Tag Archives: Dave Lawie

IMDEX’s Lawie on BLAST DOG’s continual orebody knowledge evolution

In a presentation to the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney, Australia, today, entitled ‘Get a Dog’, IMDEX Chief Geoscientist and Chief Technologist – Mining, Dave Lawie, charted the five-year development journey of the company’s BLAST DOG™ technology that, the company says, provides unrivalled pre-blast orebody knowledge and a 3D view into the bench.

BLAST DOG is a commodity-agnostic blast hole sensing and physical measurement technology that will provide near real-time blast hole physicals and orebody knowledge, according to IMDEX. The value of the technology is in the power of integrated data, enabling experts to make informed decisions that affect each stage of the mining value chain.

“Ten years ago, orebody knowledge was quite an abstract notion,” Dr Lawie said. “When we first discussed it, people wanted more information. Five years ago, they were becoming more interested, and today it’s a theme in the industry.

“IMDEX has led that discussion and been at the forefront of the development of technologies that deliver better orebody knowledge. Reliable orebody knowledge is central to good mine planning. It provides the data that allows for informed decision making that delivers savings throughout the mining life cycle.”

The BLAST DOG sensor is on a track-mounted robotic platform with semi-autonomous hole positioning and alignment capability working over variable terrain and bench conditions, IMDEX explained.

IMDEX Chief Geoscientist and Chief Technologist – Mining, Dave Lawie

Directly and rapidly measuring the orebody via blast holes reveals what the ore reserve looks like in the ground, at a high resolution, and immediately prior to its extraction, providing mining companies with “insurance” data that protects people, heritage, equipment and neighbouring communities, according to the company.

The data has the potential to be used to develop programs to, the company says, improve safety; mine planning; blast design; fragmentation; reduce fume, flyrock, vibration, air-blast and dust; and improve material assignment post blast.

Dr Lawie said an IMARC presentation in 2015 discussing spatial factors among the activity drivers in mining confirmed to IMDEX that its identification and focus on orebody knowledge was correct. But at the time there was no “Internet of Geosensing” system able to deliver the right information.

“The reference to spatial factors is really the Internet of Geosensing; IoG is an orebody knowledge system, and that’s what BLAST DOG delivers,” he said.

The reduction or management of variation alone creates value, with the characterisation of waste as important as the identification of the target metals or minerals, according to IMDEX.

It creates the opportunity for better segregation of ore from waste during mining and, therefore, grade optimisation as well as maximisation of ore recovery and minimisation of dilution.

With the delivery vehicle coming from Universal Field Robots and the downhole sensors designed and refined by IMDEX, the addition of MinePortal 3D visualisation software has accelerated IMDEX BLAST DOG for mining production, IMDEX says.

The company achieved its first commercial contract with BLAST DOG in August this year, at Iron Bridge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with the agreement providing for the staged use of up to three units together with associated products, software, data analysis, reporting and support.

Six commercial prototype trials are planned for the 2023 financial year under the first phase of BLAST DOG development.

IMDEX concluded: “The BLAST DOG technology will continue to evolve, with new answer products, novel and democratised modelling and visual outputs being developed along with expansion to other commodities and geographies and eventually to underground applications.”

IMDEX’s ioGAS to feature in Micromine 2020 3D modelling and mine design software

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.

IMDEX showcasing real-time and downhole exploration solutions at PDAC

IMDEX is showing off its exploration drilling wares at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada’s (PDAC) annual bash in Toronto, Canada.

IMDEX’s booth – incorporating the REFLEX and AMC brands – is showcasing the company’s integrated solutions and latest technologies including its AMC ULWSRU™ featuring the IMDEX MUD AID, IMDEX MOBILE software, drilling optimisation and downhole navigation solutions, and real-time 3D visualisation solutions for downhole and structural geology data, the company said.

The AMC ULWSRU, featuring the IMDEXMUD AID, has seen IMDEX combine the benefits of its ultra-lightweight solids removal unit and automated in-field drilling fluid diagnosis unit – including remote tracking technology – to optimise penetration rates, core recovery and metres drilled per bit, according to the company.

IMDEX MOBILE, meanwhile, has seen the company work closely with clients to create more than 20 ready-to-use forms and reports including daily drill reports; pre-start inspections; verified cost reports; and rig productivity reports.

All of these are available via the new off-the-shelf software, according to IMDEX.

General Manager, IMDEX Product Development, Michelle Carey, said: “We are committed to being at the forefront of dynamic solutions that deliver accurate data, whilst saving time and money for clients.”

A good example of this is the company’s IMDEX Downhole Navigation solution, according to Carey.

The company said of this solution: “As pioneers in downhole navigation, IMDEX has further enhanced its solution to support clients’ complete downhole needs. The latest integration of IMDEXHUB-IQ™ with Seequent’s Central software (pictured) means clients can now have real-time 3D visualisation of the drill hole.”

IMDEX Chief Geoscientist, Dave Lawie, said: “Increasingly, geologists are wanting to make decisions in real-time, however, they need to have the right live data available. We’re excited to be part of this industry-first to deliver real-time 3D data, which will dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of decision-making for drilling projects.”

The company’s REFLEXGYRO SPRINT-IQ™, officially launched at last year’s PDAC event, also integrates with IMDEXHUB-IQ™ and Seequent’s Central software. This technology surveys three times faster and two times more accurately than traditional gyros, according to the company, and can survey holes at any angle and operate in single, multi-shot and continuous modes.