Tag Archives: Maptek

Maptek presents new platform for automation and orchestration, Vestrex

Automation, IoT, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

On the back of successful demonstrations at MINExpo International in Las Vegas in September, Maptek has announced that its Maptek Vestrex ecosystem for automation and orchestration is open for early access customers.

Vestrex creates extraordinary value by making connections between diverse data sources without constraints of product, application, process or format, Maptek says. Data in the cloud encourages stakeholders across mining roles, teams and organisations to collaborate and explore new use cases for their technical data beyond traditional applications.

Automation streamlines operations through real-time data and process integration and accelerates decision making processes, while orchestration builds on computational power and automated workflows to unlock value from technical data and mining systems.

Global Strategy Manager, James Mackenzie commented on the interest surrounding Vestrex during MINExpo: “Everyone we spoke to could immediately think of a way they could apply Vestrex to their organisation. All of the ideas were different and all of them were achievable, because Vestrex enables collaboration on many levels, limited only by imagination!”

Mackenzie added: “Customers can expect effortless data transfer between cloud and desktop environments, with data managed securely from a centralised platform. They will also be able to work with Maptek to orchestrate custom processes that handle their particular challenges.”

The new platform is based on three key pillars – data services, cloud computing and orchestration – sharing a common vision for solution integration and inter-process workflows.

Maptek Data Systems (MDS) is the integration hub for ingesting data from anywhere through open APIs. MDS enables native in-app integration with Maptek desktop solutions and manages version control and publishing permissions through Maptek Account.

The second pillar in the Maptek ecosystem, Maptek Compute Framework (MCF), is already powering machine learning and optimisation in Maptek scheduling and domain modelling solutions, according to the company. Time-consuming calculations can be completed on scalable resources for on-demand results.

The third and newest pillar, Maptek Orchestration Environment (MOE), is the key to unlocking value through collaboration, according to Mackenzie.

“Vestrex connects algorithms, executables and transformations to leverage computational power, scalability and parallelisation across business and technical systems,” he said. “If you can get your data into Vestrex, Maptek can help transform it into value.”

An important feature is the flexibility to incorporate ‘human in the loop’ review and analysis at any stage within automated processes, Maptek says. Customisation of decision trees and unrestricted complexity mean the use cases are limitless. Robust data security includes encryption and backup protocols that protect sensitive information for operational continuity.

Mackenzie sees the true power of Vestrex as the ability to bind data and computations to create automations that streamline processes and data pipelines, integrating them within broader business workflows.

Mackenzie concluded: “Making data accessible and consumable across multiple stakeholders, including non-technical users, at every stage of the mine life cycle fosters collaboration that can discover new and unexpected use cases in a way that redefines industry standards.”

Multivariable modelling study wins Maptek Geology Challenge 2024

Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , ,

First prize in this year’s Maptek Geology Challenge has been awarded to Miguel Aliaga Oblitas, who showed how Maptek DomainMCF improved model consistency and reduced processing time in advanced multivariable geological modelling.

Senior Geomodeller with Newmont Mining Corporation, Oblitas receives a personal prize of $500 and a six-month DomainMCF subscription for his company.

Entries displayed a range of modelling techniques and applications, and judging was tight, resulting in a tie for second place awarded to Ed Lynch, Superintendent Exploration Geology, SIMEC, and Danielle Karbishev, Senior Resource Estimation Geologist, Fortescue.

Oblitas highlighted the chance to work with real data from an active mine and apply innovative methodologies to enhance geological modelling. His report defined the challenges of accurately predicting vein behaviour at depth, especially with limited data, and noted significant improvements in model accuracy and efficiency.

“The ability to integrate various geological inputs – such as lithology, structural data, mineralogical information and vein intensity – was invaluable,” Oblitas said. “The reduction in processing time from weeks to just a few hours greatly facilitated model updates and more timely decision making in exploration and resource estimation.”

Oblitas noted that the flexibility of the Domain Manager in GeologyCore, which enabled the creation of custom rules and rapid testing of different structural scenarios, was key to overcoming the deposit complexity.

“The integration of multivariable inputs, including lithological, vein intensity and mineralogical data, allowed for a more accurate and detailed representation of the deposit’s structural framework – something that was challenging to achieve with traditional methods,” Oblitas commented.

Danielle Karbichev jumped at the opportunity to trial GeologyCore and DomainMCF to increase efficiency for the Fortescue Resource Modelling and Estimation team and assess the potential applications of machine learning.

The biggest surprise for Karbishev was the ability of DomainMCF to rapidly generate grade estimations comparable to those produced via established estimation methods such as kriging, Maptek says.

“Geological volume model outputs and grade predictions drastically improved with more detailed geological input data, however purely data-driven models can also be used to identify trends and structures prior to interpretation and domaining,” Karbishev said. “More testing is required but it is clear that machine learning could revolutionise resource modelling and estimation as technology advances!”

In terms of GeologyCore, Karbishev found that the 3D drill hole visualisation options were particularly useful for validation of drill hole coding against modelled surfaces, as well as for stratigraphic domain interpretation using multi-element geochemistry and downhole geophysical data, Maptek says.

“Domain Manager allowed rapid flagging, processing and compositing of the drillhole database while Sample Manager enabled direct transfer of validated data points to DomainMCF for modelling,” Karbishev said. “DomainMCF provided almost instantaneous 3D block models, granting the ability to rapidly analyse vast databases and test alternate scenarios.”

Superintendent Exploration Geologist for SIMEC, Ed Lynch, was keen to apply DomainMCF to specific situations in the company’s hematite and magnetite operation, to test whether it could make things easier for geologists on site and unlock more time to go out and ‘kick the rocks’.

“The complexity of the geological setting we work in presents significant challenges to our geologists when it comes to 3D modelling and grade control,” Lynch explained. “DomainMCF was simple to use and incredibly fast. When given enough data it was able to produce similar results to more traditional human-driven modelling processes. I think it is particularly suited to grade control type modelling scenarios.”

Now in its fourth year, the Maptek Geology Challenge provides an opportunity to experiment with cutting-edge technology to create models directly from raw data, that are accurate and transformative for resource modelling and production applications.

The theme for 2024 – geological control for geological models – encouraged participants to combine their expertise with the power of machine learning to create models that accurately reflect geology.

Maptek provided geological modelling tools including GeologyCore and AI-assisted DomainMCF for up to four weeks, supported with documentation and technical assistance from our global team.

Steve Sullivan, Senior Geology Specialist and Technical Lead for DomainMCF, said that the Geology Challenge was founded to inspire geologists to engage with new approaches. The challenge provides a low-risk environment to test real data with the latest technology and explore avenues for improving existing practices.

“The winning entries were strong examples of tackling problems that are difficult to solve with traditional methods, and demonstrated the use of novel techniques to control their geology,” Sullivan said. “Recommendations for software improvements have already been passed on to our development teams.”

Maptek looks to ‘lighten the engineering load’ with automated blast design solution

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining services, Mining software, , ,

Maptek will soon release BlastMCF for automated blast design in a move that, it says, will lighten the engineering load for customers.

BlastMCF revolutionises blast design for surface operations, generating scenarios that consider competing objectives while engineers retain fine control, according to the company.

Balancing the interrelated factors to optimise competing blast objectives is an iterative and time consuming process for engineers to manipulate the levers for localised conditions using current blast design tools.

Fixed aspects like geology, bench height and drill setup as well as variable inputs like geometry, explosives and timing all influence blast outcomes. It is, therefore, typical for engineers to fall back on tried and tested design parameters and use simulation models where they can consider a single objective in isolation, and apply incremental improvements from learnt experience.

Using the Maptek Compute Framework (MCF) to leverage cloud computational power for rapid, on-demand results is a game changer for drill and blast engineers to efficiently generate optimal designs, Maptek says. The framework is already deployed successfully for geological modelling in Maptek DomainMCF.

Acute global shortage of engineering talent will increase demand for integrated automation technology that allows operational tasks to be performed remotely. Drill and blast design is an ideal candidate, with twin goals of easing pressure on intensive engineering tasks and generating optimal blast outcomes.

Maptek BlastMCF automates the creation of optimised and detailed blast designs encompassing drill pattern, per hole charging and timing. It makes optimal blast design outcomes more accessible to every mine, and represents a step change away from manual design methods.

Engineers can now spend more time on scenario analysis and fine adjustment, which is especially important given the substantial nuance and complexity inherent in drill and blast, the company explains.

Performing scenario analysis to objectively validate and verify design concepts will be welcomed by mine planners, according to the company.

“BlastMCF provides the mechanism to perform more scenario analysis in a fraction of the time of CAD-based design, with fine control of resulting designs before export to downstream applications,” Maptek says.

Five design objective calculators are integrated with BlastMCF – cost, fly rock, powder factor, fragmentation and vibration – to measure the quality or fitness of each design generated. BlastMCF is configured to optimise competing objectives only after honouring the constraints. Where constraint thresholds are very tight, the design with the least violation is returned for review, allowing engineers to adjust the input design parameters.

BlastMCF requires only a polygon and surfaces to get started, together with user-defined design bounds like minimum/maximum spacing. For targeting good fragmentation and low vibration objectives, hundreds to thousands of possible designs are generated, before converging on the most optimal. Engineers are presented with an array of 15 results for evaluation.

“In this way, engineers can easily understand the trade-off in design parameters for every blast as they choose the optimal design,” Maptek says. “Integrated drill pattern editing tools are incorporated into BlastMCF for finetune control, for example adding a double-stitched row.”

Blast designs are readily applied downstream through native integration with Maptek BlastLogic, whereby charge plans and timing designs can be refined before accurate execution on-bench, Maptek says. Export of designs to third-party systems is also supported.

A large iron ore mine tried a pre-release of BlastMCF for ease of use, speed to generate scenarios and results, assessing it against day-to-day design and medium-term planning horizons. It found BlastMCF to be significantly more intuitive and easier to use than traditional CAD-based drill pattern tools, Maptek claims. Optimal designs were achieved with fine tuning to remove, add or move holes in post processing.

According to Mark Roberts, Maptek Global Strategy Manager, BlastMCF is the first important step to orchestrate and automate blast design routines that incorporate measured outcomes like vibration, dig rates and crusher throughput.

Mines will be able to optimise the design to get closer to the desired outcome – low fly rock, good dig rates, low vibration, good crusher throughput – based on what actually happens in production. Production and blast performance data will drive continual refinement of designs.

“The Maptek cloud ecosystem is another key step, centrally connecting up-to-date data formats and sources using Open API, and triggering computation and transformation on a set cadence,” Maptek says. “This approach is crucial for managing complex orebody knowledge or mine planning processes, and will deliver valuable insights that enable miners to make better decisions.”

The Maptek BlastMCF web-based solution will be available soon, with native integration to BlastLogic Enterprise System on-premise, and BlastLogic Single Site Cloud Access.

K2fly bolsters Resource Governance Platform with ESG, Maptek Vulcan credentials

Environmental, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , ,

K2fly is adding to its Resource Governance Platform with an update that will address multiple resource governance use cases, such as tailings governance, heritage, ground disturbance and rehabilitation, plus integrate with the Maptek-owned Vulcan software.

The Resource Governance Platform is already used extensively for mineral resource and reserve reporting by public companies globally, with the RCubed software being the solution it is typically known for.

The new Mineral Resource Governance Platform, due to be released in December quarter of 2022, will replace Rcubed with K2fly Resource Reporting. It will provide existing and new customers with strengthened scale and improved workflow capabilities, supported by new additional complementary modules, K2fly Model Manager and K2fly Mine Reconciliation. These solutions are the world’s first and only Commercial off-the-Shelf (COTS) comprehensive resource reporting solution used for public disclosures, according to K2fly. The new solution will be available for customers to upgrade to during the 2023 financial year.

The platform will also be a cloud-first solution, which leverages the experience gained across K2fly’s extensive Tier 1 and Tier 2 global customer base, the company says.

The core of K2fly’s Mineral Resource Governance solution area allows companies to confidently report and disclose mineral resource and reserve (MRR) data that is compliant with the codes and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they operate and the stock exchanges they are listed on.

Benefits of K2fly Resource Reporting are strengthening of governance outcomes for clients by reducing errors and person-dependency risk within an organisation, generating an audit trail and significantly improved workflows creating ease to capture raw data, capability to track data ownership and accurately adhere to reporting requirements.

New features will include performance improvements and a new data model, making it easier to access more data and address more industry use cases. There are additional improvements to the system and reporting and analytics functions. The solution will include interactive reporting, new workflows and simplified configuration, the company added.

The K2fly Model Manager, meanwhile, will provide a ’big data’ governance solution that allows block models, solids, surfaces and other spatial data to be managed in a centralised repository and provides access control and auditing on all data, according to the company. Model Manager extends the K2fly Resource Reporting solution to reduce the length of the reporting cycle and provide complete traceability from the reporting estimates back to the block models that the resource and reserve information was sourced from, according to K2fly.

K2fly and Maptek are working together to connect Vulcan (supplying modelling input data) and the resource reporting solution. As such, data generated in Maptek Vulcan, an advanced 3D geological modelling, mine design and production planning software solution, can be seamlessly uploaded to K2fly’s solutions. This avoids the need to manually handle text files and strengthens the governance from Vulcan geological block models to the reporting process in K2fly Resource Reporting. Vulcan will be integrated with K2fly Resource Reporting in the December quarter of 2022.

Vulcan 3D geological modelling and mine design software now has more than 22,000 users worldwide. It is supported by specialist tools for visualising, validating, and modelling data to enable analysis and support decisions.

Maptek announced a strategic investment in K2fly back in April, with Maptek Chairman, Peter Johnson, joining the K2fly board as a Non-Executive Director in the process.

Peter Johnson, Chairman of Maptek, said: “Collaboration between Maptek and K2fly is an obvious way for both companies to leverage the technology available to them now to better deliver value to our customers. We share a very high proportion of customers in common and so any enhancements we can enable to the workflows and capabilities between the respective product sets will impact many users positively. In the current environment where miners are facing a shortage of skills, experience, and people in general, as well as increased regulation and scrutiny around governance, one of the most important things a technology developer can do is to help make the work easier, more efficient and more reliable. The integration collaboration with Maptek and K2fly’s new Resource Governance solutions platform are both contributing to these outcomes.”

Nic Pollock, CEO of K2fly, said: “Our product and engineering teams have been very busy these last 12 months liaising with our customers and redesigning the solution ground up as a cloud first service to provide more scale and more use case alternatives so customers can leverage the organisational structures and governance capabilities at the heart of the system. The new version will be faster and easier to implement for smaller clients as well.

“We are also proud to launch Model Manager in conjunction with the new Resource Reporting Solution which was integral in the acquisition of Sateva in 2020. The new releases and integration of these products to form the world’s only COTS solution takes K2fly further ahead and increases our moat in the Mineral Resource Governance space.”

Maptek invests in ESG-focused K2fly

Environmental, Mining software, Sustainable mining, , , ,

Maptek has announced a strategic investment in Western Australian-based K2fly, a leading provider of resource governance solutions for net positive impact in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) compliance, disclosure and technical assurance, it said.

K2fly solutions aim to improve the transparency, sustainability and performance across a range of measures such as governance, environmental and community engagement through its platform-based SaaS cloud reporting solutions, Maptek says.

As part of the investment Maptek Chairman, Peter Johnson, will join the K2fly board as a Non-Executive Director.

“Maptek is very pleased with the opportunity to become a strategic investor in K2fly,” Johnson said. “We have a long and successful history of delivering technical solutions that increase the accuracy, safety and efficiency of decision-making for miners.

“K2fly solutions complement our approach, enabling our customers to interact with all stakeholders including local communities, traditional owners, the investment community, regulators and the environment in an improved fashion.

 “They do this by leveraging technology to ensure the ESG and reporting expectations of the community are met, as well as providing a sustainable platform for enhancement.

“K2fly is the leader in the field of creating and delivering the technology solutions to enable that, and sharing our expertise is the ideal way for Maptek to support that effort.”

Jenny Cutri, Non-Executive Chair of K2fly, welcomed Maptek as a strategic investor in K2fly and Johnson to the K2fly Board.

“The investment by Maptek makes it K2fly’s largest investor and represents a significant validation of the K2fly business and growth outlook by the world’s largest privately held mining software business,” Cutri said.

“On behalf of K2fly and the Board, we very much look forward to working with Peter and Maptek as we continue to grow the K2fly business.

”Peter’s wealth of knowledge in applying and scaling innovative technological solutions in the mining sector into sustainable and profitable businesses will be invaluable to K2fly. Further, our solutions are adjacent and there are many opportunities for collaboration.”

Maptek SR3 MkII underground scanner updates to reduce scanning tasks by more than half

Mine surveying, Mining equipment, Mining services,

An update to Maptek’s SR3 MkII underground scanner as well as a new and improved underground light is helping reduce scanning tasks by more than half, according to the company.

A recent trial at an underground civil site in Australia showed the combination of enhanced light and upgraded firmware allows for improved quality scan outputs faster than ever before, Maptek says.

The improvements to the in-built camera, in combination with the light, enable the system to handle greater exposure and improve image quality while reducing time at the development heading. The new underground light produces light four times brighter in the area of imaging also.

Focused light improves the functionality and quality of the image so operators can scan at a lower-resolution setting with better image quality in much shorter time, Maptek says. This allows operators to get in and out quickly to avoid holding up the production team who run on a strict time schedule.

Another benefit of capturing lower resolution scans is that you save on space on your hard drive, tablet and computer. The smaller, lighter unit makes the entire system easier to carry.

“All up, these are considerable improvements that will contribute to a safer, more efficient survey process and add value for users,” the company said.

Maptek helps Anglo American with continuous drill and blast process improvements

Automation, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , ,

Maptek’s BlastLogic drill and blast software is helping Anglo American’s mines significantly improve its processes, the Australia-based company said in its latest Forge Newsletter.

The miner commenced implementation of Maptek BlastLogic in 2017 to deliver the digitisation of critical drill and blast information. The goal was to transform inconsistent practices into an integrated function underpinning safety and value protection.

In a Technical and Innovation update from May 2021, Anglo American reported a 50% improvement in drill and blast execution versus plan, which, it said, was enabled via real-time, in-field digital platforms.

Dr Alan Tordoir, Lead Drill & Blast Group Mining Technical & Sustainability for Anglo American, oversees drill and blast for 20 surface and 12 underground operations. He benchmarked the original rollout of BlastLogic at six open-pit sites, which has enabled streamlined uptake at a total of 15 global locations so far, according to Maptek.

“It’s a really exciting time to be in the industry, with a lot of new technologies and processes emerging,” Dr Tordoir says.

Traditional paper-based drill and blast processes are inefficient, complicated by multiple platforms contributing to design, hole placement and tie-up, according to Maptek. Data transfer between stages leads to further communication challenges between the field and office.

BlastLogic stores a single source of truth for all processes, Maptek says, with the outcome being a significant increase in downstream productivity and better management of explosive risks. It is an all-in-one solution adding value to open-pit operations through streamlined drill and blast design, tracking and analysis.

“It enables operations to make blast implementation decisions with reference to mine plans, geology and geotechnical data with instant data connection and visualisation in the field or office,” Maptek says.

Anglo American, Maptek says, has found that design and execution teams have been brought closer together by using BlastLogic, while providing the data in a timely manner allows every level of the organisation to make proactive decisions.

“However good a new system is, the changeover phase can be disruptive,” Maptek says. “Maptek supports customers through BlastLogic configuration, training and implementation, aiming for minimal disruption to the production environment.”

Dr Tordoir paid particular attention to proving the benefits during the Anglo American rollout, mapping out the process and troubleshooting at the original sites so that replication was straightforward for subsequent sites.

Benchmarked data was made universally available, so teams could track their adoption trajectory curve.

“When an operation can see how others have overcome initial problems, uptake is faster,” Maptek says.

Maptek has found that other customers have a similar change management experience.

“Recent graduates may be initially more comfortable with new systems, but longer-term players soon recognise the benefits of digital processes and quickly absorb them into a new integrated workflow,” it says.

Anglo American found continuous improvement is much easier when multiple sites are sharing the same system.

“Operations can learn from each other and can see what good practice looks like,” Maptek says. “The key performance indicator data showed how some sites were performing better than others.”

Having a unified platform for design work enables consistent training and upscaling. This ensures that engineers are performing at the required level to deliver fit for purpose designs that promote safe and efficient operations.

“Improvement is a never-ending journey,” Dr Tordoir concluded.

Upcoming releases of BlastLogic will introduce a drilling data entry on the blast loading tablets for sites with contractor drill rigs, so all the drilling and charging data is captured for analysis, Maptek says.

“Automation of the blast design process is an exciting innovation by Maptek to advance analysis of the interaction of different factors as part of blast design,” it said. “Engineers can then better understand how they can trade off objectives to determine the value that can be gained by small incremental design changes.”

The future will also bring blast design deeper into the upstream planning process and broader cross-operation scenario design, according to the company.

Maptek brings mining software knowledge to CEEC

Comminution of minerals, Communications in mining, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

Maptek has become the latest company to join the Coalition for Eco Efficient Comminution (CEEC) as a new sponsor, signing on for three years of sponsorship.

Announcing the Maptek sponsorship, CEEC CEO, Alison Keogh, welcomed the company to CEEC’s worldwide network of miners, mining supply companies and researchers working toward more sustainable practices.

“Maptek is the first mining design software company to sponsor CEEC’s important work,” she said. “It delivers advanced tech solutions to people making key decisions at mine sites, and has a truly global reach, which means Maptek can help drive large, positive impacts.

“High-impact Maptek technologies are used at thousands of sites worldwide, so Maptek is in a great position to work with miners to find and implement new ways to create value and reduce footprint. Together, we see exciting opportunities for mining companies to leverage technology as we all strive to decarbonise and achieve the best possible ESG outcomes.”

Maptek solutions cover the whole mining cycle, and the company’s vision is to change the way mining is done, forever, CEEC says.

Maptek CEO, Eduardo Coloma, said these aims can be best achieved by considering comminution outcomes from the earliest stages of mining.

“Building eco efficiency and sustainability into a mine’s operating model is more than possible,” he said. “The latest technologies allow us to predict energy and productivity improvements by linking the orebody to the plant. There are a lot of opportunities, and we hope to contribute to sharing the world’s leading practices and technology options to accelerate these through our support of CEEC.

“CEEC objectives to drive efficiency, productivity and sustainability throughout the whole mining life cycle are well aligned with Maptek aspirations.”

Coloma believes the industry can share site knowledge and practical ways to optimise energy consumption and reduce operating costs, with better downstream cost efficiencies.

He added that partnerships and collaboration are key to success. Maptek brings established partnerships with miners and collaborators, including CEEC Sponsor PETRA Data Science, and is looking forward to working with others to help share practical site optimisation and industry decarbonisation options, CEEC says.

Coloma said understanding its customers’ future energy plans now enables users to incorporate solar and wind energy usage into mine scheduling tools, and predict better plant and energy performance.

“Maptek solutions already include multi-objective optimisation for blast design and fragmentation prediction and analysis, all helping to drive improved productivity and performance from mine to mill,” he said. “Tracking fragmentation on a blast-by-blast basis helps operations improve mining performance.

“We’re keen to share inspiring ideas and solutions like this, to help encourage uptake of best practice, which is fundamental to increasing sustainability for the future of the mining industry.”

Keogh said Maptek coming on board as a CEEC sponsor highlights the huge potential to translate improvement goals around mining footprint and productivity, and connect them across the silos into real actions on the ground at mine sites.

She noted that industry now has advanced technology to make decisions that drive big impacts downstream: from blast design and execution, to ore-waste delineation, efficient excavation and fleet use, through to energy and water use in the mill and beyond.

“Technology options available now offer exciting and tangible options,” she said. “We can leverage advanced, practical software at sites, and extend this further with new knowledge from big data and digital twins. I look forward to mine sites sharing their work to not only test and plan, but also put in place these positive changes across mine sites worldwide.”

Maptek cuts data capture time with new dual-window laser scanner

Mine surveying, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , ,

Maptek has released a new dual-window scanner that, it says, halves data capture time as part of its latest mid-year mine management updates.

The Maptek XR3-D mkII laser scanner with dual-window arrangement is a step up from conventional terrestrial laser scanning technology, the company said.

Conventional terrestrial laser scanners capture data from one window, spinning to achieve a 360° field of view; the XR3-D captures data from both sides simultaneously, with the scanner head only needing to spin 180°.

Jason Richards, Global Product Strategy Manager for Maptek, said: “Survey crews can incidentally scan surrounding terrain in both directions while they’re on their way to capture highwall and stockpile data. There’s no need to return to the pit later, as the haul roads, gradients and infrastructure have already been acquired seamlessly.”

The July 2021 hardware release from Maptek is the confluence of research into cutting-edge sensing technologies and customer feedback, enhancing user experience through improved range, speed, image clarity and quality, the company said.

Hardware models in the new R3 mkII series include the extra long-range XR3 (standard and cold climate configurations), the SR3 for short-range underground applications and the new XR3-D.

In another move to streamline survey practice, Maptek has released its in-field scanner controller, the FieldHHC, as a product in its own right.

Richards explained: “From day one, Maptek has built standard survey workflows into our laser scanners to deliver the most productive in-field survey experience. FieldHHC improves on this, with an intuitive GUI and impressive new features ensuring that data is turned into knowledge in the fastest way.”

Dynamic 3D views of scans in progress optimise time spent on data capture in active mining environments and minimise the need to wait for in-office processing, according to the company.

The on-tablet in-field assistant provides thumbnail views and detailed information on every scan, alongside instant 3D visualisation, colouring and measurement tools. Full geolocation support with bluetooth connection to GPS devices for RTK corrections makes for efficient field time, while smart lighting settings for indoor, outdoor and underground conditions improve the value-in-use, Maptek says.

“A new design conformance tool on the controller helps surveyors instantly recognise whether pit walls are conforming to design,” the company said. “Issues can be resolved while in the field, and dynamic reporting and cross-section output means everyone stays up to date.”

Maptek says its sensing systems are renowned for safety and ease of use for daily survey, with software tools providing integrated decision support.

Software updates that improve and support the automation of survey tasks round out the mid-year mine measurement release. Maptek PointStudio includes enhancements to inter-ramp conformance reporting, a new Rock Quality Designation feature, additional Python integration and further display options.

Maptek Sentry, now on the Maptek Workbench with a ribbon menu, is said to deliver enhanced interoperability for monitoring, analysing and reporting on surface movements.

Richards said the new scanner release targets an important goal of “reducing the time between collecting data and deriving value from it. Solutions need to embrace automation to avoid “drowning in data”, he added.

“This is key to ensuring accurate spatial data drives resource, recovery and conformance modelling and the results quickly flow through to guide planning and production teams. In-built, customisable workflows ensure users can interact dynamically with the field-captured data without becoming overwhelmed with volume and detail.”

He concluded: “We remain committed to the terrestrial laser scanning approach because our customers tell us how important it is and how much they need it in their technology mix.”

Maptek looks back on 40 years of mining software advances

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining people, Mining software, , , , , , , , ,

Maptek is looking back on its roots, 40 years after geologist Bob Johnson laid foundations for the company to become a leading provider of innovative software, hardware and services for the mining industry.

In the mid-1970s, Johnson opened a small bureau service above a row of shops in suburban Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, to computerise coal seam drafting. That venture was the precursor to Maptek, which today develops, sells and supports innovative mining solutions to more than 20,000 users worldwide.

In 1981, Johnson then formed a company to allow customers to do their own computer work. That became Maptek, which today employs 350 staff in 18 offices to support a customer base including the world’s biggest mines across more than 90 countries.

“The transformation from startup to global technology developer did not happen overnight,” Maptek founder Johnson acknowledges, as he reflects on what defines Maptek today. “Innovation results from many small increments – it rarely happens from an epiphany.

“We started off by computerising the plotting of boreholes and mapping of coal deposits, which, until then, was a very tedious manual process. People were asking if it worked for all commodities, not just coal, and I realised we needed to put the software in the hands of the users. This was how Maptek came about.”

Johnson states that Maptek sets and continuously strivers to hit a high standard.

“Early computing in the 1980s was the breeding ground for automating manual tasks and it was a challenge to convince some people to replace existing practices,” he said. “Tradition dies hard!

“Maptek integrated multiple steps in the computerisation of mining applications. In this way we were able to own the workflow and it’s probably key to why our first customer, BHP Coal, remains a customer today.”

He added: “Do something different and stay in front is a guiding principle that remains a key business value for Maptek.”

Fast forward to 2021 where CEO Eduardo Coloma is embracing the vision, with a long-term technology development roadmap to deliver state-of-the-art solutions and exceptional customer experience, the company says.

“Maptek intends to stay ahead by continuing to be a disruptive influence and affect change for the betterment of the mining industry,” Coloma says.

The new Mining 4.0 paradigm has five characteristics, according to Coloma.

“Vast amounts of data; delivering that data to the right people at the right time; efficient data storage and universal access to it; using technology for computationally-intensive tasks; and data-driven decision making…all need to be balanced,” he said. “Add to that the challenges that the pandemic unleashed!”

He added: “With challenge comes opportunity. Miners are continually on the lookout for smarter processes.

“Maptek was conceived 40 years ago at the start of the digital revolution. Customers today have an ever-growing appetite for technologies to enable digitalisation and automation. They are not afraid of new technology and look to us to lead them.

“It’s not just technology that is fast-evolving, the people and organisations who consume it must also be open to adopting new ways of working. Digitalisation has provided the conduit for data to be universally accessible and dynamically updatable.

“We want to make sure our customers get the most of their data, sharing it across the organisation in such a way that everyone benefits. Data is being democratised!”

A data-driven culture embraces systems which are robust, repeatable and user-independent, according to Coloma.

“Crucially these systems meet the needs of a mobile, shift-based and geographically dispersed workforce,” he said.

“We build technology solutions that allow our customers to turn their data into knowledge and use that knowledge to support business improvement. We provide an automated decision support ecosystem…they provide their individual experience and intuition to make that knowledge relevant to their business.

“Already we are exploiting machine learning and digital twinning to connect the planning cycle to production performance data for comparing performance against plans.”

With fewer barriers to extending technology within mines, companies are looking at the entire value chain to make improvements. Maptek can help connect processes, functions and data to enable more accurate, predictable and profitable operation of mines, it says.

In closing, Coloma explains why Maptek is well placed to help mining companies use their data as a bridge to continuous improvement.

“Our unique culture, instilled by our founder Bob Johnson, gives staff a great amount of freedom to be innovative,” he said. “It fosters imagination everywhere and is the key to continued success.

“We give our customers the freedom to dream and ask for solutions to their real world problems.

“Our enduring relationships with customers are hugely important in our ability to solve these challenges. Bob mentioned our first customer, who remains a customer today. But accepting that change is inevitable is a reminder to us not to rest on tradition.”