GMSI, a business unit of the AST Group, has successfully completed several phases in the implementation of a Mineral Resource Inventory System (MRIS) for the AngloGold SA Region Operations.
As a globally listed company, AngloGold is valued according to how the industry assesses the value of its resources, reserves and the transparency of its reporting.
"Therefore, AngloGold needed an inventory system that could provide accurate figures and detailed information, and was in line with the International Mineral Resource and Reserve reporting standards," explains Jurgens Visser, Manager: Planning and Survey for AngloGold SA Region.
The vision for a better way to manage resources began in 1988, but at that time the technology was not available. The GMSI CADSMine suite of systems based on Microstation graphics provided the basis upon which the new vision could be built.
The new vision is a multi-layered polygon approach. Each layer represents a contribution from a portion of the business; examples include an evaluation layer, a survey layer and a geological layer. Each technical discipline associated with the resource and mine planning process is the custodian of one or more polygon sets.
These polygon collections or layers are split against one another by MRIS to provide a comprehensive picture of the available resources known as a Composite Krig Grid (CKG). The reconciliation between two versions of the CKG is made possible because MRIS records all versions of this definition of the resources in a database together with all of the polygon layer inputs that contributed. The reconciliation is graphical, with a Value Difference Plan being a typical example which provides for further drilldown.
"With GMSI`s technical skills and a dedicated team having in-depth knowledge of AngloGold`s mining business, we were able to custom-design a system allowing AngloGold to capture their data, manage the information and report for decision-making," says Dolf Prinsloo, MD of GMSI. "The system allows for resource reporting on a monthly basis, instead of yearly. This allows AngloGold to have a continuous update on business status."
Pat Rice, manager of Evaluation at AngloGold SA Region, adds that MRIS provides comprehensive time and labour saving and brings the overall process to the required level of auditability. International investors, according to Rice, consider the published resources and reserves as one of the ways in which to assess AngloGold`s asset value.
A more recent feature of the project is the ability to communicate the CKG from one site to another over small bandwidths. The same software also allows for data volume management on a given site`s production database. This groundbreaking work allows for corporate level management of the resource and provides graphical reporting at a managerial level not previously thought possible.
The use of this software has not only dramatically improved the availability and reliability of evaluation information but has also enhanced the productivity of all the disciplines involved, from the resource process through to the planning process, by reducing evaluation process time.
In addition, MRIS provides an inherent workflow from the bottom up and allows for other reporting systems to utilise the data as well. The knowledge gained is then used to optimise the planned extraction of AngloGold`s mineral resources, increasing value generation along the mine value chain.
Share
AST`s intellectual capacity, its business model and strong customer base form the foundation for the group`s integrated services solutions business.
Ideally positioned as a leading technology solutions company and focused on selected industries, AST unlocks substantial value for its customers. The AST Group - a trustworthy and innovative ICT company.
Editorial contacts