Tag Archives: Brian Gillespie

GroundProbe’s GML geotechnical monitoring tool wins IET award

IoT, Mine surveying, Mining safety, , , , , , ,

GroundProbe is celebrating taking out the Technology Transfer Award at the 2019 Institution of Engineering Technology (IET) Innovation Awards in London.

The event seeks to acknowledge and celebrate pioneering innovations across the breadth of science, engineering and technology, according to GroundProbe, with the technology transfer award recognising “perception-shifting innovations that demonstrate effective use of existing technology from one sector to another in an alternative way”.

GroundProbe was recognised for its GML technology. Proven in underground mines as a geotechnical monitoring tool, the GML was adapted for civil projects where it reduces the environmental impact and cost of tunnelling through reduced shotcrete use, according to the Orica subsidiary.

The GML system is a high-speed computing and LiDAR technology that provides live feedback to aid efficient tunnel construction. It scans the tunnel or civil project under construction, determining areas of non-compliance for real time remediation. It produces 14 million point results in less than two minutes, according to the company, ensuring the highest quality data is gathered in the fastest time possible.

Benny Chen, GroundProbe’s Manager – Product Innovation and Commercial, said: “In an industry first, the GML is able to guide construction crews to spray to the desired thickness or design profile on-the-fly in real-time.

“With live, actionable information, the innovation significantly reduces shotcrete usage and rework during construction.

“We have proven to reduce shotcrete usage in tunnel projects by 30%, translating to huge environmental and cost benefits,” Chen said.

GroundProbe CEO, Brian Gillespie, said it was an honour to receive international recognition from the IET.

“I am immensely proud of our technology team, who conceived, designed, developed and commercialised this solution for cross-industry applications, all from our company headquarters in Australia.

“Across the world, GroundProbe technologies and our people that build them are making tunnels, underground and open-cut mines and tailings dams safer and improving the way we work,” he said.

Commercialised, patented and proven, the GML has been successfully tested in several major tunnel construction projects in Australia and is currently being demonstrated across the Nordics and Asia.

GroundProbe aggregates geotechnical data with MonitorIQ

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GroundProbe says it has launched a new data aggregation software for geotechnical sensor monitoring, MonitorIQ.

MonitorIQ is, according to the Orica-owned company, feature-rich allowing users to collate and compare data from more than 120 sensor types on one platform including the suite of radar, laser and vibration monitors provided by GroundProbe. It also allows users to compare data from prisms, piezometers, drones, temperature readers, air pressure measurement, and many other sensor types.

The all-new software can also consolidate data across multiple sites be they mines, tailings dams, natural landscape hazards or other built structures, according to the company.

“Through the centralisation of all monitoring data into one dashboard and analysis platform, MonitorIQ revolutionises how users consolidate sensor data to correlate and identify trends, ensuring confident decision making,” GroundProbe said.

Brian Gillespie, GroundProbe’s CEO, said the development of MonitorIQ is the result of its customers using many different sensors to gather various types of information.

GroundProbe said: “More than just a data aggregation platform, MonitorIQ comes built-for-purpose with GroundProbe’s patented geotechnical analysis software, SSR-Viewer, fully embedded.

“This gives users the freedom to access SSR-Viewer’s all-inclusive suite of visualisations and safety-critical charting and alarming tools, on-the-fly, direct from MonitorIQ.”

GroundProbe is part of Orica Monitor – a newly formed division of Orica – dedicated to providing advanced monitoring technology solutions across both the mining and civil industries. MonitorIQ, meanwhile, is the latest addition to Orica’s suite of leading digital technology solutions.

Lachlan Campbell, GroundProbe’s VP of Marketing and Technology, said: “MonitorIQ completely eliminates the need for users to switch between multiple platforms when working with any data collected on-site. This combined with SSR-Viewer’s deep dive analysis capability presents an interface that is integrated and intuitive.”

He added: “Safety has been and always will be our number one priority, and this solution will ensure efficient and effective decision-making to provide maximum safety.”

James Usherwood, Product Manager for MonitorIQ, said: “MonitorIQ has definitely transformed the way we view, interact and report on data. Where MonitorIQ will go in the future will definitely change the way the mining and civil construction sectors monitor hazardous areas.”

MonitorIQ is currently being rolled out globally across the GroundProbe customer network, which spans 30 countries.

GroundProbe extends Americas mine, tailings dam monitoring reach with Santiago centre

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GroundProbe has launched a dedicated monitoring centre in Santiago, Chile, to, it says, provide 24/7 real-time radar and laser monitoring services for tailings dams and mines throughout North and South America.

The centre connects remote sites with industry experts in three languages, according to GroundProbe, with the facility monitoring live slope stability data and reacting to alarms to ensure the maximum safety of people and communities.

Crewed by 45 specialised geotechnical engineers, these centre provide 24/7 expertise to over 30 customers globally, GroundProbe says.

GroundProbe, owned by Orica, is a global leader in real-time technologies used to detect instabilities and predict when mine and dam collapses will occur.

From a launch event in Santiago, GroundProbe CEO Brian Gillespie said the new centre marked an important step for GroundProbe’s future growth, especially for South and North America.

“We’ve witnessed a boom in Brazil for continuous, real-time monitoring of tailings dams, with a huge increase in demand for our remote, 24/7 geotechnical expertise,” Gillespie said.

“We saw it as an absolute necessity to bolster our offering and extend our support services from Asia Pacific to the Americas.

“Placing the centre in Santiago and ensuring its tri-lingual capabilities allows us to do just that.”

GroundProbe has, for many years, been providing 24/7 assistance to customers from its Asia-Pacific monitoring centre. The addition of a second location, operating in Spanish, Portuguese and English, sees GroundProbe remain at the forefront of our industry, the company said.

David Noon, COO of GroundProbe, said: “Our Santiago remote monitoring centre is operational from day one, with our teams already monitoring many tailings dams, a massive hydro-electric dam and even a landslide on a national highway in Colombia.

“Not only is it essential to our customers that our team are native Spanish and Portuguese speakers, but having a centre in Latin America shows our level of commitment to the region and to creating jobs in the local communities we serve.”

To mark the launch, GroundProbe and Orica hosted an event with key customers, industry representatives and stakeholders (pictured).

GroundProbe’s monitoring centres are home to its Geotechnical Support Services (GSS) team and dedicated team of geotechnical support engineers.

The second monitoring centre in Santiago will provide the same services to customers, including: GSS-Remote, a 24-hour remote monitoring solution; GSS-Training, a SSR and laser training service; and GSS-Reporting, the company’s customised analysis and reporting service.