Just like many other industries, mining is going through a transitional period. Much of the change and upheaval is coming about because of rapidly evolving technology. Through these innovations, safety and overall efficiency are both increased, improving practices that have been in place
Just like many other industries, mining is going through a transitional period. Much of the change and upheaval is coming about because of rapidly evolving technology. Through these innovations, safety and overall efficiency are both increased, improving practices that have been in place for decades.
Simulator training is picking up in popularity. Rather than train workers using incredibly expensive mining equipment, more operations are adopting this alternative. Through simulations, mine workers gain a better understanding of best practices. The realistic nature of the different simulators run the range, with more life-like setups requiring a larger investment up front. Some of the higher-end simulators make use of 3D models of the exact equipment workers will be using. Workers train on working in different conditions, such as inclement weather, during the night, etc.
Three-dimensional modeling has been growing in leaps and bounds, promising to transform how mining operations are conducted in the most fundamental of ways. The most recent and perhaps dramatic example is the South Australian Geophysical Reference Model. It shows users the different attributes of underground areas, up to 100 km in depth. With this powerful technology, mining companies can make better decisions about where to dig in search of particular minerals. This particular example shows the underground sections of an entire state in Australia.
Cloud-based services are a familiar thing for consumers these days, and the technology has finally found a niche in the mining industry. A growing number of mining companies are using private clouds to boost productivity and cut costs. By collecting data virtually and being able to analyze it in real time, management can make highly informed decisions about resource planning, including when to schedule different workers for shifts, payroll, business intelligence and fleet management.
For mining companies that have far-flung operations around the globe, the cloud allows for a better economy of scale by centralizing many administrative functions, bringing down costs as a result. Management in different time zones can access the same data sets at the same time, boo