Dig Into Tech

MICROMINE works closely with IGO to help drive productivity and cost efficiencies at their Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation in the Fraser Range. MICROMINE’s fleet management and mine control solution Pitram, is used by operations personnel, to capture insights and data from mobile equipment and underground mining activities, in real time. For Episode 5 of the Podcast, we spoke with Pitram Product Strategy Manager Chris Higgins, IGO Mine Control Operator Donella Halls and Project Mine Geologist Fletcher Pym on how Pitram has helped optimise their operations and maximise project profitability. If you're interested in being a guest on the podcast or have a topic suggestion, contact Melissa at marketing@micromine.com

For Episode 4 of the Podcast, we invited Mining Engineer Dale Brown to discuss how Ausrocks Consulting uses Micromine 2020.5 to solve their client’s problems.  Micromine Operations Manager David Bartlett also jumped in on the call to provide some technical insights into Micromine and offer solutions for the end users. If you're interested in being a guest on the podcast or have a topic suggestion, contact Melissa at marketing@micromine.com

MICROMINE moved quickly in responding to the Coronavirus to ensure the well-being of our valued customers, business partners and employees.  As we continue to monitor the situation, we want you to know we have promptly adapted our processes and services so that our operations continue in a virtual environment. In this episode Melissa interviews MICROMINE’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ambroise Nanquette, Chief Operation Officer, Michael Layng and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Birch for a deep dive discussion on the impact of the Coronavirus on the mining software industry and what positives can be taken away from it all.

Episode 2 on the Podcast is all about Young Professionals in the tech space. In this episode we catch up with MICROMINE Interns  Reece Jones and Jakob Wyatt to discuss how their recent internship with MICROMINE and the challenges of being a young professional in the tech space. If you're interested in interning with MICROMINE or would like to join our MICROMINors Young Professionals group, contact Melissa at marketing@micromine.com

Episode 1 on the Podcast is all about Micromine 2020 where we sit down with  Micromine’s Technical Product Manager’s Frank Bilki, Andy Esmaili and Gordon Thomas to discuss the latest release of Micromine and the key features user’s can expect to see.

In environments where network connectivity is intermittent or doesn’t exist, field computers become critical for computations and integration. Geobank Mobile is designed to operate in this edge computing environment. It has the ability to directly integrate with field measurement devices to deliver a practical and efficient solution to the user. Flexibility to configure the collection, management and validation of exploration data, all lie at the heart of Geobank Mobile’s success working at the edge. An exciting new development for Geobank Mobile is the integration with DSLR cameras to capture imagery of drillhole core. AngloGold Ashanti Australia Ltd is using this technology with a camera mounted to a mechanised track that sits above the chip tray and automatically takes photos of drillhole geological chip samples. Through seamless integration, photos are fed from the camera to Geobank Mobile which has been configured to rename the file based on the hole identifier. Geobank mobile saves the file to a folder and has been designed to automatically advance to the next row and await the next photo. The solution negates the excessive time required when taking chip tray photos, while the digital transfer of all imagery ensures an accurate and reliable dataset. The Geobank Mobile development team sees the integration as a key strategic direction for the product. Geobank Product Strategy Manager Ian Whitehouse commented: “The integration has the ability to save huge amounts of time and effort for exploration geologists when taking chip tray photos. The additional benefit of the integration is that all imagery and metadata is automatically stored, ready for viewing and analysis.” This example of integration simplifies and optimises the collection of chip tray imagery and allows exploration geologists to quickly view images of geological samples physically stored away in a warehouse in a different geographical location. The video below shows AngloGold Ashanti’s track mounted camera in operation at Tropicana (AngloGold Ashanti Australia Ltd 70% and manager, Independence Group NL 30%) in Western Australia.

The MICROMINE USA team recently exhibited at the Elko Mining Expo, an International exhibition that brings miners together from all over the world. MICROMINE used the opportunity to showcase its market leading data management solution, Geobank 2018, along with 3D modelling and mine design solution Micromine 2018 and Pitram, the world’s leading underground fleet management and mine control solution. Elko Mining Expo is a 5 day event that was held from 4th June to the 8th June 2018 at the ELKO CONVENTION CENTER in Elko, Nevada, USA. The event allows companies to showcase their products and provides opportunities for suppliers to meet both the key buyers and the end users; the people that actually use their products and services every day in the Minerals, Metals & Ores industry. MICROMINE USA Regional Manager, Fernando de Orbegoso, comments “The Elko Mining Show provides the team a forum to meet with industry professionals, giving us a fantastic platform to showcase MICROMINE’s world leading solutions.” The Expo featured over 450 companies exhibiting products and services related to the mining industry. The Expo will include exhibitors and official delegations from the primary extractive industries countries, mining and exploration companies, investment and financing institutions, evaluation and consulting companies, service providers and equipment suppliers, as well as representatives of multi-lateral organizations interested in this crucial industry. “An event such as this, creates opportunities to develop and sharpen our professional skills and knowledge.” De Orbegoso adds. Micromine 2018 is the latest version of MICROMINE’s leading exploration and 3D mine design solution and provides users with integrated tools for modelling, estimation, design, optimization and scheduling. The 2018 version includes a range of new features and enhancements that will assist in improving usability and functionality for Micromine users. One of the exciting new features for Micromine 2018 has been the introduction of a new licensing platform which works with or without a dongle and includes the ability to temporarily borrow a network license without the need for a dongle or persistent network connection. This will mean more flexibility for Micromine users. The new platform maximizes utilisation and allows for quick and easy access to the software.

AME Roundup 2018 took place from January 22nd – 25th at the Vancouver Convention Centre West. The theme of the convention this year was “A New Generation of Discovery.” This was focused on the resurgence of our industry after a lengthy downturn and delving into the resulting innovations in exploration spanning everything from 3D exploration camps to cutting-edge financial and business models and how to maintain success in a socially responsible, fiscally responsible, and politically changed era. Our representatives - Liam Murphy, Jeremy Pestun & Dallas Araneda were on the floor of the convention every day, networking & generating leads. Monday evening, we hosted the Groundup social event in the Micromine office. It was an extremely successful event, with over 450 attendees throughout the 3-hour event. Micromine has developed a reputation for having creative, engaging & fun networking events, and this one was no different. One of the highlights of the evening was the arcade-like games that we brought in for our guests’ entertainment. We are looking forward to a bigger & better PDAC Groundup event in Toronto from March 4th – 7th, so stay tuned for invites! If you will be at PDAC, make sure to come see us at BOOTH #603. We have experts from around the world coming, that will be dedicated to answering all your questions & introducing you to the newest versions of our products. For more information on our attendance at PDAC 2018 please visit our PDAC event page. See pictures and a short video from AME Roundup 2018 and Groundup below:

Satellite imagery is vital for early exploration and is typically one of the first data types acquired by anyone working in a new area. When combined with field mapping and geophysics it becomes a very efficient way to gain geological understanding. Today we can obtain imagery from a wide variety of satellite systems like Landsat, WorldView, SPOT, RapidEye and EROS, amongst others. I’ll begin this four-part blog by introducing satellite imagery in mineral exploration. In Parts 2 and 3 I’ll explain how to prepare enhanced full-colour images from satellite data, and in Part 4 I’ll demonstrate how to use these images in Micromine.