Part 1: Industry Structure

PART 1: INDUSTRY STRUCTURE (Aggregates & Mining)
1.1 What We Actually Do
We do not “serve mining.”
We perform:
Aerial inventory measurement and volumetric reporting for outdoor bulk materials.
Mining & aggregates just happens to be the best-fit vertical.
Core Function:
Capture aerial imagery
Generate 3D surface models
Calculate volumes
Provide cut/fill comparisons
Deliver audit-ready reporting
Everything else is industry context.
1.2 The Mining & Aggregates Ecosystem
A. Metals Mining (Not Our Focus)
Gold, copper, iron ore
Massive open pits
Benches, haul roads, highwalls
Rare in Texas
Highly engineered, global operators
Status: Opportunistic, not primary.
B. Coal Mining (Declining Sector)
Strip mining
Draglines
Massive earth movement
Regulatory decline
Status: Low priority.
C. Construction Materials (PRIMARY FOCUS)
This is where we dominate.
It includes:
Crushed Stone (Quarries)
Sand & Gravel (Dredge or excavated)
Lime/Cement
Terminals
Ready Mix (Batch Plants)
Asphalt Plants
Concrete Recyclers
This entire chain touches the same materials multiple times.
That’s the key insight.