Updated November 21st, 2024
Our clients often ask whether it is too cold, snowy, etc. to measure a stockpile with our iPhone app or a drone. Read on for all the answers to your winter-related stockpile measurement and management questions.
Can I Measure In the Snow?
Yes! You certainly can measure stockpile inventory in the snow. However, here are a few factors to consider before measuring.
Complete Snow Cover
Just because you can measure a snow-covered stockpile using an iPhone or drone, this doesn’t mean you should. Regardless of what service or software you use, stockpile measurements with cameras will assume the topmost material is the top of the pile surface. If there is only an inch or two of snow, the impact on the pile volume will be minimal. Several inches or more of snow cover will add significant volume to the pile measurement and it is advised to wait for the snow to melt prior to measuring.
Snow Drifts
Snow drifts against the side of a stockpile have the same impact as complete snow cover. If the snowdrift is small in relation to the total volume of the pile, the overall impact will be minimal. However, you will still be adding extra material to the total. Remove as much of the snowdrift as possible with a loader prior to the measurement for the most accurate result.
Safety
Measuring stockpiles with our iPhone app, SR Measure, presents additional hazards when the ground is icy. We recommend having a second person walk ahead of you and spot potential fall hazards.
Allocate More Time
Everything takes more time when the temperature is close to freezing. You will need to walk around the stockpiles slower while measuring with SR Measure do to the potential for slip hazards.
If you are flying a drone, you might typically fly your site with one battery, however, cold temperatures can severely shorten battery life causing the need for a mid inventory battery swap.
Poor road conditions in the winter have the potential to extend travel times between sites. The impact of shorter winter daylight and longer drive times means measuring inventory may take additional days.
Winter Tech Tips
Electronics and freezing temperatures don’t mix well. Over the past 11 years, we have learned the best tips for handling drones, iPhones, and tablets in the cold temperatures.
Keep Your Batteries Warm
Nothing is worse than setting up your drone for your measurement to find out that the battery is too cold and the drone won’t take off. The key here is to keep your battery warm as long as possible prior to flight. Place your batteries on the floorboard of your vehicle with the heat on high. If you don’t have a vehicle with you, keep your battery tucked under your jacket until you are ready to fly.
Keep Electrons Flowing
Anyone who has tried using an iPhone in freezing temperatures has seen their phone spontaneously turn off even when there is plenty of battery life left on the device. There is an easy solution to prevent this no matter how cold it gets outside: connect your iPhone to an external battery charger. We don’t know the exact science behind why this works, however, we’ve used iPhones for hours in the low teens without the phone turning off.
Winter can be a challenging time for measuring stockpiles, but with the right preparation and tools, it’s possible to keep your inventory plans running smoothly. Following these tips, you can ensure accurate data even in harsh conditions. Don’t let the cold slow you down—take control of your inventory this winter and set your business up for success all year long.