Tag Archives: resource estimation

Geovariances leverages Isatis.neo batch capacity, Python scripting for ‘infinite capabilities’

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Sometimes, turnkey software solutions only partially fulfill a company’s needs and do not always meet its requirements; the company may want to go beyond standard jobs by customising specific processing route. This could see a company engage software developers to come up with in-house solutions that answer their needs – something that is challenging to maintain over the years.

To help clients get over this issue, Geovariances, the global provider of geostatistics-based software solutions, puts a significant part of its development efforts into the customisation capabilities of its flagship software product Isatis.neo.

Isatis.neo implements two powerful functionalities in that respect: recording a series of tasks and their parameters – the so-called batch capacity – and Python scripting for completing the data processing and interpretation workflow.

The combination of batch capacity and Python scripting gives the software almost infinite capabilities, according to the company, permitting the user to go beyond the geostatistical calculations: preparing company resource estimate/categorisation workflows, developing optimisation-based solutions, and more advanced algorithmic approaches for a more powerful use of the software.

Using Isatis.neo batch features, users select tasks, parametrise them, insert loops and conditional statements to set up workflows and tune them to the orebody specificities. Instructions are recorded into batch files that can be launched later on, either interactively from Isatis.neo or as a background process from a command-line interface or a third-party software solution using Python, to automatically rerun the whole task sequence with new data.

Isatis.neo’s Python functionalities allow further process customization, with users able to generate a wide range of variables or execute operations by calling on a wide choice of external Python libraries and functions.

During its last user meetings, held in January, Geovariances presented two of its achievements related to these capabilities.

The first case study was about the work completed for a multinational mining and metallurgy company.

This company called on Geovariances’ expertise to establish a global processing workflow to update the resources of one of its projects: several deposits with similar geometrical, geological and spatial characteristics. A few month’s work was required to define, test and validate the routine on one deposit. Another week was enough to run the routine on the other deposits and get the expected resource estimates. In addition to the considerable time the company’s resource team saved, they also gained insight from the batch file processes that mirrored the expertise of Geovariances’ consultants. The quick model update in the subsequent phases of exploration, or even excavation, is another advantage of this batch system.

The second case study was about the work Geovariances completed for Alcoa S.A. The aim was to rebuild the resource estimation workflows the company set up with the precursor of Isatis.neo, Isatis, into Isatis.neo and make the update routines even easier for the user. The complex original workflow, developed by Alcoa’s resource team, involved ordinary and indicator kriging and geostatistical simulation and resource classification. The batch files were prepared, incorporating Python coding for specific operations not yet available in the software and importing search and variogram parameters from csv files using the Pandas library. In the end, Alcoa had a set of standard batch files that could be used for any deposit, but, at the same time, customised according to its needs.

Reedy Lagoon and CSIRO eye alternative resource estimate methodology

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Reedy Lagoon Corp says it is working with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to investigate and trial new ways to determine resource estimates that can rely more on geophysics than solely drill hole information.

The ASX-listed explorer has engaged with CSIRO to develop a method of determining magnetite resources using petrophysically-constrained magnetic modelling. The testbed for the research will be Reedy Lagoon’s Burracoppin iron project, in Western Australia, which, the company says, is progressing towards producing green high purity pig iron (HPPI).

The collaboration with CSIRO will use previously drilled core to determine the physical properties (eg magnetisation and density) of the Burracoppin magnetite deposit, and use those results to constrain a detailed 3D magnetic/density model of the mineralisation, Reedy Lagoon said.

Dr Jim Austin, CSIRO Project Leader and Petrophysics Expert, said: “Magnetite resources are unlike any other metal in that the quantity of the resource present (ie iron) has a linear relationship with both density and magnetisation. This means the total iron resource can theoretically be determined to relatively high precision using geophysical methods alone.”

The Burracoppin iron project is seeking to establish an indicated resource of 20-30 Mt of iron concentrate product within the Burracoppin magnetite deposit so that financial projections for the HPPI production can be determined. The deposit is currently identified in detailed airborne magnetic data and three drill holes.

The planned resource definition work is focused in the region between the three drill holes where, as part of the work in establishing a mineral resource, an exploration target has been determined.

“If shown to be successful, the work with CSIRO may lead to a new method of estimating a resource to JORC standards with far less drilling than is currently required, saving much expense and reducing ground disturbance,” Reedy Lagoon said.

The project was made possible through CSIRO Kick-Start, an initiative that provides funding and support for innovative Australian start-ups and small businesses to access CSIRO’s research expertise and capabilities.

Snowden’s Supervisor geostatistics software receives an upgrade

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Snowden has released new features and enhancements for its advanced geostatistics software, Supervisor.

Supervisor v8.14 now comes with a new Multivariate Conditional Simulation component that, the company says, allows users to perform conditional sequential gaussian simulation over multiple variables while maintaining complex compositional correlations.

It added: “A feature-rich workflow allows for multiple compositional and gaussian transformation techniques with automated data handling and validation plot generation to ensure robust results for all data types.”

The software also comes with enhancements to its GCoS Grade Tonnage Curves, which can now be displayed at once on the Predicted Grade Tonnage Curve component. Alongside this, the theoretical grade tonnage curve can also now be displayed on the Conditional Simulation Grade Tonnage Curve component.

Other enhancements to Supervisor include the ability for the Conditional Simulation QQ plot to be filtered by domain, and updated help documentation for several components.

In terms of user interface improvements, Datamine listed off “Global Topcut Analysis”, “Contact Analysis” and a “Model Validation stats table” as examples.

Snowden, which was recently acquired by Datamine, says Supervisor helps solve practical geological issues in the shortest possible time, providing geologists with everything they need to optimise resource estimates.

MICROMINE to reveal mining software latest at Diggers & Dealers

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MICROMINE is set to reveal a host of new features to its flagship products at this year’s Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum, in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, as the mining software leader lifts the lid on its latest software innovations.

“This year, we are excited to be providing on-site demonstrations of our upcoming release of Micromine 2021,” Adam Brew, MICROMINE Australia Manager, said. “Our principal Micromine consultant will provide an early pre-release insight to the new features which have been added to our core product, as well as a new user interface, designed to enrich the daily experience for users and improve how they drive outcomes from the software.”

MICROMINE will also be showcasing the updates made to its flagship mine production and fleet tracking solution, Pitram, with an interactive presentation on its booth, it said. Pitram 5, the latest release coming at the end of this year, positions itself at the “core of your mine’s ecosystem”, delivering more value from its machine-learning capabilities, materials management, shift planning and data validation, the company said.

A technical team will be demonstrating the company’s software solutions, which also includes Geobank, and answering questions at the event, taking place on October 12-14.

“As a WA-founded company, it is great to unveil our latest achievements on home turf,” David Bartlett, Principal Micromine Consultant, said. “Visitors won’t be disappointed as we’ll be showcasing our latest releases. We’ve got a surprise up our sleeves too – with a sneak peek of something new coming later this year but you have to visit the stand for an invitation to find out more.

“We’ve been exhibiting at Diggers & Dealers for over a decade and it’s a great opportunity for the industry to see first-hand the next generation tools being developed using advanced technology to optimise their operations and profitability.”

MICROMINE now has offices in 18 of the world’s mining capitals, and its software is being used by miners and explorers on 2,000 sites in 90 countries around the world, according to the company.

“While COVID-19 has meant a lot of changes to the global mining and exploration industry, the industry is steaming ahead in Western Australia and we are excited to be part of this showcase for Australian innovation and achievement,” Chris Higgins, Pitram Strategy Manager, said. “It’s a great opportunity for all the key players in the industry to come together to network, share their news and insights and experience the latest products and innovations, including the latest technologies coming from MICROMINE.”

MICROMINE will be demonstrating the latest version of its 3D modelling and mine design solution – Micromine 2021 – with new and improved tools for modelling, estimation, design, optimisation and scheduling, it said.

Also being showcased is Geobank 2020 – revealing how enhancements to the popular geological data management software are adding value to geologists and mining engineers by making data management simpler and more efficient.

Seequent helps miners in COVID-19 era with remote geoscience software tools

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Geoscience software company Seequent says it is accelerating the development of its cloud-based solution, Seequent Central, to enable organisations to continue work on critical, large-scale, earth, environment and renewable energy projects in the COVID-19 impacted environment.

Central works alongside Seequent’s other geoscience analysis, modelling and collaborative technologies, to contribute understanding to subsurface geoscience and engineering design solutions.

The cloud-based solution allows people in any location to visualise, track and manage geological models created for infrastructure and critical services projects, in a centralised, auditable environment, according to Seequent.

This means a wide range of stakeholders can readily access highly visual up-to-date information to manage risk and make better environmental and investment decisions, to progress projects, it said.

Seequent CEO, Shaun Maloney, said the company was working alongside customers to do everything it can to make it possible to meet the demands and operational challenges they may be facing in the current environment.

“In response to increased need and demand, we’re accelerating the development of Central to help our customers to continue to operate in interdependent and often remote work environments,” he said.

Seequent’s software is being used on hundreds of diverse projects across the globe, ranging from infrastructure projects including large-scale rail, road and tunnel projects across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific; renewable energy projects in the US, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Philippines and New Zealand; mining and exploration projects in North and South America, Africa and Australia; and environmental projects such as groundwater management in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

One of these projects is with Canada-based mining company First Majestic.

Focused on silver production in Mexico, First Majestic currently owns and operates the San Dimas silver-gold mine, the Santa Elena silver-gold mine and the La Encantada silver mine. The company is pursuing the development of its existing mineral property assets with industry practice modelling using Seequent’s solutions, according to the geoscience software company.

“First Majestic use Seequent’s Leapfrog Geo to develop a realistic presentation of the geology at each site (complex silver deposits with multiple veins), and Leapfrog Edge to aid resource estimation – and when geologic models are changed resource estimates also change dynamically,” Seequent says.

“Seequent Central allows the company to publish models and resource estimates – so they are immediately available to everyone from the mine geologists to management in real time.”

First Majestic Resource Geologist, David Rowe, says the company can now capture multiple resources across multiple mines.

“We can now get all cross-discipline experts together to review projects in one place, and I am notified when those reviews have happened,” he said. “This enables better access and collaboration for everyone.”