# Eramet: Satellite Imagery to Anticipate the Expansion of Nickel Mines in Indonesia

**Authors:** Albert's Deep Dive
**Categories:** Business Deep Dives
**Tags:** Eramet, Imagerie satellite, Nickel, Indonésie, B1, Dashboard
**Last Updated:** 2025-11-05T15:54:44.357Z
**Reading Time:** 1 min read

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## Summary

Six student teams designed image analysis algorithms and a dashboard to anticipate the expansion of nickel mines in Indonesia and assess environmental risks for Eramet.

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For three weeks, six teams of four students took on the BDD challenge with Eramet, a leading mining and metallurgical group in strategic metals (nickel, lithium, manganese). The mission: to anticipate the expansion of nickel mines in Indonesia through satellite imagery analysis.

The winning team (Justine Libourel, Jack Pastore, Alexandre Piron, Maelle Lalanne Carillon) proposed an innovative solution based on two complementary algorithms: one to automate image collection, the other to create an analysis-ready CSV. They delivered a dashboard to track the evolution of each mine by region or by zones and to highlight the associated issues.

Congratulations also to the team of Nicolas Ponsavady, Raphaël Chaboud, Salomé Saal and Lison Szymkowicz for their second-place finish. This BDD challenge demonstrated the power of teamwork and the impact of new technologies on the mining industry.

## Key Takeaways

1. Pair **automated image collection** with an **analysis-ready CSV** to scale mine monitoring and reduce manual effort.
2. Use **satellite imagery** (optical + **SAR**) to anticipate **nickel mine** expansion in **Indonesia** despite heavy cloud cover.
3. Build a **dashboard** that tracks mines by **region** and **zones** with clear **KPIs** to highlight operational and ESG issues.
4. Time-series **change detection** turns raw imagery into actionable insights for planning, risk, and compliance.
5. **Cross-functional teamwork** and **new technologies** accelerate real-world impact in mining analytics.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How can satellite imagery predict nickel mine expansion in Indonesia?

Time-series satellite imagery reveals signs of expansion such as land clearing, new haul roads, stockpiles, and tailings ponds. Change detection across successive images helps anticipate growth around existing concessions and identify emerging activity hotspots.

### What remote sensing data and tools are best for monitoring nickel mines?

Common sources include Sentinel-2 and Landsat for optical imagery, Sentinel-1 (SAR) to see through clouds, and commercial data like PlanetScope for higher frequency. Teams often use Google Earth Engine, Python, and QGIS to automate ingestion, preprocessing, and analysis.

### What was the winning approach in Eramet’s BDD challenge?

The team combined two complementary algorithms: one to automate image collection and one to output an analysis-ready CSV. They then built a dashboard to track each mine by region or zone and surface related issues for faster decision-making.

### Which KPIs should a mining dashboard track for nickel operations?

Useful KPIs include disturbed area growth, vegetation loss, new road length, stockpile and pit expansion proxies, and proximity to protected areas or communities. Adding ESG flags and concession boundaries improves compliance and risk monitoring.

### How often can you monitor nickel mines from space in Indonesia?

With open data, Sentinel-2 offers roughly 5-day revisit and Landsat every 8–16 days; commercial constellations can provide near-daily coverage. In tropical regions, cloud cover reduces usable scenes, so blending optical with SAR enables more consistent monitoring.

### What are the main limitations of satellite-based mine monitoring?

Persistent cloud cover, terrain shadows, and limited spatial resolution can obscure small or early-stage changes. Mitigate these by using SAR, performing robust cloud masking, validating with ground truth, and aggregating to weekly or monthly trends.

### Who benefits from monitoring the expansion of nickel mines and why?

Mining operators and suppliers use it for planning and operational transparency, while investors and lenders assess supply, growth, and ESG risk. Regulators, NGOs, and local communities can track compliance, land use, and environmental impact.


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*Article from [Albert's Deep Dive](https://deepdive.albertschool.com) - Albert School's Journal*