A collaborative partnership between GMSI, a business unit of the AST Group, and AngloGold has resulted in the successful development and implementation of an Electronic Geomapping System, GeoMap4D, at the Tau Lekoa mine in Klerksdorp. The system will soon be rolled out to AngloGold`s other mines within the group in SA.
AngloGold provided detailed functional design specifications based on its business process and the system architecture for GMSI to develop. GMSI used its knowledge and experience in developing successful mining-related software and built GeoMap4D on its established GMSI CAD graphic engine.
GeoMap4D speeds up the delivery of accurate new geological information for mine planning and evaluation, providing data for a more holistic understanding of geological structure and gold mineralisation processes across individual mines and mining regions.
"As far as we know, this is the first time that fully attributed geological features can be recorded in their true 3D orientation, as distinct from representations of the geology exposed on excavation sidewalls and faces as 2D planes set in 3D space. We have essentially eliminated potential data ambiguity and the need to routinely record the dips and strikes of geological surfaces," explains Jeff Kennedy, Geology Manager - Information Systems of AngloGold.
"These features are now recorded, databased and retrieved as oriented 3D geometries. Our goal was to provide fast and accurate 3D data directly into geological interpretation and modelling applications, not to simply generate electronic plans and sections. Plans and sections should be outputs from the 3D geological model," adds Kennedy.
The new system represents a technological leap forward in terms of business efficiency, accuracy and auditability as opposed to simply taking an evolutionary electronic step.
As the geologist records measurements and observations underground, the GMSI CAD engine presents the data graphically in real-time. The geologist can view the data from up to four different on-screen directions and even dynamically rotate the mapping for better 3D understanding. In this way data validation takes place immediately in the workplace.
"The nasty surprises that sometimes occur when mapping is plotted from measurements incorrectly recorded in paper notebooks will soon be a thing of the past," says Kennedy.
The `4` in GeoMap4D refers to the fact that in addition to the 3D nature of the data, every record captured is user, date and time stamped for operational and auditing purposes.
The system runs on an Itronix Husky portable data capture device (DCD) using Windows CE. The Huskys are ruggedised pen computers suited to the extreme conditions found in South African gold mines. Data is automatically uploaded to AngloGold`s central geological database (AuBIS) on an Oracle Spatial ORDBMS, which eliminates the multi-stage data processing previously used.
Data can be drawn automatically from AuBIS into geomodelling applications such as GMSI`s CADSmine Geology and the I-mine Modeller modelling system.
"AngloGold`s philosophy is to store as much geological data (from mapping, sampling and boreholes, etc) as possible in a single central relational database with common standards and independent of proprietary data formats in application software. This centralisation minimises the cost of ownership, administration and user training. It also eliminates artificial geographical boundaries to data (eg, mining leases), ambiguity and version issues, allowing data to be available immediately anywhere on the AngloGold network with stringent security," states Kennedy.
"Accurate data is essential as optimal planning depends on the accuracy of the plotting and interpretation by the geologists," says Dolf Prinsloo, MD of GMSI. "In addition to improved efficiencies, established AngloGold geological standards and codes were applied in the system design, which ensures that everybody is talking the same language and that data is objective."
A key requirement from AngloGold was that the system must be generic and scalable to provide a front end for the capture of mining-related data to other databases in the future.
Crucial to the success of GeoMap4D has been GMSI`s ability to interface the SQL Server 2000 for Windows CE on the DCD with the central AuBIS/Oracle ORDBMS for both data uploads and downloads. Referential survey peg data are also automatically downloaded from the GMSI Pegs database on SQL Server 2000.
GMSI provides technical support of the system and has a joint responsibility with AngloGold for training.
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