Case Study: Thailand Department of Mineral Resources achieves life-saving cave-rescue mapping and water diversion with ESRI

The Technology Behind the Thailand Cave Rescue

The Thailand Department of Mineral Resources faced an urgent rescue challenge when 12 boys and their coach became trapped deep in the flooded Tham Luang cave during monsoon rains. To coordinate search, water-diversion and rescue planning, the DMR partnered with ESRI (Esri Thailand) and other GIS experts to bring mapping, cave-survey data and real-time sensor feeds into a central geospatial workflow.

ESRI’s mapping solutions — including 3D cave and terrain models, a digital twin in the Geohazard Operation Center, and an interactive story map — were used to identify two major water inlets, model basin and flow paths, and direct construction of dams and pipelines that lowered cave water levels. Hourly map updates of water depth and air quality guided divers and surface teams; the maps helped locate the boys after nine days and supported the coordinated operations that led to all 13 being rescued by day 18.

Thailand Department of Mineral Resources