitation specialist at a northern gold mine. “That’s not enough frequency for confident monitoring.”

Integration Rather Than Replacement

The emerging best practice treats satellite monitoring as a complement to ground-based programs, not a replacement.

A tiered approach works:

Tier 1: Satellite screening - Monthly or quarterly imagery identifies areas of concern and confirms stable areas.

Tier 2: Targeted ground inspection - Sites flagged by satellite analysis receive priority for physical visits.

Tier 3: Detailed assessment - Compliance-grade surveys focus on representative areas and problem sites.

This approach reduces helicopter hours and travel costs while maintaining data quality where it matters.

Regulatory Acceptance

Regulators are cautiously accepting satellite monitoring as supplementary evidence, but not as a replacement for traditional methods.

The Queensland Department of Environment and Science has published guidance allowing satellite data in rehabilitation reports when combined with ground-truthing. Western Australian regulators have similar positions.

“Satellite monitoring shows your overall program is on track,” says one compliance officer. “But when we’re approving rehabilitation sign-off, we need someone to have actually stood on the site.”

Cost Reality

Satellite monitoring isn’t as cheap as vendor marketing suggests.

Costs include:

• Imagery acquisition: $5-50 per square kilometre per acquisition
• Analysis platform subscriptions: $20,000-100,000 annually
• Internal capability or consultant fees for interpretation
• Ground-truthing to validate satellite findings

For large sites with extensive rehabilitation obligations, the economics work. A $150,000 annual satellite program covering 10,000 hectares can reduce helicopter inspection costs by $300,000.

For smaller operations, the fixed costs of platforms and expertise may not justify the benefits.

Technology Trajectory

The technology is improving rapidly:

• Higher resolution imagery becoming more affordable
• AI analysis reducing interpretation costs
• Satellite constellation growth improving revisit times
• Multispectral capabilities expanding

Within 3-5 years, expect:

• More reliable species identification from hyperspectral imagery
• Near-real-time change detection
• Better integration with ground sensor networks
• Regulatory frameworks catching up with capabilities

Practical Next Steps

For operations considering satellite monitoring:

1. Start with a pilot: Don’t commit to comprehensive programs before understanding what works at your site.

2. Define use cases: Be specific about what questions satellite data will answer. “Monitor rehabilitation” is too vague.

3. Plan integration: How will satellite data feed into your existing monitoring program and reporting systems?

4. Budget for ground-truthing: Satellite monitoring doesn’t eliminate field work; it changes where and how often.

5. Engage regulators early: Discuss how satellite data might be used in compliance reporting before investing heavily.

Satellite monitoring will transform rehabilitation monitoring over the next decade. But right now, it’s a powerful supplement to ground-based programs rather than a standalone solution.