MICROMINE and IMDEX have agreed to collaborate on the next release of Micromine 2020, with the latter company’s ioGAS solution being incorporated into the 3D modelling and mine design software.

This collaboration, bringing together detailed geoscience analytics with sophisticated 3D modelling and mine design software, will enhance the geological modelling workflow, according to MICROMINE.

According to IMDEX, ioGAS is a leading exploratory data analysis software application developed specifically for the resources industry. “Traditional methods to analyse results would take many hours and is prone to human error; ioGAS can generate accurate results in a fraction of the time. Over the past decade, a wide range of visual analytics and advanced quantitative tools have been developed to help you obtain a greater insight into the underlying structure of your data,” the company said.

The two companies have been working together for several months to integrate output from IMDEX’s ioGAS solution, according to MICROMINE.

“The collaboration means geoscientists will be able to directly import ioGAS (.gas) files into Micromine 2020 software to map and model geological domains,” MICROMINE said.

Micromine Product Strategy Manager, Mark Gabbitus, said the ability to import the files and related geological and geochemical interpretative analysis into Micromine 2020 was a boon for both companies and their thousands of global software users.

“MICROMINE and IMDEX recognise it’s in everyone’s interests to enable the efficient transfer of data between packages,” he said.

“Integrating software with third-party systems like ioGAS not only makes our client’s jobs easier but advances the industry, which MICROMINE values as a thought-leader in the METS sector.”

Micromine 2020 might still be in development, but Gabbitus confirmed some of the key features that would integrate with ioGAS included:

• In-built ioGAS symbol library so that data imported into Micromine looks exactly as it did in ioGAS;
• Down hole data that can brought from an ioGAS .gas file directly into Micromine as points where attributes (eg material type) can be modelled or displayed alongside geological logging to validate boundaries and contacts; and;
• Down hole data displays that effectively show how geochemical properties differ between logged geological units.

MICROMINE added: “In Micromine 2020, drill hole traces can be easily created from down hole points contained in an ioGAS.gas file. This data is then saved as a drill hole database in Micromine.”

With over 10 years of development, IMDEX’s ioGAS software has resulted in optimised workflows and easy to use tools that incorporate industry best practise in interpretive techniques, according to MICROMINE. The exploratory data analysis software offers detection of patterns, anomalies and relationships in geoscience data. With over 350 commercial clients and 20 government organisation users, ioGAS has established itself as a global market leader, MICROMINE said.

Dave Lawie, IMDEX Chief Geoscientist, said: “It is exciting to combine the benefits of these market-leading software packages to provide additional value for our clients. This integration offers a seamless integration of ioGAS files and related interpretative analysis directly into MICROMINE 2020.”

Last month, MICROMINE said Micromine 2020 will no longer support installation or use on computers with a 32-bit processor.