With advancements in technology and innovations, telematics and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are promoting a paradigm shift in the mining industry. As Grant Fraser, Group Managing Director Netstar explains, “We’re sort of in this era where connected devices are producing an unprecedented flood of data: positional information via GPS systems and other sophisticated sensor data (temperature, vibration, sound, etc.). This data revolution can constitute large improvement of operational efficiency, safety and yield in mining operations.
The Importance of Data in Smart Mining
The mining industry is moving quickly towards automation, remote mining and digitalisation, which is inherently aligned with improving efficiency, yield and safety. “A lot of those trends are getting driven by macro trends in the technology industry,” Fraser says, particularly pointing to the role of cloud computing. Moreover, the flexibility of cloud solutions allows mining companies to make the most of data by turning it into actionable insights through advanced analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).
The ability of AI to not just collect data but also analyse patterns and make prescriptive recommendations makes it vital in enhanced decision-making processes. “If you think about it, what’s happening is that humans are looking at the dashboards and making cognitive decisions,” says Fraser, but that’s not where the future is because the future is empowering machines to be able to not just present data for humans to review, but be able to interpret the data and recommend actions.
A New Era of Safety
Safety is the top priority of the mining industry, and the use of advanced telematics systems plays a crucial role in reducing the risks. A great example of this is the Collision Avoidance System (CAPS) that gives direct real-time positional information of all vehicular and human traffic to augment safety protocols. “The driver is alerted if there is a probability of an incident based on the proximity of another device or another vehicle or another person close to you,” Fraser says. This system is evolving, and legislative requirements are driving more advanced levels of intervention, which will ultimately allow for fully automated collision avoidance.
In addition, AI technology is changing the safety system through the integration of video data with the internet of things. AI can help to analyse video feeds in real time to spot hazards and enable mining operations to react quickly to potential threats. “That video data can be used to train A.I. that can report hazards,” Fraser says, highlighting the possibility of greater safety by way of intelligent monitoring systems.
The Data Spectrum: From Collection to Insight
The mining space is working its way through what Fraser calls the “data continuum,” a place where data is collected on a huge scale and passed on to those making decisions. The problem, however, is to get that raw data and to convert them into useful insights. “We have to think a lot about what we have, which is the raw material, the IoT data, and then how do we distil that down, and refine it, and create value,” he says. This refinement process is critical for translating data into effective intelligence for operational improvements.
With changes in the industry, there is now a focus towards operating remotely and using telematics to gain insights about where assets can move and how efficiently they can be utilized in real time. “As much as you’d had to have done a lot of visual stuff, a lot of that now can be automated to go back in a control room environment,” Fraser acknowledges. Not only does this improve operational efficiency, but also enables centralised decision making at several venues.
The Blurring Line Between Human and Machine Intelligence
The combination of human thought and machine analysis will change the face of mining. According to Fraser, “Automation would be based on Telematics and IoT” – the more we understand how the mining operation actually performs, the more we can automate processes to create more safety and efficiency. Such a collaboration of human intuition and machine intelligence heralds a future of safer, more productive mining operations.
Telematics, IoT, and AI are ushering in a new era of mining operations that are smarter, safer, and more efficient than ever before. As Grant Fraser so adeptly summarises, “It’s an exciting world we live in because the convergence of human thinking, decision making, and machine analysis will ultimately change the way in which we operate in the mining sector.” As these technologies mature, the opportunity for improved operational excellence in mining is limitless.
//Staff writer
