Underground mine development verification

Abstract

A method of understanding the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine comprises providing a tag at one or more reference points in the mine. The one or more reference points are located at a position in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan. The method also comprises scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine. The scanning includes scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points. The scan of the surface is processed to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine. The 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points. The method also includes matching the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan.

Description

[0001] Underground Mine Development Verification

[0002] Field of the Invention

[0003]

[0001] The present invention relates to verification of the development of underground mines.

[0004] Background

[0005] [2] Execution of a mine development plan allows an underground mine to be constructed through drilling, blast and excavation processes in a planned manner. The mine development plan contains the blueprint for the mine shafts, drives, stopes etc. that need to be developed in order to access and extract ore safely and efficiently.

[0006] [3] The mine development plan contains detailed information about the grade (angle) of each drive, the width and height of the drive, and the direction of each drive. Some drives are not straight, and can even be in a corkscrew shape.

[0007] [4] As part of constructing the drives and shafts of a mine, teams of operators work together to use mining equipment such as rock drilling jumbos, load haul dump machines (aka boggers) and explosives to construct the mine through drilling and blasting, and debris removal, according to the mine development plan. Thus, underground mine development is subtractive unlike most construction, which is additive and more accurate and predictable. Additionally, the mine plan is three-dimensional, and the mine is developed underground in three dimensions. A persistent challenge to accurate construction is the lack of GPS signal to obtain accurate positional information as to the location of where the development is to take place. Errors can cause delays, rework and the need to re-survey the underground area leading to production delays, increased costs and lower revenues.

[0008] [5] Currently, in the underground mine environment, survey teams use specialised equipment to place location markers in the mine so that these locations can be referenced to the mine plan. These reference locations allow the physical mine environment to be cross referenced to the mine plan.

[0009] [6] One of the ways that the mine plan is referenced to the tagged location is by a laser pointer. The survey team will accurately locate a position within the mine nearby to where the operator team is working. The team will fix a socket to the wall pointed at a precise vector with respect to the mine plan. This socket can accept a laser pointer that will show this vector to the operator team.

[0010] [7] The vector that is illuminated via the laser pointer will intersect a wall face at the end of the current shaft or drive. This point is used to determine if the current face is well correlated with the current mine plan. For example, the mine plan will indicate the distance this point should be from the left and right walls, and from the floor.

[0011] [8] If this point is well correlated, then it indicates that the excavation work is as intended by the plan and the operator team can continue. However, if the point is not well correlated, then the operator team must stop and call the survey team to come and review the situation.

[0012] [9] The survey team will assess the situation, and will take this information back to the mine planning team who will re-issue a new plan to allow the operator team to continue and get back on track to the original plan. This process adds significant delay to the mine development, increased costs and cause production delays and lower revenues. It can also have a snowball effect on development of the mine in other areas.

[0013]

[0010] There are several scenarios where this can occur. As blasting is not guaranteed to remove terrain in the desired location, the area blasted can differ from what is planned. Additionally, operator error in either the drilling or loading of explosives can also occur.

[0014]

[0011] This cycle involving the survey team can take a lot of time. For example, the survey team may not be able to get there in the same shift, or may not work on the weekends. This may take up to three or four days before the operator team can resume work on this location.

[0015]

[0012] Although the operator team may be able to continue working elsewhere in the mine, for example on another shaft or drive, this is a major disruption to productivity towards ore extraction.

[0016]

[0013] A technique of comparing the additive construction of a building in an open environment with external reference points (such as described in US 1 , 1348,322) is not simply adaptable to the underground subtractive construction of a mine largely by the removal of rock extending indefinitely using less precise or predictable techniques (such as blasting) and where external referencing such as GPS is unavailable. Nor are building plans comparable to mine development plans.

[0014] The present invention seeks to provide an alternative approach to understand the actual developed mine as against a mine plan.

[0017]

[0015] The above prior art is not intended to be an admission that the information forms part of the common general knowledge of the person skilled in the art.

[0018]

[0016] In the specification, the terms comprising and including and similar terms are intended to be inclusive unless clearly intended to mean otherwise.

[0019] Summary of the Invention

[0020]

[0017] According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of understanding the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the method comprising: providing a tag at one or more reference points in the mine, the one or more reference points being located at a position in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points; processing the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points; matching the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan.

[0021]

[0018] In an embodiment the method further comprises comparing the oriented 3D model with the mine plan so as to determine a degree of correlation of the developed portion to that intended by the mine plan.

[0022]

[0019] In an embodiment the determined degree of correlation is used to compute whether development can continue sufficiently according to the mine plan or whether the mine plan requires alteration to account for deviation in the actual development of the mine at the developed portion.

[0020] In an embodiment each tag is uniquely identifiable. In an embodiment the tags are April tags. In an embodiment each reference point is uniquely identified and there is a correlation recorded of each tag identification to each reference point.

[0023]

[0021] In an embodiment the scanning of the surface is with a LIDAR scanner which creates a set of laser reflection of points on the surface, the positions of which are recorded so as to create a point cloud representing the surface of the developed portion.

[0024]

[0022] In an embodiment a 3D visualisation is created of the developed portion from the point cloud. In an embodiment the visualisation of the developed portion is displayed with reference to a corresponding portion of the mine plan. In an embodiment the reference is in the form of a colour graduated display, with the colour of the surface of the 3D model being selected according to the distance the surface of the developed portion in the 3D model from the corresponding surface of the corresponding portion in the 3D mine plan.

[0025]

[0023] In an embodiment the method comprises scanning objects, such as machinery, in development area. In an embodiment the scanning of the machinery is used to confirm that the machinery is correctly positioned to perform further development work of the mine according to the mine plan.

[0026]

[0024] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided system for verifying the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the system comprising: one or more tags, each one located at a position in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; a scanner for scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points; a processor configured to process the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points; the processor also configured to match the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan, so that the oriented 3D model is able to be compared with the mine plan so as to determine a degree of correlation of the developed portion to that intended by the mine plan.

[0025] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of understanding the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the method comprising: providing a tag at one or more reference points in the mine, the one or more reference points being located at a position in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points, and scanning machinery in development area; processing the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points, the 3D model including determining the location of the machine in the development area; matching the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan.

[0027]

[0026] In an embodiment the method further comprises comparing the oriented 3D model with the mine plan so as to determine whether the machine is correctly positioned to further develop the mine as intended by the mine plan.

[0028]

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a system to verify the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the system comprising: one or more tags, each positioned in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; a scanner for scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points, and scanning machinery in development area; a processor configured to process the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points, the 3D model including determining the location of the machine in the development area; the processor also configured to match the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan, so as to determine whether the machine is correctly positioned to further develop the mine as intended by the mine plan.

[0029] Summary of Diagrams

[0030]

[0028] In order to provide a better understanding of the present invention, example embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying diagrams, in which:

[0031]

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a portion of a mine plan, with a curved decline with respective heights of the decline and a prior laser method of checking the actual development of the decline area of the mine;

[0032]

[0030] Figures 2A and 2B show schematic examples of tags;

[0033]

[0031] Figure 2C shows an example of a scanned tag;

[0034]

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic example of a hand held scanner;

[0035]

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic example of a processor in the form of a laptop computer;

[0036]

[0034] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037]

[0035] Figure 6A is an example of a 3D scan of a developed mine area oriented and overlayed with a 3D model of the relevant portion of the mine plan as would be displayed on a screen of the laptop computer;

[0038]

[0036] Figure 6B is a colour inversion of Figure 6A as an alternative for reproducibility proposes;

[0039]

[0037] Figure 6C is a grey scale version of Figure 6B as a further alternative for reproducibility proposes;

[0040]

[0038] Figure 7A is an example of a 3D scan of a developed mine area oriented and overlayed with a 3D model of the relevant portion of the mine plan visualising a gradient of a drive, with deviation (too high or too low) from the required grade is highlighted;

[0041]

[0039] Figure 7B is a colour inversion of Figure 7A as an alternative for reproducibility proposes;

[0042]

[0040] Figure 7C is a grey scale version of Figure 7B as a further alternative for reproducibility proposes;

[0043]

[0041] Figure 8A is an example of a 3D scan of a developed mine area, including a jumbo within the area, with the 3D scan oriented and overlayed with a 3D model of the relevant portion of the mine plan visualising the position of the jumbo so as to verify whether it is positioned correctly in order to perform a drill pattern on the face;

[0042] Figure 8B is a colour inversion of Figure 8A as an alternative for reproducibility proposes;

[0044]

[0043] Figure 8C is a grey scale version of Figure 8B as a further alternative for reproducibility proposes;

[0045]

[0044] Figure 9A is an example of a 3D scan of a developed mine area oriented and overlayed with a 3D model of the relevant portion of the mine plan visualising ceiling and drive deviations, which are indicated in red with a distance scale;

[0046]

[0045] Figure 9B is a colour inversion of Figure 9A as an alternative for reproducibility proposes and with the deviations in cyan;

[0047]

[0046] Figure 9C is a grey scale version of Figure 9B as a further alternative for reproducibility proposes;

[0048]

[0047] Figure 10A is an example of a 3D scan of a developed mine area oriented and overlayed with a 3D model of the relevant portion of the mine plan visualising overbreak which is indicated in red;

[0049]

[0048] Figure 10B is a colour inversion of Figure 10A as an alternative for reproducibility proposes and with the deviations in cyan; and

[0050]

[0049] Figure 10C is a grey scale version of Figure 10B as a further alternative for reproducibility proposes.

[0051] Detailed Description of Example Embodiments

[0052]

[0050] During the development of a mine according to a mine plan new excavation is periodically required, which typically involves marking on a wall face where drilling for explosives is to go, loading of the explosives, detonation of the explosives and removal of the debris created by the detonation (which may or may not be ore bearing). The blasting may not always go as intended due to unforeseen circumstances, such as differences in the hardness of the rock being blasted or due to weakness, such as fractures in the rock, for example. This can mean that the actual development differs from what is intended in the mine plan. Generally, the present invention can be used in at least two aspects of this. First to check that drilling machinery is positioned against the wall face to drill. Further once the debris is removed the newly developed part of the mine needs to be checked to determine the extent of correlation of the actual developed area with what in intended in the mine plan. The present invention may be used to determine the extent of correlation, and in a particular embodiment by visualising the actual developed part against or overlaid on a 3D model of the mine plan.

[0051] This can enable underground mining teams to compare actual spatial mine development with the mine development plan in real-time at the point of development underground.

[0053]

[0052] It can enable the team to visualise the spatial development of the underground mine with respect to the mine development plan in real-time while underground.

[0054]

[0053] It also enables the location of objects underground in real-time with respect to the spatial surroundings and automatically geo-reference or register this with respect to other spatial information for visualisation, operator assistance, or analysis.

[0055]

[0054] It can record and store 3D maps of the actual underground mine area that can be automatically geo-referenced to other spatial information systems and can upload and import this information the central mine development plan database for post processing and updating the central mine map and other related systems.

[0056]

[0055] It enables automating mapping and matching the precise location of underground mining equipment and environments for geo-referencing or registering this with the mine development plan without requiring the intervention of the survey team.

[0057]

[0056] According to an embodiment of the invention is there a method 100 as shown in Figure 5. A mine plan is created at 102. The mine plan is a three-dimensional (3D) model of the intended development of the mine and typically is in stages. The mine plan has one or more, preferably 2 to 6, and more preferably 3 or 4, reference points created 104 at specific locations in the plan adjacent a site for the next stage of the development of the mine according to the mine plan. The reference points are in line-of-site of the to be developed area.

[0058]

[0057] One or more tags are located 106 at positions in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan. Typically, these are on walls of the previously developed drives. For example, there may be one on each side (left and right) wall. There may be one on the ground and there may be one on the roof. Some may be positioned close to the location of the scanner and some may be positioned further down a tunnel (eg. shaft, siding, decline or drive). The tags are suitable for scanning, for example by LIDAR. A pictogram, such as a number or character, or 2D matrix code of reflective material can be used to identify the tag. An example matrix code is an AprilTag. Figures 2A and 2B show examples of AprilTags and Figure 2C shows and example of a scanned image of an AprilTag. The pictogram uniquely identifies the tag. The tags may be placed in advance by the survey team.

[0059]

[0058] The wall surface of the developed portion of the mine is scanned 108, including scanning of the tags. A preferred scanner is LIDAR using a hand-held LIDAR scanning device, such as is shown by way of example in Figure 3. As an alternative to being hand-held, the LIDAR scanner may be vehicle or other equipment mounted. The hand-held scanning device may contain a processor. The hand-held scanning device may contain a computer screen. For example, the screen may enable visualisation of processed data or enable a user interface.

[0060]

[0059] The LIDAR scanner uses a laser to pinpoint laser dots over the scanned surface and then detects the position in 3D space of the reflection of the dot relative to the scanner and creates a point cloud based on the positions of the reflected dots. A person skilled in the art will be familiar with the working and operation of a LIDAR scanner. As an alternative the scan may use photographs or video which are processed to create a 3D scan of the surface, again using known techniques. LIDAR may be more accurate and therefor may be preferred.

[0061]

[0060] The scan data can be transferred (such as by a wireless transfer protocol, such as Bluetooth or WiFi, or by other suitable means) from the scanner to computer (such as a laptop shown by example in Figure 4) and saved to the computer’s storage device and then processed by a computer’s processor. In an alternative, different processing steps may be performed by different processors. For example, data may be transferred to a server to perform some of the processing or the data maybe processed by a processor on the handheld scanning device.

[0062]

[0061] The scan of the surface is processed 1 10 to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine. The 3D model includes locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points. The identifier of the tag may be extracted from the scan (such as by use of image recognition) and associated with the location in 3D space of the reference point located by the tag in the developed part of the mine. Each tag identifier is used to correlate it to the corresponding identified reference point in the mine plan. The model is further processed to orient / register the 3D model from the scan with the 3D model of the mine plan by scaling the 3D model of the scan to the correct scale and to locate the scanned tags in the model with the corresponding location of the corresponding reference points in the 3D model of the mine plan. This matching of the location of the scanned tags with the locations of the reference points in the mine plan allows the oriented 3D model to be overlaid with the 3D model of the mine plan and visualised and compared 1 12, such as in the example in Figures 6A-6C.

[0063]

[0062] Comparing the oriented 3D model with the mine plan can determine a degree of correlation of the developed portion of the mine to that intended by the mine plan. Thus, the determined degree of correlation is used to compute whether development can continue sufficiently according to the mine plan or whether the mine plan requires alteration to account for deviation in the actual development of the mine at the developed portion. For example, if the correlation is on average is equal to or greater than 95% (for example), then the plan can proceed without alteration. However, if the correlation is below 95% then the plan may flagged as needing possible adjustment. In a different example, the maximum deviation between a (or each) scanned point and its intended position in the plan may be computed. If the deviation is more than (say) 5% then the plan may flagged as needing possible adjustment, and the location of the points above this threshold deviation can be the focus of consideration of the possible updating of the plan. In an other example, the type of deviation may be computed, such as: incorrect gradient, incorrect heading, overbreak, or underbreak.

[0064]

[0063] In an embodiment, distances of the actual surface of the mine can be computed to the intended surface in the mine plan. The distances can be allocated a colour. In Figure 6A the point cloud of the actual surface is coloured according to distance from the intended surface of the mine plan, which is shown as a white mesh in Fig 6A and black mesh in Fig 6B. In one embodiment, a virtual laser pointer is shown to assist operators if the drive is deviating from the plan. In another embodiment the operator can rotate and zoom in to inspect any deviation.

[0065]

[0064] A use of this is to determine whether the gradient of a drive / decline is as intended in the mine plan. Figures 7A-7C show a portion of the mine plan visualising a gradient of the drive, with deviation (too high or too low) from the required grade is highlighted. This can identify the location of any required corrective work to ensure the gradient is as intended.

[0066]

[0065] Further, the scan can also see objects in the scanner’s field of view. When comparing the wall surface an object in the field of view may not be desired. However, the inclusion of an object in the scanned 3D model can be used to identify the type of object and whether the object is meant to be there or not. If it is meant to be there, whether it is in the intended position in the mine. For example, a jumbo might be needed to drill holes to be loaded with explosive to develop the next stage of the mine. The plan can be used to identify where the jumbo should be located to drill in the intended location. This can be difficult for the jumbo operator to determine from a display of the plan alone. Thus, the operator can position the jumbo at the location thought to be correct. The present invention can be used to scan and create the 3D model which will show the location of the jumbo as it is in the mine as indicated in Figures 8A- 8C. This in turn can be referenced to the intended location in the mine plan to identify whether the jumbo is indeed at the intended location, so that if it is not at the intended location this can be corrected.

[0067]

[0066] In a further example, a 3D scan of a developed mine area oriented and overlayed with a 3D model of the relevant portion of the mine plan can be used to visualise ceiling and drive deviations, which are indicated in red with a distance scale in Figure 9A. The effect of this is to create a kind of ‘heat map’ overlaid on the 3D plan as a visualisation of the degree of correlation of the developed portion with respect to the mine plan. The points of the scanned surface in blue (bottom colour) in Figure 9A is close to the intended surface (green mesh) of the mine plan. Those that are further are in green to yellow (middle colours) and red (top colour) indicates substantial distance from the intended surface.

[0068]

[0067] In a further example, a 3D scan of a developed mine area oriented and overlayed with a 3D model of the relevant portion of the mine plan visualising overbreak, which is substantially outside of the intended surface of the mine plan and which is indicated in red (top colour). Whereas those with a small deviation are blue to green (bottom colours) and intermediate are yellow to orange (middle colours).

[0069]

[0068] The computer or hand-held scanning device may be loaded with one or more computer programs that configure the processor to: receive the scan of the surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scan including the tag(s); process the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points; match the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan.

[0070]

[0069] The processor may be further configured so that the oriented 3D model is able to be compared with the mine plan so as to determine a degree of correlation of the developed portion to that intended by the mine plan.

[0070] The processor may be further configured so that the oriented 3D model with the mine plan so as to determine whether a machine is correctly positioned to further develop the mine as intended by the mine plan.

[0071]

[0071] The scan of the work area enables construction of an extremely accurate 3D model of the live environment. The system is then able to match the intersection of 3D model of the live environment with the mine plan, enabling an accurate understanding of the relation of the live environment to the mine plan. This relationship is presented to the operator team in a way that they can understand the current situation of development with respect to the mine plan.

[0072]

[0072] Once matched, the system can then determine how well the mine plan is being executed and then present this information to the operator in a way that will assist them with their work. For example, the live environment may be well correlated with the mine plan, or it may be deviating from the mine plan. Regardless of the situation, the operators can have an accurate understanding of how the mine is developing according to the mine plan, and if any steps need to be taken to get it back on track.

[0073]

[0073] Using this information the operator team can confidently and accurately position their equipment for drill, blast and clearing without delays caused by the need to involve the survey team.

[0074]

[0074] Further, this provides a pathway to automation of some processes. For example, a jumbo can currently autonomously perform the drill pattern required at the face, but in order for this pattern to be in the right position on the face the jumbo needs to be positioned accurately first. The system will allow this to occur as it can direct the exact position for the jumbo to be located in order to drill the pattern required for the mine development plan.

[0075]

[0075] In addition, the computer or hand-held scanning device is able to communicate with the mine plan system and mine engineers can also review the 3D live model to understand how the mine is developing. This can help with quality control and also understanding the rate of development. It also enables the mine model to be updated with the live and accurate 3D data so that it is available for many other purposes with respect to the mining operations.

[0076]

[0076] Another example method comprises:

[0077] 1 . An area of the underground mine is being developed (extended to reach the ore body or required for developing the mine in some way). A team of operators will mark up a face of the development drive in order to drill, blast and bog out waste rock. This process is repeated to extend the development drive. A mine development plan is a 3D plan detailing the areas underground to be developed in (2) above. Survey markers (tags) are placed underground near the area to be scanned using survey equipment. These survey markers are also located in the mine development plan. A scan is performed of the area including the survey markers. The markers are identified by the software processing the scan. The markers may be made of a reflective material. The markers may be made of a reflective material in a pattern. The pattern used or each marker may be distinct from all the other markers so as to be identified by its pattern. The pattern may be an April tag or similar so that information is encoded into the pattern. The identity of the marker may be manually determined by the operator of the equipment or may be automatically determined from a database of the patterns or by decoding the encoded information. The identity of the markers is linked to their survey location. A section of the mine development plan is extracted from the overall mine plan that contains the area of the mine being developed. The section contains the location and identity of the survey markers according to the mine development plan. The survey location is used to correlate and overlay the scanned map onto the section of the mine development plan. The overlay is used to show the operator the location of the current development drive with the required plan. The comparison is also used to show the operator various metrics and measurements that assist the operator to understand if the developed drive is on track with respect to the mine development plan, or if is diverging in some way. This could be due to: a. the gradient or slope being incorrect, b. the heading being incorrect, c. too much waste rock being blasted out (overbreak) d. too little waste rock being blasted out (underbreak) In these cases the problem is highlighted and the corrective action in the next drill / blast cycle is presented in order to cause the drive to converge back towards the plan. In one scenario the convergence will take one cycle to get back on track. In other scenarios multiple cycles will be required to re-converge with the mine development plan. In another scenario the divergence is too great and the operator is advised to contact the mining engineering team for further support. 13. The operator team is able to mark up the face and perform the drill and blast and then bog out the waste material and repeat steps (2)-(12) again.

[0078]

[0077] In another scenario a turnout is required in the development drive. In this scenario, an offshoot of the drive is required to a particular length due to safety and other reasons. The same process is used in steps (1 )-(13) however the comparison is performed and the system will tell the operator where to markup and commence the turnout on the development drive.

[0079]

[0078] Modifications and variations as would be easily envisaged by the person skilled in the art are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

Claims1. A method of understanding the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the method comprising: providing a tag at one or more reference points in the mine, the one or more reference points being located at a position in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points; processing the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points; matching the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising comparing the oriented 3D model with the mine plan so as to determine a degree of correlation of the developed portion to that intended by the mine plan.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising using the determined degree of correlation, computing whether development can continue sufficiently according to the mine plan or whether the mine plan requires alteration to account for deviation in the actual development of the mine at the developed portion.

4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising creating a 3D visualisation of the developed portion from the point cloud.

5. The method according to claim 4, comprising a visualisation of the developed portion is displayed with reference to a corresponding portion of the mine plan.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the reference is in the form of a colour graduated display, with the colour of the surface of the 3D model being selected according to the distance the surface of the developed portion in the 3D model from the corresponding surface of the corresponding portion in the 3D mine plan.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising scanning objects in development area and confirming that the object is correctly positioned to perform further development work of the mine according to the mine plan.

8. A system for verifying the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the system comprising: one or more tags, each one located at a position in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; a scanner for scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points; a processor configured to process the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points; the processor also configured to match the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan, so that the oriented 3D model is able to be compared with the mine plan so as to determine a degree of correlation of the developed portion to that intended by the mine plan.

9. A method of verifying the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the method comprising: providing a tag at one or more reference points in the mine, the one or more reference points being located at a position in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points, and scanning machinery in development area; processing the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points, the 3D model including determining the location of the machine in the development area; matching the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan.

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising comparing the oriented 3D model with the mine plan so as to determine whether the machine is correctly positioned to further develop the mine as intended by the mine plan.

11. A system to verify the development of an underground mine compared against a 3D mine plan of intended development of the mine, the system comprising: one or more tags, each positioned in the mine corresponding to locations of one or more reference points in the mine plan; a scanner for scanning a surface of a developed portion of the mine, the scanning including scanning of the tag at at least one of the one or more reference points, and scanning machinery in development area; a processor configured to process the scan of the surface to create a 3D model of the development portion of the mine, the 3D model including locations of the scanned tags for each one or more reference points, the 3D model including determining the location of the machine in the development area; the processor also configured to match the location of the scanned tags of the one or more reference points in the model with the locations of the one or more reference points in the mine plan so as to orient the 3D model with respect to the mine plan, so as to determine whether the machine is correctly positioned to further develop the mine as intended by the mine plan.