Digitization is a major opportunity for the mining sector, promising new levels of operational safety and efficiency through the addition of Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial IoT (IIoT) platforms to standard operational technology (OT). But it’s also a realm with a wide array of technology options, with connectivity alone encompassing standards such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) plus low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) protocols such as LoRa (Long Range).

To help make sense of the options available to digital mining operations, IIoT leader Worldsensing and mining giant Vale hosted a webinar on how to leverage IoT technology to advance your mine’s IT strategy. This post covers some of the questions that were left unanswered at the end of the session, with replies from Worldsensing’s director of products, Bernat Trias, and CTO, Albert Zaragoza.

How effective is wireless monitoring in underground mines? Do you only do solutions for tailings dams?

Bernat: Worldsensing’s wireless monitoring system, Loadsensing, features nodes which are ruggedized and have been tested in temperatures ranging from -40ºC to +80ºC, so they can withstand harsh environments such as underground mines. Although we have a lot of deployments in tailings dams, Loadsensing nodes can read multi-point borehole extensometers, pressure cells and other frequently used sensors for underground monitoring. The Loadsensing laser distance meter node can be particularly useful for convergence monitoring. Loadsensing may also be used as a last-mile solution inside deep galleries. The nodes wirelessly send data to gateways underground that are connected to fiber-optic points used for machinery control and cameras, in order to transmit the data to the surface. We are open to projects to test the depth limits of our monitoring system and understand how ambient conditions may impact the network quality in deep underground mines.

What do you think is the biggest benefit of long-range wireless for the mining industry?

Bernat: The main benefits of long-range wireless monitoring include increased efficiency because mines don’t need to perform tedious manual monitoring, cost savings versus manual and cable monitoring workforce safety because the mining staff doesn’t need to take readings in perilous areas and risk management because of the real-time data and alerts that the monitoring system may provide.

How do you contract the maintenance of solutions? Do you have examples where clients purchase a solution and maintain it themselves, or does Worldsensing supply end-to-end solutions?

Albert: Worldsensing works with over 200 partners around the world who take care of all the installation and maintenance needs for our customers. If you are a big company that would like to self-maintain, you may contact us here. 

Do you have experience gathering technology from different devices? In other words, to integrate all that technology?

Albert: We have experience integrating loads of geotechnical sensors in different locations and have a product ready to integrate data and ingest data to and from third-party systems. Click here for an infographic showing some of the sensors that we can connect to in a tailings dam.

What is the cost per sensor using LoRa and how does it compare to LTE or GSM?

Bernat: The cost per sensor using LoRa is relatively lower compared to regular LTE and GSM primarily because of the low power consumption of LoRa devices and the associated connectivity fees, if any.

​We may help you evaluate the investment for your specific use case or project. Just get in touch with us here…

Article courtesy of our partners and friends at Worldsensing

​The City of Amsterdam is facing the huge task of assessing and potentially replacing 200 km of the quay walls along its charming old inner-city canals. Adjacent historical buildings are often susceptible to damage by nearby construction activities. Satellite InSAR is being used to monitor areas across the city. Monitoring subsidence is seen as a vital tool in the efforts to preserve the physical charm and historical assets of this scenery.

Deltares, the City of Amsterdam, TU Delft, and SkyGeo have published an article on the reliability of PS-INSAR usage compared to regular ground levelling and general InSAR data. It describes how the PS-InSAR process can considerably reduce the current lengthy period required for levelling updates and verifies the improvement in reliability when using a locally optimised SkyGeo InSAR dataset.

The City of Amsterdam started innovating by using levelling techniques centuries ago, when they introduced the NAP (National Reference Height). They have been measuring and placing markers on buildings throughout the city to aid in the assessment of subsidence. This is a profound effort as the inner-city is completely built on soft soil. Levelling and InSAR data usage are both used across the city to provide valuable insights on deformation. A direct comparison between levelling and satellite measurements means little, but researchers found a specific statistical procedure that is applied to levelling and satellite measurements to verify their reliability and determine the rate of vertical deformation of the buildings.

Permanent Scatterer SAR
The Permanent Scatterer SAR technique can measure deformations of objects with high reliability. Satellites launched in the last decade produce raw data to obtain deformation time series with high temporal and spatial resolution. Martijn Houtepen, InSAR Applications Expert at SkyGeo, was asked to supply two different datasets for the Amsterdam city area. One general dataset covering the entire city and a tailor-made locally optimised InSAR dataset. Three case studies were reviewed. The results exhibited a near 100% coverage for buildings in the SkyGeo locally optimised dataset. These structures all had reliable measurement points, greatly outnumbering general InSAR and regular levelling results.

​Conclusion of the PS -InSAR study
There is merit in the insight building fine-tuning of local datasets. Caution should be considered with generic, publicly available, InSAR datasets. All three case studies showed deformation rates of the satellite measurements are significantly higher than those of the levelling on the same buildings. Locally optimised PS-InSAR satellite measurements are most suitable for assessing the deformation rate of buildings in the Amsterdam inner-city.

PS-InSAR is available for Geomotion customers looking to scale trust with InSAR data.

Article courtesy of SkyGeo

1. Improves knowledge of the most critical potential failure mechanisms

It is important to identify the main cause of failings in order to plan better and to implement the correct measures to stop them.

Tailings dam failures can originate from overloads, anomalous behavior of the material used to build the dam (normally tailings), or from problems with the drainage mechanisms, which result in an increase of pore water pressure, and therefore a loss of resistance.

They can also result from other things, like poor monitoring systems, for instance. With manual or wired in-situ readings, operators do not have sufficient amounts of data to gain a clearer picture of the main factors playing a role in failure mechanisms. This massively increases risks in and around tailings dams, as those supervising the area cannot predictively act in order to stop potential failures. The amount of data and regularity with which it is collected through wireless monitoring solutions provides a solid basis for a correct risk analysis, and for building risk-potential models. This is key for long-term risk-planning and for understanding critical failure mechanisms.

2. Detects situations that are likely to trigger a failure of the dam

​Real-time data-gathering means that operators have continuous knowledge of the dam’s status. It also means that they can very quickly build “normative” models of how the dam should be behaving, meaning that any anomalies are flagged up as soon as they occur. This allows operators to detect situations that are likely to trigger a failure of the dam – such as water level exceeding a certain limit, or acceleration of horizontal displacements in depth – and to respond preemptively to these situations.

As such, wireless monitoring systems permit for the implementation of corrective measures as soon as possible, preferably before any kind of incident can take place.

This is key not only to reducing risk and saving human lives but also to a business’ profit margins. Post-incident remedial action and the downtime of the dam cost significantly more than predictive maintenance activities.

3. Serves as a tool for designing the dam’s growth

Accumulated data-sets gathered through wireless monitoring devices are key to the successful future planning of the dam’s growth. Rather than create a growth strategy based on historical memory and previous actions, with a wireless monitoring solution, operators can use solid data to implement models that show the future probable status of the dam and its environs, and allow them to plan more accurately for any possible future changes and incidents within the context of its growth.

As part of an Operational Intelligence solution, wireless monitoring data can also be used to create “digital twins” or parts of the dam, or the whole site, in order to virtually model future actions in a “videogame” version of the environment.

Either way, wireless monitoring means that the risk of future failures and incidents is significantly reduced, through using the most scientific methods possible to calculate future risk potential.

4. Provides a sound basis for the establishment and implementation of the proper response in case of a failure involving human hazards

Equipped with the ability to model future incidents and predictively respond, operators can establish set responses to particular incidents that regularly happen, and set up crisis contingency plans in the case of an emergency.

This is all enabled through the constant relay of precise data about the status of different parts of the tailings dam.

For example, wireless nodes transmitting data from water level meters and inclinometers installed on boreholes enable periodic controls. Piezometric sensors provide information regarding the pore water pressure, and the measurement of the ground displacement in depth is automated by an in-place inclinometer which allows operators to measure the horizontal displacement on depth. Waste management gauges, which measure the water level in the dam or settlement cells to monitor the settlement processes of the walls and surroundings, are also crucial here. Moreover, meteorological stations measure variables such as rainfall and wind speed and are critical in terms of allowing operators to consider and plan for new climatic scenarios – especially in the context of climate change and increasingly erratic weather patterns. Again, this allows for predictive and early-stage responses to any potential anomalies that arise, massively reducing the risk of incidents occurring.

5. Provides long-term monitoring with very little maintenance

A monitoring system that is both long-term and low-maintenance is absolutely critical for tailings dam environments.

Manual maintenance of sensors and data-loggers – and more – is in itself incredibly risky, meaning that maintenance of a monitoring solution must be minimal.

​This requires durability so that equipment can survive in sometimes very harsh physical conditions; longevity of battery life, so that equipment does not need to be placed frequently; and long-distance transmittance, so that it can continuously relay data from difficult, hard to reach environments over long periods of time. Depending on the system used, the long-range communication between the gateway and the dataloggers in most wireless monitoring systems allows for a distance of up to 9 miles or 15 km between the gateway and the data-loggers in an optimal situation. In the context of a mine, this means that, by placing the gateway in the mine’s central office, almost any point of the mine where a sensor is placed can be reached, meaning that no manual readings ever need to take place. Embedded, long-life batteries make remote data acquisition systems autonomous for up to 10 years, enhancing the maintenance cycles of the monitoring system. This massively reduces risks as equipment rarely fails, meaning continuous, accurate readings for years. In turn, this decreases potential downtime and means that there is no need to manually maintain the monitoring system.

Article courtesy of Worldsensing

The Queen's Wharf development in Brisbane is a GLS Monitoring project involving Geomotion and Land Surveys.

The project, part of the redevelopment of the Queen’s Wharf Precinct into a new world-class integrated resort, includes full automation of existing monitoring devices, as well as the installation of additional instruments including:

• Geomotion Cloud Software & Reporting,
• Automated Total Stations,
• Prisms,
• Joint meters,
• Vibration monitoring, and
• Solar Powered Systems

The project includes a staged warning system during Maritime works as part of the construction management plan, as well as monitoring of key structures including the Riverside Expressway.

The final piece of Sydney's WestConnex puzzle has been placed, after the New South Wales Government today announced stage three of the controversial project had been approved.

Key points:

• The $7 billion link runs underground for about 8 kilometres
• It will connect the M4 at Haberfield to the M5 at St Peters, via another interchange at Rozelle
• The NSW Government claims it will save "hours of travel time" each week

It means a tunnel will be built connecting the M4 at Haberfield to the M5 at St Peters — a development WestConnex Minister Stuart Ayres described as being "like the Sydney Harbour Bridge".

It will create a non-stop bypass of Sydney's CBD and inner-west, slashing travel times.

However, the proposal has also attracted significant opposition.

This time last year, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore briefed Premier Gladys Berejiklian on a set of alternatives at a meeting.

The $17 billion WestConnex development has been previously described by the NSW Government as the world's biggest road project.

Stage three will also include links to the Iron Cove Bridge and Rozelle Interchange.
Mr Ayres said the tunnel was crucial to the city's transport future.

"Like the Sydney Harbour Bridge did for the North Shore, the M4-M5 Link will bridge a major gap in the road network, creating a non-stop underground western bypass of Sydney's CBD, slashing travel times and delivering over 18 hectares of open space for local communities," he said.

In August 2017, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for WestConnex stage three said the project would slash travel times from Sydney's western suburbs to the CBD.

​It argued the 55-kilometre trip from Penrith to the CBD could cost drivers $22 today, but when WestConnex was finished, the tolls would be capped at $8.60 for the same journey.

Final stage 'hasn't even been designed', Labor says

Labor's roads spokeswoman Jodi McKay accused the Government of trying to avoid public scrutiny by announcing the approval on a Friday afternoon.

"This is the largest infrastructure project in the states history, the final stage of it, and no one is around to actually enlighten people about this project," she said.

Ms McKay said the Government rushed the approval process for the Rozelle interchange and ignored community concerns because it is seeking to sell the Sydney Motorway Corporation. 

"This is an extraordinary situation given the Government has approved something that hasn't even been designed," she said.

"There has been no community consolation, there has been no transparency yet suddenly today we find out it's been approved."

Project settled behind closed doors: Greens

Reacting to the approval of West Connex's final stage, Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said: "What we've just discovered is that West Connex stage three was secretly approved 10 days ago behind closed doors".

"No wonder the Government is ashamed of this wasteful project," Mr Byrne said.

"Throughout the Inner West we're now going to see more smoke stacks and the mother of all rat runs.

"With the demolition of homes, the secrecy behind the West Connex project, people know this Government has it in for us and...[stage three] will be worse than anything we've seen yet."

Mr Byrne said he wanted "to see the Government invest in a proper solution to modern congestion which is of course...public transport."

'We need to see transparency'

State Greens MP and member for Newtown, Jenny Leong, said "the arrogance of the Berejiklian Government knows no bounds".

"We have seen tens of thousands of submissions from the community and experts opposing this (project).

"The public appetite is there... to open up the books.

"The community have put their concerns front and centre in this planning process."

Ms Leong said the NSW Greens were pushing for more transparency.

"We are urging the NSW Labor Opposition and the crossbenchers of the upper house to support the Greens' call for the exposure of the papers. We need to see transparency and accountability."

SOURCE: ABC News

A NSW goldmine forced to shut down for three months last year after an earthquake has again halted operations following a dam wall breach.

The wall of a tailings dam at the Cadia mine, about 20km south of Orange, partially collapsed on Friday after there were two magnitude 2.7 earthquakes in the region on Thursday.

Its operator Newcrest Mining says there is no threat to personal safety and it has secured the area around the dam.

A "comprehensive geotechnical monitoring system" was implemented, the company said on Saturday.

The material involved, which was contained within the southern dam, was described as "a slurry of finely ground rock, water and a low level of benign processing re-agents".

The mine was forced to shut down after it was hit by a magnitude 4.3 earthquake in April 2017 and didn't return to partial production until July, causing a huge hit to the company's first-half profit.

Source: The West Australian (AAP)

Geomotion are excited to announce the launch of GLS Monitoring; a collaboration between Geomotion and Land Surveys to provide a complete monitoring solution for major projects.

​GLS Monitoring offer the respective expertise and experience from the two companies, offered as a single port of call for project wide monitoring including precision survey, state of the art instrumentation, cutting edge telemetry and comprehensive reporting. 

To kick off this venture, we're proud to be sponsoring the incredibly talented Alex Rullo at Bathurst 1000 2017. Here's to a successful weekend Alex!

THE word “smart” is ubiquitous these days. If you believe the hype, smart farms will all employ sensors to report soil conditions, crop growth or the health of livestock. Smart cities will monitor the levels of pollution and noise on every street corner. And smart goods in warehouses will tell robots where to store them, and how. Getting this to work, however, requires figuring out how to get thousands of sensors to transmit data reliably across hundreds of metres. On September 15th, at a computing conference held in Miami, Shyam Gollakota and his colleagues at the University of Washington are due to unveil a gadget that can do exactly that—and with only a fraction of the power required by the best devices currently available.

Dr Gollakota’s invention uses a technology called “LoRa” (from “long range”). Like Wi-Fi, this allows computers to talk to each other with radio waves. Unlike Wi-Fi, though, LoRa is not easily blocked by walls, furniture and other obstacles. That is partly because LoRa uses lower-frequency radio waves than Wi-Fi (900MHz rather than 2.4GHz). Such waves pass through objects more easily. More importantly, LoRa devices make use of a technique called “chirp spread modulation”. That means the frequency of the carrier wave—the basic radio wave, which is then deliberately deformed in order to carry data—rises and falls in a sawtooth pattern. That makes even faint LoRa signals easy to distinguish from background noise, which fluctuates randomly.

Generating that carrier wave requires a lot of power. But modulating it, in order to impress data upon it, can be done by a chip that consumes almost no power at all. Conventional LoRa transmitters do both jobs. Dr Gollakota proposes to separate them.

In his take on the system, a central transmitter, hooked up to a big battery or to the mains, broadcasts the carrier wave, while the task of impregnating it with data is done by a chip on the sensor. It accomplishes that by choosing to earth its tiny aerial, or not, millions of times every second. When the aerial is earthed, part of the carrier wave will be absorbed. When it is not, it will be reflected. If one of those cases is deemed to stand for “1” while the other represents “0”, the chip can relay data back to a receiver with the whole process controlled by three tiny, and thus very frugal, electronic switches.

Dr Gollakota reckons that such chips can be made for less than 20 cents apiece. The signals they generate can be detected at ranges of hundreds of metres. Yet with a power consumption of just 20 millionths of a watt, a standard watch battery should keep them going a decade or more. In fact, it might be possible to power them from ambient energy: Dr Gollakota and his colleagues have experimented with running the chips from the electricity generated when light strikes a small photodiode. Like other LoRa devices, the chips are slow, transmitting data at about the speed of an old-fashioned dial-up modem. But most smart sensors will produce just a trickle of data in any case.

The researchers are keeping quiet, for the time being, about the orders they have received. But early applications could be medical. The team have incorporated the chips into contact lenses and a skin patch. In hospitals, the chips could help track everything from patient gurneys to syringes and stethoscopes. Last year, Dr Gollakota unveiled variants of the chips that use ordinary Wi-Fi, too. These, he says, are in the process of making their way into disposable drug-delivery devices that notify patients via their phones when their medication is running low. That seems like a smart start.

This article appeared in the Science and technology section of the print edition of The Ecomomist under the headline "Cheap and cheerful"

Source: The Ecomomist

Geomotion Australia are pleased to have completed their first installations on the Forrestfield-Airport Link. The installations of combined inclinometers / extensometers / piezometers as part of the Forrestfield Dive site mark the beginning of an extensive monitoring program set to continue for the next three years.

​Geomotion Australia are part of the FGLS Joint Venture, bringing together Australia’s foremost surveying company, Land Surveys, and Italian monitoring specialists Field Monitoring Australia. The FGLS Joint Venture is providing a complete monitoring solution to the lead contractors SI-NRW JV, a joint venture between Salini Impregilio and Perth’s own NRW Civil & Mining. Geomotion Australia are responsible for the installation and monitoring of all geotechnical and structural instrumentation for the project. Instruments and data loggers will be supplied by Italian manufacturers SISGEO. As well as installation and monitoring, Geomotion are implementing and managing the MIMS (Monitoring Information Management System), Maxwell Geosystem’s Mission OS.

​The Forrestfield-Airport Link project will provide a rail link between Bayswater and Forrestfield, including the construction of three new train stations, Belmont, Airport Central and Forrestfield. The twin tunnels travel beneath critical pieces of infrastructure; including airport runways and existing rail networks. To ensure the highest quality of construction and safety, SI-NRW has put in place the most extensive monitoring program in WA history, and Geomotion Australia is proud to be involved.

To declare that the scale of MINExpo is humongous doesn’t even begin to paint a full picture of the event. With over 1,900 exhibitors taking up more than 840,000 sq.ft, of exhibitor space in the Las Vegas Convention Center, the enormity in terms of raw numbers is evident, but that scale goes beyond those numbers. It’s fairly safe to say the show brings together the people, tools and expertise from every corner of the mining industry.

Those tools are what ended up being the most monumental aspect of the event though, as the bulldozers, excavators, mining trucks and more overpowered the entire space. Even the small pieces of equipment showcase a size that is as impressive as it is astounding, and it’s impossible to not think about the logistics around how these tools are actually utilised. Granted, I’m sure that most of the attendees don’t have those same feelings about tools they use on a daily basis, but it’s clear they’re captivated by what they can see and experience at the event in a different way.

​I wanted to find out what sort of feelings drones were compelling in this audience, and while UAVs certainly didn’t take centre stage, it was interesting to see how both exhibitors and attendees view and think of the technology. A number of the developments and happenings that were on display at MINExpo 2016 will no doubt influence the future of how UAVs will be used in the mining industry, and with companies like Airware making a serious investment in this market, I thought I’d try to get a sense of where things are now and where they’re headed.

Getting a Literal Feel for the Industry

While I could further elaborate about the significance of standing next to machines that weigh up to and over 1.38 million lbs, the fact that such things have that kind of prominence at MINExpo is what’s especially noteworthy. The event makes it easy to see and understand that mining professionals want to get a sense for what a particular piece of equipment looks like, and even what it feels like to handle or touch that equipment. The necessity of that tactile sensation was especially apparent with drone technology.

I watched a few different attendees come by the RDO Integrated Control booth to touch and hold a few products from senseFly. Their eBee and albris units were both on full display and more than one attendee made it a point to stop and pick up the unit to see how much it weighed and what it felt like to physically handle. Various comments were then made about it being smaller than they envisioned. Clearly, the expectations some had built up around what the technology looked and felt like did not line up with reality.

Similarly, attendees were curious about how something as small as the DJI Matrice 100 could make much of an impact in the sort of environments attendees are used to working in. Would something like that hold up when flying through the debris and other commotion of an active mining project? After getting a better sense of the drone’s capabilities, which include universal power and communication ports, the fully programmable nature of the drone and its’ enhanced GPS, attendees went on to ask far more specific questions that would help them solve specific issues on a given project. Naturally, that was after picking up the drone and seeing what it felt like for themselves.

​It’s clear that mining professionals have expectations around equipment they can use on a project, and at least some of those expectations are based on how these tools actually look and feel to the professionals who will be using them. A more widespread embrace of drones in this market might just be a matter of literally getting a UAV in the hands of more people.

The Industry is Both Creating and Embracing New Technology

There are always challenges when it comes to embracing change, and that’s as much due to people as it is to technology. A certain approach or tool is seen by an organisation or even an entire industry as the way things are done, and changing that can be difficult. That was part of the reason it was so encouraging to see that new technology is not only being embraced by mining professionals, but these changes are being driven by powerful concepts and relevant needs.

VR technology was showed off in various booths, including the Trimble booth where attendees were able to step into a virtual mine. The technology is designed to showcase the concept of the connected mine, which connects data from all over a mining project with the people who are making critical decisions. The concept of the connected mine wasn’t limited to the Trimble booth though, and neither was the VR Oculus Technology, which was being used by various companies to show attendees everything from how their equipment could be utilised to conducting training programs.

The embrace of these new tools and technologies certainly extends to drones, and the development of something completely new that is driven by a market need is personified by the RIEGL RICOPTER. As one of the leading providers of LiDAR scanners and scanning systems, the company hadn’t been looking to develop a drone, but became the first to offer a fully integrated, survey grade LiDAR UAV solution based upon the fact there was no perfectly suited carrier for RIEGL’s VUX-1 LiDAR sensor available on the market. The RICOPTER has, since introduction in 2014, offered the market a complete solution that fits a specific need for mining professionals, which includes the necessary sensors, UAV platform, and accompanying software from one single manufacturer.

Tools like the Vapor 55 are also important to mention when it comes to the creation of a relevant new technology, especially in terms of how it can be utilized since it’s payload agnostic. The advantages of the helicopter model start with the additional safety aspects along with being built for dangerous environments like a mine, but the autonomous auto-rotation feature is what really sets it apart.

​These are the kinds of concepts and tools that have already changed the mining industry in countless ways, but it was clear professionals across this sector are both ready and willing to take a closer look at what it will mean to leverage such things.

Disruption at Different Scales via Various Products

A few of the education sessions at MINExpo focused on how things are developing in different markets and with technology in a very general sense, but it’s clear that changes in both of these areas have caused disputation in the mining industry that continues to make waves. Sessions dealt with various topics that included, “Maintenance,” “Research”, “Automation” and “Underground Mining”, but the info shared in each went into far more detail than is indicated by the session titles.

The “Markets” session featured a presentation and discussion as participants talked through how the mining sector has been fundamentally reshaped, and in that process has become more volatile and more vulnerable. Revenues and the EBITA of the global mining community were also showcased, as well as some numbers that detailed how the growth in certain regions was exceptionally fast, and why that won’t be repeated. During “Automation #1” the presenters worked to show what kind of change the industrial Internet will drive but made sure to highlight where automation will play a role in terms of the impact to safety, productivity and reliability.

Additionally, companies like Hélicéo are driving a different sort of disruption with products like the DroneBox, which can be utilised on a number of different platforms, including a multi-rotor and fixed wing drone. One thing that’s talked about in many different contexts is how drones shouldn’t be thought of as something that can solve every problem on a project but should instead be simply thought of as a tool. Being able to utilise different platforms while capturing the same necessary information will go a long way to helping more people understand that concept.

Disruption is something Delair-Tech has seen with UAV packages that feature up to 200 km range and over 2 hours of endurance, but they’ve seen it in a very different manner, mostly because their customers are already asking to see how things can be further disrupted. The feedback they’ve gotten has been about where UAV technology can go from here, as they’ve used tools like drones and are now trying to assess how to procure additional benefits. It’s one of the reasons Delair-Tech has set up new offices in the United States.

​It’s impossible to accurately measure the speed of these kinds of disruptions and how they’re impacting various professionals, but they are absolutely happening in the mining space, and they’re changing the expectations of everyone.

Data and the Connected Mine

The concept of the connected mine is one that came up in terms of VR technology, but it’s also one that companies are trying to make a reality in far more concrete ways. As an example, Topcon’s UAV fixed wing and rotary wing solutions are designed to connect the field and the office in real time. Their intelligent mining solutions include mass haul solutions, surveying and monitoring solutions, aerial imaging solutions, excavation solutions and plenty more.

As pervasive as drones have become, there are still some that wonder about the true benefits of the technology, either because they’re unsure of what UAVs are actually capable of doing, or they don’t understand how they can make a difference. Some of those people were at the event asking such things aloud, but as soon as they saw the data that’s associated with a drone they understood the true benefit. Using data as the starting place allowed them to see that drones aren’t about doing something especially different or unnecessary. They know what it means to capture and uutilisevarious kinds of data, and thinking of drones as an easier or more efficient way of gathering that data is typically the most effective way of talking through the true benefits.

​The concept of the connected mine is one most attendees were familiar with, but many struggled with the logistics around actually creating or enabling one, either because of their own internal processes or because they simply didn’t have tools to permit that kind of connectivity. How drones will be part of these connected mines is an open question that likely varies from one organisation to another, and perhaps even from project to project. However, a focus on data and what can be done with that data provides a much more effective starting place in terms of figuring out the right approach and tools.

The Importance of Specificity

MINExpo features countless companies that are selling a single product or variation of that product, with examples ranging from boots to tires. However, there were also plenty of companies that featured massive options and choices, whether they were related to consulting services or heavy machinery. It’s easy to see how companies with that single product are able to be specific with their customers, but the reality is that organisations with those various options can be just as specific. Examples of that specificity were everywhere, but in terms of drone technology, it was especially prevalent in the product that the Rigid Robotics team had to show.

Instead of being a drone company that has created a product to serve the mining sector, Rigid Robotics is a mining organisation that has created a drone. They were showing off their CONDUCTOR platform, which is a tethered unmanned aerial system. The CONDUCTOR is designed to offer specific capabilities that mining organisations will be able to leverage, which are related to persistent surveillance, volumetric measurements, and more. The tether also means the drone does not require downtime in order to refuel or recharge, which solves a major concern that many mining professionals have expressed about the technology.

At the Geoshack booth, Lockheed Martin’s Indago Mapper drone was on display, and representatives talked up how the UAV can collect data and view composite photos showing the progression on a job site. Additionally, Sentera’s Phoenix Mapper fixed-wing drone has a highly reliable, easy-to-use, professional-grade autopilot and intuitive flight-planning process, all of which means that miners can quickly grasp how to actually fly the drone, which is another key issue in terms of adoption.

Regardless of the product, it was clear that the mining professionals here weren’t especially focused on potential or possibility. They wanted to discuss how these tools actually could and would be utilised and those were the specifics exhibitors and attendees talked through in detail.

Drones, Autonomous Mines and the Future
​
There were only 11 companies listed under the “drone” product category for the event, and a few of those companies seemed confused that they were listed there to begin with. So the technology still has a way to go in terms of adoption. Nonetheless, an informal poll showed that around 70% of the people at the event knew about drones and how they might impact a project, while 10% had either actually used or experimented with using a drone on a project. The interest is clearly there, and with the lengthy Section 333 process no longer serving as a barrier to entry, many people and organizations are open to taking the next step.

In fact, if I had to say, I would guess the reason there weren’t more UAVs and drone companies at the event is because Part 107 only recently went into effect. While some had been counting down the days until it became official, others were fine with waiting to see what would happen. Many of those people who were content to hold out are in the mining industry. With that barrier to entry eliminated, numerous people expressed an interest in drones in a way even they admitted they wouldn’t have done just a couple months ago.

As proof of that sentiment being legitimate, the concept of creating a completely autonomous mine was one that came up in more than one instance. It’s a concept that would see a mining operation taking place in the middle of the Australian Outback, even though the people controlling everything would be located far away from that location, and there wouldn’t actually be anyone working within that mine. All the world would be done autonomously.

Anyone with even a vague notion of that kind of future knows drones will be a major component of this kind of autonomous ecosystem. They’re also aware of the fact that utilizing UAVs today brings the industry a step closer to that eventual dream, which makes it a worthwhile effort in more ways than one.

​MINExpo won’t be back until 2020, but you can check out plenty pictures from this year’s event below to get a sense of how drones and various other pieces of equipment are set to make a difference in the interim.

About the Author

Jeremiah Karpowicz is the Executive Editor for Commercial UAV News. He has created articles, videos, newsletters, ebooks and plenty more for various communities as a contributor and editor. He is also the author of a number of industry specific reports that feature exclusive insights and information around how drones are being used in various markets. You can read all of those reports here.

​Get in touch with him on Twitter: @jeremiahkarp