# Review of Some Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Technology in the Resource-Rich Country
## 2 Prerequisites for Using the UAVs in Some Spheres of Economy
### Exploration of Minerals (EoM)  
In the minerals' exploration sphere, due to the gradual depletion of the existing field resources [47], it is necessary to apply new methods that intensify the processes of geological exploration. This task is quite acute in Kazakhstan, thereby the President of the Republic instructed to develop a program of geological exploration [48]. The concept of the program was recently proposed in [49]. In recent years, the use of UAVs in the mining industry is rapidly expanding, changing the entire industry. The leader in this field is the Canadian company known as Pioneer Aerial Surveys [50]. Its main spheres of UAV application are as follows [51]:  
* Mapping;
* 3D modeling;
* Conducting geophysical research. One of the main advantages of using UAVs compared to the airborne surveys or traditional field surveys is the significantly lower cost of exploration, especially for remote regions with poor infrastructure. At the same time, the use of drones is possible at all stages of the field development: during prospecting, development [52], and reclamation. The use of the UAVs becomes useful for geological applications due to its low operating costs and ease of use. The period of geological exploration and mining can average up to 50 years, they are divided into stages or phases. The first phase is regional geological studies, making the geological maps of small scales, accompanied by regional geological and geophysical studies. A large area of several hundred km is usually investigated at this stage. The photogrammetric, aeromagnetic, gamma-spectrometric, and thermometric surveys can be performed with the use of UAVs, thereby it is possible to carry out part of geological exploration over a large area more economically and efficiently. The next phase is the stage of exploration and evaluation of resources in a large area of sites with increased concentrations of useful components. An aeromagnetic survey can also be used in the areas of ore occurrence; this survey can identify ore or non-metallic objects, magnet-susceptible or not, radioactive or not, and further several wells will be drilled and several ditches will be dug. In the third phase, the deposits and an assessment of mineral reserves and resources can already be identified for all the performed studies. At this stage, the main types of drilling are carried out according to the certain network, and the geochemical and other types of sampling are taken directly from the object. At this stage, the use of UAVs is not provided. At the last stage (the stage of development of mineral deposits), as well as after the end of production, UAVs can be used to assess radioactive and other types of man-made environmental pollution. The stages of exploration and mining operations and the possibilities of using the UAVs are shown in Figure 5. The figure was created based on the sources [53; 54; 55; 56]. Magnetic and hyperspectral studies are of particular interest for mineral exploration, and groups of authors have published studies of magnetic data collected by the UAVs for such applications [57; 58]. Magnetic measurements play an important role in mineral exploration, as magnetization in rocks is mainly related to magnetite and other iron minerals that can be used in mapping and exploration [59]. Currently, magnetic imaging is limited to mapping iron-containing minerals, such as hematite, jarosite, and goethite, which also have spectral characteristic features in the visible and near-infrared range. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a powerful method of exploration and mapping in areas where the rock surface is well exposed, and where geological bodies and minerals composition can be estimated by the spectral characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum in the visual and infrared range [60]. The system can also identify vegetation features that can be used as indicators of mineralization (i.e., different vegetation types that correlate with major rock types [61]).