Automated Aggregate Stockpile Volume Measurement with Fixed 3D LiDAR

Case Study: Aggregate Inventory Monitoring at a Concrete Batching Plant

Application: Aggregate Stockpile Volume Measurement
Industry: Concrete Batching & Construction Materials
Measurement Method: Fixed 3D LiDAR
Site Size: 65 m × 45 m × 10 m
LiDAR Sensors: 2
Storage Bays: 4
Materials: Sand and different grades of aggregate

Project Overview

A concrete batching plant operated by a local transportation authority needed a more efficient and reliable way to measure aggregate stockpile volume and monitor aggregate inventory in its storage warehouse.

The warehouse measures approximately 65 m long, 45 m wide, and 10 m high. Concrete partition walls divide the facility into four storage bays containing different construction materials, including sand and different grades of aggregate.

Previously, determining the amount of material in each bay required manual inspection and estimation. Because aggregate stockpiles have irregular surfaces and continuously change during loading and consumption, maintaining accurate inventory data was difficult.

VI LiDAR deployed a fixed 3D LiDAR stockpile monitoring system to automate the measurement process and provide independent volume data for each storage zone.

The project demonstrates how fixed 3D LiDAR can be used for automated aggregate stockpile measurement and inventory monitoring in an indoor storage facility.

The Challenge: Measuring Multiple Aggregate Stockpiles in One Warehouse

Unlike a single outdoor stockpile, this facility contains four material storage bays separated by concrete partition walls.

The measurement system therefore needed to:

• Cover a large 65 m × 45 m indoor storage area
• Measure the irregular surfaces of sand and aggregate stockpiles
• Monitor four separate aggregate storage bays
• Minimize blind areas caused by partition walls and stockpile geometry
• Combine data from multiple LiDAR sensors into one coordinate system
• Calculate the volume of each aggregate stockpile independently
• Allow repeated measurements without manual surveying

The customer was not only interested in the total amount of material stored in the warehouse. The inventory of each aggregate storage bay had to be measured separately so that different material grades could be monitored independently.

Periodic survey methods such as handheld laser scanning or drone surveying can provide stockpile volume data, but this facility required a permanently installed system for repeatable and automated aggregate inventory measurement.

Unlike a periodic survey, the fixed system remains installed at the facility and can perform repeat measurements without requiring personnel to manually rescan the warehouse.

The Solution: Two Fixed 3D LiDAR Sensors Covering Four Storage Bays

Based on the warehouse dimensions and storage layout, VI LiDAR installed two fixed 3D LiDAR sensors above the storage area.

Each LiDAR sensor covers two adjacent aggregate storage bays. This configuration provides coverage of the entire storage area while reducing blind areas caused by the warehouse partitions and stockpile geometry.

Instead of treating the two sensors as independent measurement devices, their point clouds are registered into the same coordinate system and merged to create a unified 3D point cloud model of the aggregate storage warehouse.

The measurement workflow is:

Fixed 3D LiDAR Scanning → Point Cloud Registration → Point Cloud Fusion → Unified 3D Stockpile Model → Measurement Zone Definition → Individual Volume Calculation

This multi-LiDAR architecture provides broader coverage while allowing the complete warehouse to be managed through a single volume measurement system.

Multi-Zone Aggregate Volume Measurement

One of the key requirements of the project was that the customer did not only need the total volume of material in the warehouse.

The volume of each aggregate stockpile had to be calculated independently.

After the point clouds from both LiDAR sensors are merged, the software divides the warehouse into four virtual measurement zones corresponding to the four physical storage bays.

The system can then independently calculate the material volume in each storage bay:

• Storage Bay 1
• Storage Bay 2
• Storage Bay 3
• Storage Bay 4

Each measurement zone can be associated with a specific material or aggregate grade.

As stockpile surfaces change during material loading and consumption, each zone can be measured again using the same fixed reference system. This provides a consistent method for individual aggregate stockpile volume measurement over time.

For plant operators, the result is not simply a large 3D point cloud. The system converts the spatial data into separate inventory information for each aggregate storage bay.

From Two LiDAR Sensors to One Unified 3D Model

The two LiDAR sensors operate as part of a coordinated measurement system rather than as separate devices.

Each sensor first captures the three-dimensional geometry within its assigned area. The point clouds are then transformed into a common coordinate system through point cloud registration and subsequently fused into a unified 3D model.

This enables the system to treat the entire 65 m × 45 m aggregate warehouse as one digital measurement environment, while maintaining independent measurement zones for each storage bay.

The architecture can be summarized as:

Two Fixed LiDAR Sensors
↓
Four Storage-Bay Coverage Areas
↓
Point Cloud Registration
↓
Multi-LiDAR Point Cloud Fusion
↓
Unified 3D Warehouse Model
↓
Four Virtual Measurement Zones
↓
Individual Aggregate Volume Results

This approach is particularly useful for large indoor facilities where a single sensor may not provide sufficient coverage or where physical partitions create occluded areas.

Why Fixed 3D LiDAR?

For occasional stockpile surveys, handheld scanners, terrestrial laser scanners, or drones can be practical options.

This project had a different requirement: repeatable and automated inventory monitoring at a permanent facility.

For indoor aggregate stockpile measurement, fixed 3D LiDAR provides several advantages:

• No repeated manual scanning — Sensors remain permanently installed at the measurement location, eliminating the need to manually rescan the warehouse for every inventory update.
• Automated measurement — Stockpile geometry can be captured without sending personnel into the storage area for routine measurement.
• Consistent measurement coordinates — Every measurement uses the same installed sensor positions and reference system, making repeated measurements more consistent.
• Multi-zone inventory monitoring — One unified 3D model can contain multiple independent measurement zones for different materials.
• Suitable for indoor facilities — The system does not depend on GPS positioning or drone flight conditions.
• System integration capability — Volume results can be made available to inventory, production, or other plant management systems through software interfaces.

For facilities that require regular aggregate inventory updates, the objective is therefore not simply to perform a one-time volume survey, but to establish a repeatable and automated stockpile monitoring system.

From 3D Point Clouds to Aggregate Inventory Data

The fixed LiDAR sensors capture the three-dimensional geometry of the storage area at defined measurement intervals.

Raw point cloud data is processed to identify the relevant stockpile surfaces and reconstruct the material distribution within each measurement zone.

The software compares the measured material surface with the predefined reference surface to calculate the stockpile volume in each measurement zone.

This process converts complex three-dimensional point cloud data into practical inventory information for each storage bay.

Instead of manually interpreting point cloud files, plant operators can obtain separate volume measurements for different aggregate grades through the same digital measurement system.The same architecture can also be extended to larger facilities by adding additional LiDAR sensors and measurement zones according to warehouse dimensions, stockpile geometry, partition layout, and required coverage.

Key Project Results

The completed system transformed a 65 m × 45 m × 10 m aggregate storage warehouse with four separate storage bays into a unified digital measurement environment.

Project configuration:

• 65 m × 45 m × 10 m storage warehouse
• 2 fixed 3D LiDAR sensors
• 4 aggregate storage bays
• 1 unified 3D point cloud model
• 4 independent volume measurement zones
• Individual aggregate inventory data for each storage bay

With only two fixed LiDAR sensors, the system captures the four stockpile areas, registers and fuses the point clouds into one 3D model, and calculates the material volume of each measurement zone independently.

For the customer, the main value is not simply obtaining a 3D point cloud. It is having a fixed, repeatable, and automated method for monitoring aggregate inventory without performing a new manual survey whenever inventory information is required.

Applications Beyond Concrete Batching Plants

Although this project was implemented at a concrete batching plant, the same fixed LiDAR stockpile monitoring architecture can be applied to a wide range of bulk material storage facilities, including:

• Aggregate processing and quarry operations
• Cement plants
• Asphalt plants
• Mining facilities
• Sand and gravel storage facilities
• Coal storage warehouses
• Biomass storage facilities
• Ports and bulk material terminals
• Covered bulk material warehouses

The number and installation positions of LiDAR sensors can be adapted to the dimensions of the facility, stockpile geometry, partition layout, and number of measurement zones that need to be monitored.

This makes the approach suitable for facilities where aggregate stockpile measurement, bulk material inventory monitoring, and automated volume calculation are required on a regular basis.

Related Solution

Stockpile Volume Measurement & Monitoring

Technology: Fixed 3D LiDAR · Multi-LiDAR Point Cloud Fusion · Multi-Zone Volume Calculation

Typical Materials: Sand · Gravel · Aggregate · Coal · Ore · Biomass · Other Bulk SolidsRelated Applications: Aggregate Inventory Measurement · Indoor Stockpile Measurement · Automated Stockpile Monitoring · Bulk Material Volume Measurement