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Could 'smart mines' be key to unlocking the potential of smart cities?

There are many similarities between what people want to achieve with smart cities and with what's being done in the digital mine, says Michael Walters, product engineer at Etion.


Johannesburg, 23 Aug 2018

All around the globe, cities are turning to technology to improve the way they operate and, by extension, the lives of their citizens. These so-called "smart cities" promise to be safer, more efficient, and easier to live in. If they're to live up to those promises, however, they should leverage off the model used by smart mines.

There are a lot of similarities between what people want to achieve with smart cities and with what's being done in the digital mine.

Every city has its own ecosystem, comprising things like transport, healthcare, buildings, construction, logistics and people. In the ideal smart city, these factors are all measured by sensors and connected by devices, says Michael Walters, product engineer at Etion.

The data from these sensors and devices allow authorities to get an overview of things, like where vehicles are moving, where congested areas are, the general health of the city, and the condition of the environment, among other things.

Using this data, authorities can take immediate action wherever it is needed. They can also push information out into the network, distributing it instantly.

That sounds similar to what's going on in the mining industry, where there are inter-connected devices, from underground vehicles to people with wearable devices. In addition to that, the mining environment, similar to the smart city, is constantly monitored, from haulages to stockpiles, factories, and warehouses. The goal of all this monitoring is to supply actionable information at the right time and in the right place.

This makes mines a great proving ground for the digital technologies and systems used in smart cities.

Think of a mine as a micro-ecosystem, which provides cities with an ideal test bed for new technologies that they may want to implement.

Three major areas where smart mines could provide inspiration for smart cities

The first is that, whatever you're developing or deploying, you have to take into consideration the robustness of the system. Is the system robust enough to survive the environment, plus extra?

Secondly, there's ease of use. Whatever smart city initiatives you implement have to make people's lives easier. You can't give them a system where there's an extra couple of steps in their day, or where they have to submit extra information, the user experience must be seamless.

Finally, you have to give copious amounts of training. Never underestimate the importance of that. You can never assume that because something's obvious to you, it's going to be obvious to someone else.

In both mines and cities, there are massive benefits to taking a smart, digital-first approach. In both environments, people are safer, inefficiencies are reduced, and the general environment is more resilient and conducive to productivity.

Unlocking those benefits, however, means implementing those technologies properly. And in smart mines, cities have an ideal model for their own efforts in becoming smart.

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Etion

Etion (ETO), previously known as Ansys, is a diversified digital technology solutions provider.

Etion creates, digitises, connects and secures both generic and bespoke digital technology solutions to improve the safety, productivity, connectivity and cyber security of its customers, with one purpose, to advance humanity. In achieving this, Etion is drawing on its proud 31 years of engineering heritage and extensive original design and manufacturing capabilities.

Etion Create (previously Parsec) is the first component of the digital value chain. It designs, develops and manufactures a wide range of advanced electronic and digital technologies for internal and external customers. Etion Digitise (previously Ansys Rail) provides digital safety and environmental management systems ranging from sensors, asset management, telematics and IOT to robotics, mechatronics and maintenance. Etion Connect (previously Tedaka Network Solutions) offers connectivity and communications products, solutions and services, including fibre wireless deployment, data and digital radio communications networks and network monitoring, as well as power-related infrastructure solutions. Etion Secure (incorporating LAWTrust) creates confidence in business transactions by providing trusted identity, digital signatures, authentication and encryption, and biometrics solutions to secure countries, citizens and transactions.

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