EU-funded project to improve Earth observation tools for mineral exploration and mining
NGI leads the 4-year Horizon Europe project MINEYE, which is developing a multidisciplinary approach to mapping and modelling known ore deposits and mineral exploration areas, and to monitoring the environmental impacts of mining. The project has now reached its midpoint, with promising results from three European pilot sites.
Geophysical survey equipment used during the MINEYE field campaign in Albania. Ground-based measurements are combined with satellite and hyperspectral data to generate detailed 3D models of ore deposits and near-mine areas. ( NGI)
In November 2025, 13 partners from nine European countries gathered in Crete to mark the halfway point of the MINEYE project. Two years of fieldwork and data collection, data processing, and technology development have yielded concrete results at pilot sites in Albania, Spain, and northern Sweden.
“We have made significant progress”, says Sean Salazar, project coordinator and senior engineer at NGI.
“We have collected field data from all three pilot sites, analysed the results, and laid the groundwork for the next phase, where we will validate our technologies. The collected data are currently being processed and modelled and will be used as input for data fusion, which constitutes a significant aspect of the MINEYE project”, Salazar continues.
Participants of the MINEYE project gathered in Crete in November 2025. The consortium includes 13 partners from nine European countries, spanning research institutes, universities, technology providers and mining companies. ( NGI)
A satellite view of the entire value chain
MINEYE is developing digital tools that use Earth observation data to support the mining industry throughout the entire life cycle, from exploration and extraction to closure and post-closure. The project combines data from the EU’s Copernicus Earth observation programme, commercial satellite systems, hyperspectral sensors, and ground-based measurements, using new and innovative algorithms for analysis.
“Europe has not utilized its maximum potential to explore and mine the critical and strategic minerals for the green and digital transition. MINEYE aims to make European mining more competitive and sustainable by unlocking the potential of Earth observation data”, Salazar explains.
The project maps surfaces in exploration areas to identify potential mineralisation for future exploration and assesses environmental impacts and re-mining potential from historic mining sites. Additionally, the researchers create 3D models of ore deposits used in near-mine exploration.
Members of the MINEYE field team during a geophysical campaign in Albania. ( NGI)
From Spain to the Arctic
The three pilot sites represent different stages of the mining life cycle. At Tharsis Mining's areas in the Iberian Pyrite Belt in Spain, the project focuses on greenfield exploration and ground stability assessment in historic mining areas. In Norrbotten, northern Sweden, researchers study mineralization zones from satellite images and airborne geophysics. At the chromite mine in Bulqizë, Albania, the near-mine areas are being explored. In addition, mine waste is being mapped across Portugal to assess the potential for secondary raw materials derived from mining residues.
"The next phase of the project will further develop digital technologies that leverage data from various satellite constellations and subsurface imaging techniques. Several field campaigns are also being planned, including an exploration campaign at Tharsis and a multidisciplinary campaign to characterise and generate 3D models of secondary raw materials from mining residues", says Saman Tavakoli, the project’s scientific coordinator and lead geophysicist at NGI.
Saman Tavakoli, Scientific Coordinator of the MINEYE project and lead geophysicist at NGI, presents project progress during the MINEYE General Assembly in Crete. ( NGI)
Valuable input from industry
The MINEYE project is working with two mining companies: Tharsis Mining, based in Spain, and SO.RI.CO.M., based in Italy with multinational operations. The project team is working closely with these industry operators, who are full project partners, to develop solutions that meet their needs and those of other mine operations in different contexts. The project also benefits from an Expert Advisory Board. Two of the Board members attended the meeting in Crete: Professor Eric Pirard from the University of Liège and Professor Jef Caers from Stanford University. A third member, Dr. Ledi Moisiu, is the Director of the EIT RawMaterials Regional Innovation Center in Albania and a part-time lecturer at the Polytechnic University of Tirana. The Board provides the project with feedback on results and identifies challenges and opportunities in a broader international context.
"NGI coordinates a consortium with a unique combination of expertise. We have mining companies, Earth observation service providers, technology developers, and leading European universities specialising in the mining industry. Together, we are developing solutions that the market will take up in the future", Salazar concludes.
MINEYE is an Innovation Action under Horizon Europe and has been awarded a grant of 5.8 million Euros with a total project budget of 6.7 million Euros. The project runs until 2028.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor HaDEA can be held responsible for them.
