Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Minas Gerais State Government in Brazil to explore the potential of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for monitoring the integrity of mine tailings dams in the region.

The MoU provides a framework for cooperation between Inmarsat and the Minas Gerais State Government and outlines how the two parties could work together to investigate a variety of options to achieve improved awareness and transparency of tailings dams in the region. The MoU also addresses a potential relationship for Inmarsat to provide the government with its smart tailings dams monitoring solution, to deliver mission critical data on the safety and integrity of tailings dams in the region.

Inmarsat has developed a remote monitoring solution, based on IoT and satellite technology that can provide real-time visibility of conditions at tailings dams anywhere in the world. Connected sensors gather data such as piezometric pressure, pond elevation, local weather conditions and inclinometer readings, which is aggregated at the ‘edge’ and transferred via Inmarsat’s reliable, global L-band network to a cloud-based dashboard. The information presented in the dashboard provides the necessary transparency for mining companies, auditors and regulators to make faster and smarter decisions, improve safety standards and helps support regulatory compliance.

Commenting on the agreement, Paul Gudonis, President of Inmarsat Enterprise, said: “The safety of tailings dams is a long-standing issue in the mining industry. With our 40 years of heritage and expertise in providing critical safety services across different industries, we can bring this experience to help the Minas Gerais State Government monitor the tailings dams in its region. Our IoT-based monitoring solution leverages advanced connectivity technologies to give mining companies total visibility over the safety and integrity of their dams and enables them to take action to avert safety issues.”