Evaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile Delineation

Abstract Mine waste dumps consist of individual, blob-like spoil piles, each with unique geological and geotechnical attributes that contribute to the overall stability of the dump. Manually characterising these individual spoil piles presents challenges due to issues of accessibility, safety risks,...

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Main Authors: Sureka Thiruchittampalam, Bikram Pratap Banerjee, Nancy F Glenn, Simit Raval
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77616-y
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author Sureka Thiruchittampalam
Bikram Pratap Banerjee
Nancy F Glenn
Simit Raval
author_facet Sureka Thiruchittampalam
Bikram Pratap Banerjee
Nancy F Glenn
Simit Raval
author_sort Sureka Thiruchittampalam
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Mine waste dumps consist of individual, blob-like spoil piles, each with unique geological and geotechnical attributes that contribute to the overall stability of the dump. Manually characterising these individual spoil piles presents challenges due to issues of accessibility, safety risks, and time consumption. Analysis of remotely acquired images, through object-based classification, offers a promising solution for the effective identification and characterisation of individual spoil piles. However, object-based classification’s effectiveness hinges on segmentation, an aspect often overlooked in spoil pile analysis. Therefore, this study aims to identify and compare various segmentation approaches to pave the way for image-based spoil characterisation. A comparative analysis is conducted between traditional segmentation approaches and those rooted in deep learning methodologies. Among the diverse segmentation approaches evaluated, the morphology-based deep learning segmentation approach, Segment Anything Model (SAM), exhibited superior performance compared to other approaches. This outcome underscores the effectiveness of incorporating morphological data and deep learning techniques for accurate and efficient segmentation of spoil pile. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the optimisation of segmentation strategies, thereby contributing to the application of image-based monitoring of spoil piles and promoting the sustainable and hazard free management of mine dump environments.
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spelling doaj-art-3bee6f43630949a2a8afe1ca667a7c132025-08-20T02:10:12ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111310.1038/s41598-024-77616-yEvaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile DelineationSureka Thiruchittampalam0Bikram Pratap Banerjee1Nancy F Glenn2Simit Raval3School of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering, University of New South WalesSchool of Surveying and Built Environment, University of Southern QueenslandDepartment of Geosciences, Boise State UniversitySchool of Minerals and Energy Resources Engineering, University of New South WalesAbstract Mine waste dumps consist of individual, blob-like spoil piles, each with unique geological and geotechnical attributes that contribute to the overall stability of the dump. Manually characterising these individual spoil piles presents challenges due to issues of accessibility, safety risks, and time consumption. Analysis of remotely acquired images, through object-based classification, offers a promising solution for the effective identification and characterisation of individual spoil piles. However, object-based classification’s effectiveness hinges on segmentation, an aspect often overlooked in spoil pile analysis. Therefore, this study aims to identify and compare various segmentation approaches to pave the way for image-based spoil characterisation. A comparative analysis is conducted between traditional segmentation approaches and those rooted in deep learning methodologies. Among the diverse segmentation approaches evaluated, the morphology-based deep learning segmentation approach, Segment Anything Model (SAM), exhibited superior performance compared to other approaches. This outcome underscores the effectiveness of incorporating morphological data and deep learning techniques for accurate and efficient segmentation of spoil pile. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the optimisation of segmentation strategies, thereby contributing to the application of image-based monitoring of spoil piles and promoting the sustainable and hazard free management of mine dump environments.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77616-yMean shift segmentationSimple linear iterative clusteringVoronoi-based segmentationStarDist segmentationSegment anything model
spellingShingle Sureka Thiruchittampalam
Bikram Pratap Banerjee
Nancy F Glenn
Simit Raval
Evaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile Delineation
Scientific Reports
Mean shift segmentation
Simple linear iterative clustering
Voronoi-based segmentation
StarDist segmentation
Segment anything model
title Evaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile Delineation
title_full Evaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile Delineation
title_fullStr Evaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile Delineation
title_full_unstemmed Evaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile Delineation
title_short Evaluating segmentation methods for UAV-Based Spoil Pile Delineation
title_sort evaluating segmentation methods for uav based spoil pile delineation
topic Mean shift segmentation
Simple linear iterative clustering
Voronoi-based segmentation
StarDist segmentation
Segment anything model
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77616-y
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