Remote sensing of mining and haulage equipment arrangement in Russia: A case-study of the coal and iron ore industry

Remote sensing data have allowed detecting and monitoring of arrangement of mining and haulage machines in open pit mines producing coal and iron ore in Russia. In coal mining, the highest concentration of mining and haulage equipment is revealed in open pit mines in Kuzbass; in the iron ore industry, open pit mines in the Belgorod and Kursk Regions operate 70% of the total equipment employed in the mining sector. The authors draw a conclusion on the essentiality of strengthening of in-house mining machine engineering in Russia and on creation of interregional centers for maintenance and repair of mining and haulage equipment.