Mining Monitoring
2m weekly, worldwide, type-classified
Mining is one of the largest sectors in the global economy and one of the least transparent. Governments must monitor legal operations for compliance, find illegal mining for enforcement, formalise artisanal mining for tax integration, and track environmental impact — none of which works without detection that is frequent, site-resolved, and type-aware.
A common objection is that free data already covers this. It does not. The best free alternative (Amazon Mining Watch) is Amazon-only, quarterly, and 480m — one pixel covers 23 hectares, identifying perhaps 3–5% of sites. Commercial alternatives are per-AOI and untyped.
EarthToDate is the only globally-available service at usable resolution and cadence: 2–4m multispectral plus 1m visual, weekly to monthly anywhere on Earth, classifying each detection into six spectral groups (iron-rich subsoil, carbonate quarries, silicate/quartz, coal/dark, sediment ponds, acid drainage). Independently validated at 100% of sites found and 97% type-matched against the Tang & Werner 2023 global reference across 12 AOIs on five continents.
It identifies new, retired, and persistent mining between any two dates — serving ministries, treasuries, environmental regulators, operators, development banks, and supply-chain due-diligence alike.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mining Monitoring?
Mining is one of the largest sectors in the global economy and one of the least transparent. Governments must monitor legal operations for compliance, find illegal mining for enforcement, formalise artisanal mining for tax integration, and track environmental impact — none of which works without detection that is frequent, site-resolved, and type-aware.
What data and resolution does Mining Monitoring use?
The only global, frequent, per-site mining monitor that classifies detections by mineral type. (2m weekly, worldwide, type-classified)
How does Mining Monitoring compare to the alternatives?
A common objection is that free data already covers this. It does not. The best free alternative (Amazon Mining Watch) is Amazon-only, quarterly, and 480m — one pixel covers 23 hectares, identifying perhaps 3–5% of sites. Commercial alternatives are per-AOI and untyped.