Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. (OC Global) is participating together with MSC Partners Inc., to support the Demonstration Project for by Aerosense Inc., which was awarded under the “Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project” (FY2025 supplementary budget, Small-Scale Demonstration and Feasibility Study Projects) by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

[Related links]
Special website for the subsidy for the “Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project” (FY2025 supplementary budget, Small-Scale Demonstration and Feasibility Study Projects) (Japanese)

Press release by Aerosense Inc. (Japanese)

This project aims to improve governance in local mining operations and contribute to strengthening the resilience of critical mineral supply chains (such as copper and cobalt) that are indispensable to Japan, by demonstrating solutions that utilize Aerosense’s Japan-made fixed-wing VTOL drones for wide-area remote monitoring and related applications in mining regions, such as Copperbelt Area which stretched in the Republic of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Conceptual image of remote monitoring
using a fixed-wing VTOL drone
Image courtesy of Aerosense Inc.

Conceptual image of a container-type
automated takeoff and landing port
Image courtesy of Aerosense Inc.

The Copperbelt area is one of the world’s leading producing areas of critical minerals, including copper and cobalt. However, the vast mining areas face challenges in proper monitoring due to their vast coverage and remote distance from the capital, and there is a need to improve the transparency of mine operations and to build appropriate and stable supply chains. There are also environmental and disaster risks, such as the failure of tailings dams that store mine waste and water pollution caused by chemical leaks, making it important to establish a means of monitoring conditions continuously over wide areas to protect the environment and safeguard the lives and operational safety of local mine workers.

In this project, Aerosense’s Japan-made fixed-wing VTOL drones will be utilized in local mining areas to demonstrate (1) detailed aerial observation of mining site conditions using high-resolution and infrared cameras, (2) real-time video transmission to government-related agencies in the capital via LTE networks and other means, and (3) acquisition of topographic and environmental data using surveying sensors, LiDAR, and other equipment.

OC Global has led a number of study and development planning projects in the Southern Africa region, including the “Study for Formulating a Master Plan for the Critical Minerals Supply Chain Sector Centered on the Copperbelt” under METI’s “Global South Master Plan.” This project is one of the five strategic projects presented in the master plan formulated through that study. Making full use of the strong network with local governments and related organizations, as well as the project management expertise it has built up through its past work, OC Global will provide multifaceted support to advance this project.

By building a business for wide-area remote monitoring and data provision using drone technology, OC Global will support the development of highly transparent supply chains for critical minerals and contribute to appropriate environmental risk management, enhancing operational safety to protect the lives of local workers, and safeguarding life on land in the region.