Looking at the global mining software business,

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1 MINING SOFTWARE Software and mine planning John Chadwick reports on consolidation among the providers and increasing customer interest for integration of mining technical and financial systems. Scheduling and compliance are also priority software areas Looking at the global mining software business, merger and acquisition activity is driving consolidation, and costs are skyrocketing, according to Dan Miklovic, Vice President, Gartner (an IT research and advisory consultancy). As such, many resource-centric companies are looking to IT to improve mining operations from ore extraction through processing and enable a more flexible business operating model. HighGrade recently reported on a Gartner report produced in the latter part of last year saying that the market for mining execution systems (MES) as opposed to the more traditional manufacturing execution systems was coming to life, attracting the interest of ERP and enterprise asset management (EAM) vendors such as SAP, Oracle and Mincom, who were beginning to position themselves as capable of aiding in mining operations. Indeed at the AIMEX exhibition there was an exhibit featuring Microsoft and various partners working on a comprehensive software package. Gartner believes it is unlikely ERP/EAM vendors would come up with a single-source, comprehensive mining execution and operations management solution before Moreover, it was in the ERP vendors best interests to keep the market for mining execution fragmented. MES solutions evolved from supervisory control or data historian type software (such as SCADA) or from mining technical systems (mining software developers) presented mine operators with pros and cons, with the former offering challenges of a more technical nature, according to Gartner. Whereas limitations of MES products from the mining software sector included vendor viability issues and Microsoft platform dependency (now changing). Consolidation in the mining industry is being mirrored in the mining software area, with Gemcom more than doubling in size since acquiring Australia s Surpac, and companies such as Micromine and Maptek growing strongly. Others such as Mincom and Runge are acquiring software businesses, such that the sector landscape is increasingly being dominated by fewer, bigger vendors that are more financially stable. GijimaAst may be a new name to some, but it is also big, though it has worked quietly developing its mining customer base at the user level rather than splashing its brand everywhere. The biggest? Gemcom Software International claims to be the largest global supplier of specialised mining productivity solutions. It has been a busy year for the company, having released GEMS 6.1 underground software; Minex 5.2 geology and mine planning software; MineSched 5.1 target-based scheduling software; and Gemcom Insite 2.1 mine performance management software.' The year 2007 has also been busy for Mincom, which has strengthened its mining position. First it acquired the metallurgical accounting solution, JKMetAccount, from JKTech, a leading Australian technology provider and transfer company of the world renowned Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre. As part of the agreement, Mincom and JKTech agreed that Mincom will have first right of refusal over third parties to acquire JKTech's other software solutions. Richard Mathews, Mincom CEO: The acquisition of JKTech s software solutions GijmaAST s EPS Visualiser increases Mincom s technical mining platform by providing advanced solutions. JKTech has a strong track record for developing systems that enable mining and mineral processing organisations to enhance their product recovery. Dave Stevenson, Mincom Vice President Mining: Production accounting is a vital tool for the minerals industry similar to financial accounting, except rather than tracking the movement of finance; it focuses on the movement of metal and mineral products through mining, enrichment, refining and distribution. The addition of a metallurgical accounting solution will assist mining and metal processing facilities to align themselves with key accounting codes of practice. This acquisition was quickly followed by the purchase of Karjeni, a software development company based in Perth, Western Australia. This increases Mincom's technical mining platform by providing complementary software solutions for end-to-end production accounting. Stevenson: End-to-end production accounting functionality is not only a strategic NOVEMBER 2007 International Mining 19

2 MINING SOFTWARE part of mining but has emerged as a key requirement in the industry. The addition of Karjeni's software solutions adds a number of modules to our metallurgical accounting solution recently acquired from JKTech. Karjeni's flagship solution, dpipe, delivers high levels of technical data management automation through sophisticated data transformation workflow management and smart data error handling. This enables our technical mining solutions to access, validate and transform data from the production control systems as well as other disparate data sources. Geosoft's Oasis montaj is powerful processing and mapping software for mineral exploration and earth science investigations including environmental projects Software in Siberia In September, Mincom announced signing a new large, long-term contract with the world s largest nickel producer, MMC Norilsk Nickel in Russia. Under this agreement, Mincom Ellipse is assigned as the standard solution for Polar Division s mining and metallurgical sites, located in Norilsk. The Mincom Enterprise Mining Solution (MEMS) is a modular, fully integrated solution, providing extensive functionality in the area of asset management, materials/supply chain and maintenance management, in combination with management of financial flows and personnel. Mincom Ellipse will be implemented to manage operational activities in underground mining and above-ground management areas and workshops, and will provide real-time visibility of operational and financial metrics across the organisation. Accordingly this solution will support Norilsk in making optimal management decisions. Yuri Filippov, Director of Production, said, Our key objective is to increase shareholder value and one of the ways to achieve this, is to introduce cutting edge technologies facilitating higher efficiency of business operations and executive decision-making. Norilsk became Mincom s customer in December 2003 and since then it has progressively implemented the Mincom Ellipse system. During the past three and a half years of co-operation a number of large projects were successfully carried out. These included implementation of a maintenance management system for mobile mining equipment in all the mines of Norilsk s Polar Division, as well as an asset management module at the Taymyrsky and Oktjabrsky mines. The solution developed during these projects and the standards and experience will help Norilsk to carry out a full implementation of the system over the next three years. Moreover Norilsk represents the largest user of Mincom MineScape in Russia. MineScape is an integrated solution for geological modelling and mine planning that Oktjabrsky, Europe s 20 International Mining NOVEMBER 2007

3 11/07 biggest polymetallic mine, has been using since Implementation of this solution is planned for all Polar Division mines. Enhancements to the system have been made jointly in order to satisfy the requirements of Russian legislation and this system has successfully received certification from RosTechNadzor for use in Norilsk s mines. Surveying at the face GijimaAst s products division has two new software applications, minemarkup and EPS Viz, launched during AIMEX. MineMarkup is a suite of underground survey solutions that captures survey and geological information and records it directly into 3D mine plans. A ruggedised pen computer is used to communicate with an automated total station. The head of GijimaAst s product development team, Wayne Romer, says that minemarkup will revolutionise the speed of capture and communication of survey data to all the users on a mine site. EPS Viz is a complementary module for the existing EPS product that provides a dynamic 3D visualisation of EPS Gantt Chart mining schedules. 3D animation displays the impacts of schedule changes instantly, and activities can be selected in the Gantt chart and automatically highlighted in the graphic environment. Maptek s Studio 3.1 extends I- Site's language capabilities further to include American English, modern Chinese, Spanish, German and Japanese Many of GijimaAst s packaged products are developed, published and/or distributed in conjunction with its global partner Datamine. Flagship products include Mine2-4D, EPS, minecad, CADSmine, mineserv and G- Risk. On the solution side of GijimaAst s business, there is continuing strong demand for customised solutions emerging from the industry. Examples of these are the custom developed ventilation and rock mechanics management systems in place at one of Australia s largest underground mines, and the recent outsourcing by DeBeers of around 50 customised applications for ongoing maintenance, support and development. Complementing its involvement with SAP as an Alliance Partner, Channel Partner and Customer Competence Centre, GijimaAst has now joined the SAP Mining Industry Value Network (IVN). There is increasing customer interest for integration of mining technical and financial systems, and the initial focus of GijimaAst s involvement in the IVN is to convert the existing platform for transferring EPS data to SAP to the emerging standard xmii platform. Datamine is continuing to develop software that reinforces the delivery of its Operational Improvement programs, particularly in the area of enabling mines to routinely make better use of geotechnical data to make engineering decisions. The company s integrated Sirovision NOVEMBER 2007 International Mining 21

4 MINING SOFTWARE system is nearing completion with initial projects being undertaken with AngloGold Ashanti in Australia and Xstrata in Canada. Sirovision is a technology that combines the power of digital photography with advanced mathematics to rapidly produce accurate 3D structural models of mine features using non specialised digital cameras. Sirovision has been specifically designed to support rapid mapping of mine features with a minimum of expertise in photogrammetry. Using Sirovision, it is possible to build accurate three-dimensional models from sections as small as 2 m 2 up to 40,000 m 2 in minutes. The core Sirovision technology has been developed by the CSIRO and the integrated system is being developed by Datamine in conjunction with Century Systems. Datamine s GeoTech Modeller complements the integrated Sirovison system by enabling geotechnical data collected from Sirovision 3D images and other sources to be systematically used for tasks such as adjusting blast patterns to obtain better fragmentation, refining slope designs and in underground mines helping to determine support requirements. Another forthcoming product from Datamine is MineTrust. MineTrust provides a new and flexible approach to giving global mining organisations access to and visibility of the status and progress of data being created and used by technical staff at mining locations for reserve and resource estimation, mine design and scheduling. MineTrust runs as a stand alone system meaning it can be used with all general mining packages but it will also run embedded in Datamine Studio. Datamine has also released NPV Scheduler Version 4, including geological risk assessment as well as improved display and animations of schedules. Mine planning Mintec s MineSight mine planning tools provide an integrated solution for planning open pit and underground operations, from the conceptual strategic planning stage to the daily production stage. There are now four integrated mine planning software tools encompassing all levels of mine planning, from scoping studies through feasibility; long, medium, and short-range planning; to daily mine operations planning. MineSight Economic Planner (MSEP) is the combination of two programs: MSOPIT performs open pit/phase optimisation tasks and MSVALP carries out simplified strategic longrange open pit production scheduling with cutoff grade and material process optimisation. Block models and surface files are read directly from MineSight 3D aiding the development of an optimal mine plan. Economic values can then be calculated based on multiple material destinations and multiple metal or product types. NPV calculations can be incorporated into the mine design or applied to the schedule. MineSight Strategic Planner (MSSP) is designed for long-range open pit mine scheduling, providing the guidelines for MineSight SP in terms of estimated optimum cutoff grades and estimated best mining sequence for the life span of a mining project. MSSP then generates the detailed long-range production scheduling following the guidelines provided by MSEP. MSSP takes in pushback reserves data and examines all combinations of mining patterns for feasible mining layouts which meet current period targets and satisfy current period operating constraints. When a feasible layout is found, the use of material destination locations/capacities and the use of trucks and shovels are simulated. If the removal of the mined materials is successful, the mining layout becomes a feasible solution and the costs and revenues associated with this feasible solution are computed and recorded. At the end of a period, an examination of all feasible solutions is made. An optimum solution is chosen based on the period objective with mining then carried out based 22 International Mining NOVEMBER 2007

5 11/07 on the optimum solution. Reserves status, material destinations capacities, and available trucks and shovels hours are updated. This process is repeated period-byperiod until all resources are scheduled. MineSight Interactive Planner (MSIP) is an interactive tool used to calculate short and medium-range mine plans for open pit and underground mines. Since many projects are highly variable and complex, this repetitive and interactive task requires a flexible and highly interactive tool. MSIP imports model and surface information from existing MineSight block or gridded seam models or initialises a third party block model and loads it with ASCII values graphically displaying all required information in 3D. As planned mining progresses, feedback is provided in terms of data critical to the planning process including block model grade and rock type information, constraining limits such as design pits, geological boundaries, and characteristics of material moved during the planning session. Information generated during a planning session is stored in a third party, ODBC compliant database. For the cuts created during the planning session, the cut geometry, attributes, and reserves can be stored in the attributed geometry database. Cut geometry can be a 2D or 3D representation of a bench shovel cut or stope blast ring. Attributes are any user-defined properties of the material within the cut, and the reserves consist of tonnes, grade, and materials above a set of user defined cutoffs. Reserves summaries, on-screen reports, and plots are easily generated. The flexibility of the scripting interface allows total customisation of reports, as well as on-screen progress controls. MineSight Activity Planner (MSAP) is Mintec s latest mine scheduling tool flexible enough to be used in any planning scenario, but with an emphasis on short-range mine production planning, creating executable plans. MSAP is designed to bridge the interface between the short-range mine planning from MSIP and mine operations providing opportunity for plan creation at any required level of detail. The scheduling system works for both underground and open pit planning. However, MSAP makes the biggest impact to underground mines where production plans are often complex and susceptible to unforeseen circumstances. Mintec now offers four integrated mine planning software tools for open pit and underground operations The goal is to optimise the allocation of manpower and equipment resources to achieve a target production or development. By planning the available resources instead of general tasks, there is a much higher likelihood that the plan is viable. The Planning Board, a graphical representation of resource use as a function of time for resource-based scheduling is a key feature. It assigns activities to resources, which can be moved around the Planning Board, changing duration or reassigning them to other resources. MSAP also includes the ability to manage disturbances such as unavailable equipment or road restrictions allowing the engineer to effectively manage resource and activity constraints, implement work calendars, plan for disturbances, and chart resource attributes such as tonnage and grade. MSAP automatically alerts users to potential scheduling errors by enforcing user-defined rules. It prevents dragging or modifying an activity if it violates the rules. From the resource Planning Board, Gantt Charts can be built showing all activities in graphical form and visually defining constraints between activities for building complex activities and managing activity sequencing. Summary reports for resources and activities are built using Seagate Crystal Reports and may be printed or exported to a variety of formats such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat. Industry value network In September, Runge announced its xstms (Short Term Mining Scheduling) 1.0 packaged composite application based on its Mining Dynamics solution has achieved SAPr xapps Certified Powered by SAP NetWeaver status. Runge says xstms integrated with SAP solutions will provide a complete, standard and fully integrated solution for mine scheduling, supply chain logistics and end-customer delivery. This certification follows Runge joining SAP s Mining IVN, in May this year, which was established by SAP to address priority mining industry needs and business challenges. The certification marks the successful integration of an end-to-end business process covering Runge s expert mining scheduling solution and the SAP ERP application-based production process. The new xstms composite NOVEMBER 2007 International Mining 23

6 MINING SOFTWARE application uses SAP s strategic shop-floor integration platform, the SAP xapp Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP xmii) composite application, based on a service-oriented architecture (SOA). Tony Kinnane, CEO of Runge: The members of the IVN for mining identified scheduling and compliance as priority areas that needed to be addressed to provide business value for global mining organisations. We now have a solution that enables adaptive mining scheduling processes. The IVN for mining includes representatives of the Industry Advisory Council for Mining, comprised of leading global companies. The members intend to evaluate new composite solutions and integration scenarios in the areas of mining operations management, enterprise asset management and operational compliance. Runge s Mining Dynamics delivers a visual system to support data management and discovery across the entire production chain; from geology, modelling and design, through scheduling and reconciliation. The solution provides information control, access, legislative compliance and enterprise systems integration. Operations, technical, and corporate employees have instant access to information about mine site operations. The system is vendor independent and works with mining companies existing systems avoiding the need for costly replacement software. Other news from Runge is that it has entered into strategic business partnership with ESRI, the US software firm which designs and develops the world s leading geographic information system (GIS) technology. Runge and ESRI will collaborate to bring solutions to mining customers in the area of advanced 2D/3D integration and visualisation. The first Runge product to emerge from the new partnership was the Mining Dynamics Platform. Kinnane: This is an important partnership because in collaboration with ESRI, Runge can provide rapid solution development coupled with other technology vendors expertise, thus delivering superior integrated solutions to the global mining industry. Runge s XPAC Autoscheduler The company says the 2D/3D integration and visualisation project will permit any mining user, at any time, in any location to access and view their mining data in a full 3D world. It will simplify the end use by removing the need for complex and expensive technical software. The latest releases of Maptek s three key products have focused on integration, usability and performance. Maptek Vulcan version 7 was rolled out in February 2007, with 7.5 interim release now ready for delivery. Performance and usability improvements in Vulcan 7.5 include enhanced capacity to store metadata, such as survey, drill hole and grade attributes, with design objects. Targeting specific commodities in the global market resulted in a new oil sands module in Version 7.5, developed in conjunction with Maptek customers in Canada. The module includes tools for greater control over block models, and the ability to quickly determine the average value of multiple variables of specified blocks. Vulcan creates a triangulated mining floor for reference in the mine planning stage. A dedicated development team in eastern Australia is using feedback from local coal operations to improve geological modelling to handle even more complex structures. A total overhaul of the Vulcan architecture to support extremely large datasets and faster graphics will result in a 64-bit release, as Version 8 next year. As well as multiple language offerings, this version will begin to introduce the concept of third party database support for Vulcan data structures, along with data security, data auditability and revision control. Maptek says that what this comes down to is development in line with customer needs. Clients who have studied the payback over a 10-year period have seen that although Vulcan was a larger investment, lower annual payments have made it better value for money. A year down the track from release, Maptek I-Site Studio 64-bit version has proved itself on large project datasets. The next major release, 3.1, focuses on graphics and modelling. New tools for open pit update allow users to scan sections of a pit and integrate the new data into their current pit model. For the first time, Studio users can incorporate photography from multiple scans as part of the modelling process, streamlining geological interpretation on highwalls. Studio s rendering and animation options deliver professional quality, high fidelity digital video output for corporate presentations. In North America US, Studio software is being picked up by companies who need the extra power to process airborne lidar data. The oil sands market is a case in point where traditional methods were not delivering the results needed. I-Site s mobile mapping solution has incidentally addressed mining s labour crisis, allowing operations to be more productive with their existing workforce. A survey group can cover more territory, with improved safety and speed. Studio 3.1 extends I-Site s language capabilities further to include American English, modern Chinese, Spanish, German and Japanese. The language interface is chosen 24 International Mining NOVEMBER 2007

7 11/07 automatically based on the users PC settings. Maptek MineSuite is a mine production monitoring system and the 4.7 release features a new mapping interface, improved performance and extended integration capabilities. The mapping display work area has been maximised, running in headerless full screen mode, rather like a gaming interface. Any information captured in real-time can be replayed live, so event data like tonnage, gear selected and fuel usage can be seen along with the location of the vehicle or equipment. Maptek is developing MineSuite to perform more data mining, a term given to the science of extracting useful information from large datasets or databases. OLAP online analytical data processing allows miners to maximise transfer of useful data from collected information. Planned upgrades to MineSuite include implementing Java 6 programming to improve performance and integration with the Windows desktop. Integrating MineSuite with third party reporting tools and real-time dashboards is also on the development horizon, to further promote seamless workflow with existing mine operation systems. Version 11 of MICROMINE was due for release at the end of October 2007 and is, the company says, an exciting release which continues the evolution of Micromine from exploration software to mining and exploration software. Our company is also evolving and has grown from being a developer of software to being a provider of integrated IT solutions to the mineral resource sector. This paradigm shift means that the latest version of Micromine has not only been developed with a greater emphasis on mining, but with a greater emphasis on flexibility and ease-of-use. Micromine software solutions have been used in the mineral resource industry in Australia for more than 20 years and recently the company has experienced significant growth in countries like China, Russia (see Aricom article this issue), Mongolia, South Africa and the USA. Micromine continues to raise the benchmark for innovation with its MICROMINE, PITRAM, DOME, GBIS, and FIELD MARSHAL suite of products. Exploration and mining companies across the globe use these products to assist them in the design, planning and management of their operations. The current trend is to use integrated systems, ranging from exploration to mineral processing. A significant part of this is the use of real-time mine control software to control production and increase efficiency and productivity of mining operations. Large new mines, such as Fortescue Metals Group s Western Australia Iron Operations are using Micromine as their preferred supplier. Micromine products are being used to manage data and run the mine using GPS equipment tracking and telemetry to send mine events to the production database. The use of this system allows mine management to continually improve the production of the mine and control mine costs. 3-D modelling Coffey Mining has just reported that it has become the only mining consultancy to gain access to Beck Arndt Engineering s worldclass 3D non-linear rock mass modelling technology and expertise with the recent signing of an agreement. Coffey says: Access to this best-practice mine modelling will allow [it] to improve extraction sequencing and mine design throughout the mining process for underground and open pit mines. Better managed mine stability improves safety and boosts productivity and production rates to optimise a mine s life cycle. CEO of Coffey Mining Dan O Toole: We were looking to link up with a specialist applied mechanics company and provider in the field of simulation of the 3D rock mass response to mining. Beck Arndt emerged as an exciting option. Beck Arndt specialises in engineering for large and complex mining operations, building, calibrating and running large, geometrically accurate mine-scale 3D non-linear models. It is the largest provider of non-linear modelling services to the Australian mining industry and an emerging preferred provider to a number of the largest mine operators, including BHP Billiton in Australia and North America, Codelco Norte in Chile and Rio Tinto in Australia. Coffey Mining will formulate and plan the modelling with clients, working closely with the Berlin and Perth-based Beck Arndt simulation and engineering teams. Beck Arndt will conduct the simulations and, where required, will be available to assist Coffey Mining with interpretation and engineering using the model results. Peter Fuller, Chief Mine Geotechnical Engineer at Coffey Mining said: Calibrated with our observations, we will use this information to develop reliable predictions of ground behaviour and design optimum mining approaches for our clients. It will enable us to highlight areas that will be damaged by mining so remedial processes such as reinforcing rock or changing the extraction sequence can be formulated ahead of time. The information from this modelling will provide early intelligence on which parts of the mine are likely to be damaged and predictions on how Put ToughMet in your corner. ToughMet is the hardest working bearing material in the industry, giving you unparalleled strength and lubricity in one superior material. 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8 REVIEW Earlier this year, Atlas Copco launched three new upgraded packages of the software Tunnel Manager. Thanks to usage of latest computer technology the new programs are easier to use compared to the previous versions. The most advanced package, Tunnel Manager MWD, offers a completely new functionality built on several years of research at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden key points of the mine will behave the mine progresses, including pillars and shafts, infrastructure and access points. Beck Arndt has been developing the application of the widely used ABAQUS modelling package to mining problems for many years. ABAQUS is a 3D, nonlinear computer modelling package that is widely used throughout the world in a range of engineering applications including aerospace, automotive, civil and nuclear engineering. Beck Arndt identified the opportunity to apply the advanced modelling technology to rock mass simulation, and with some in-house development the result has been a step change in simulation capabilities for mining. Very detailed 3D mine simulation on a massive scale is now possible for pits and underground mines. The simulation is efficient and detailed enough to allow true simulation-aided mining engineering and planning, where engineers and modellers work closely to optimise and continuously improve design before mining, or using field measurements and data during operations, David Beck said. Vehicle tracking acquire Technology Solutions (formerly Metech) focuses on solving one of the most difficult problems in the industry the capture, management and delivery of quality geoscientific observations and measurements - on which resource models depend. The philosophy is that data integrity starts in the field and acquire continually provides innovation in data capture tools to encourage validation at the field data capture stage. The technology is used in more than 300 sites around the world and in over 35 countries. Its success is based on the architecture of the technology as well as the company s commitment and ability in delivering a complete solution. The company understands that customers are seeking the effective integration of acquire technology with their processes and people. The acquire solution optimises the workflow, capturing, managing and delivering high integrity data equally well in the exploration setting as it does in resource development and production. acquire has devoted the last eight years to developing and implementing the acquire database technology which is now recognised as a premier standard in this domain. IM New Optimization Module Net Present Value Optimization Minimum and Maximum Constraints on Tonnes, Grade and Development Metres Blending Functionality Suite 1, 45 Ord St, West Perth 6005 Western Australia Tel: Fax: Web: 26 International Mining NOVEMBER 2007