Today’s post comes from Claver Gnamien, one of our Mining Knowledge Consultants.

We held our second Twitter Chat, #AskGEOVIA, last week to explore block modeling concepts and some common challenges faced in this area.

Hosted on Twitter at @3dsGEOVIA, the interactive Q&A session addressed some of the issues when working with large datasets, the role of technology in the block modeling process, and block model applications.

Block models are, quite literally, the building blocks of any mining operation as it represents the entire deposit, and can determine the overall success of the mining activity.

As a spatially-referenced database, a block model is an effective method of estimating volume, tonnage and the average grade of a 3D body from sparse drillhole data.

Throughout the chat, we discussed how block modeling helps mining companies cut costs and reduce risks in resource estimation. We also talked about how GEOVIA Surpac^TM performs block modeling and provided tips on superblocking, validation, tagging and depletion.

If you missed the Chat, you can read the summary below or the transcript.

What role does technology play in the block modeling process?

Technology spans all areas of the block modeling process, from data collection and investigation through to the creation of the block model and reporting.

As an example, during the data collection stage, software is used to store and validate data to produce an accurate geological database. During the investigation stage, technology is used for domaining, statistical analysis and geostatistical investigations.

Mining software reduces the risks in resource estimation by providing the tools to visualize, analyze and validate a block model. It also helps in cutting costs by reducing further drilling or sampling costs, while producing optimal estimation parameters. Block models are also used with mine planning tools to maximize value through scheduling.

How are block models validated?

At the end of the estimation, validation is necessary to ensure the estimate honors the original data or input information. Several standard validation checks should be carried out at each step of the block modeling process, such as visual checks of local trends and statistical validation (Swath Plots).

What are some common block modeling applications?

As the block model is a database, it can be used as input for strategic and tactical planning purposes as well as in the infrastructure design process. As computers become more powerful and better algorithms are developed, we can work with models containing millions of blocks.

Multi-threading in block models is now available in Surpac, which dramatically reduces estimation processing time from hours to seconds.

What are some common challenges in block modeling?

The accuracy of block model volume reports – it can prove difficult to approximate the volumes of domain wireframes. We can solve this challenge by applying partial percentage estimation as a volume adjustment when generating block model reports in Surpac. Also, a constrained block model can be created from the original block model to increase performance.

For a better user experience, displaying large block models can be performed after applying constraints or displaying block models as a point cloud. The use of calculated attributes where possible can also reduce the footprint of the model.

Another challenge is estimating domains with different shapes and sizes in the same project area. We recommend defining estimation block sizes (KNA) to perform the estimate at the appropriate block size for each domain. In Surpac, there is no need to create separate block models to store ore with different shapes belonging to the same project.

Lastly, superblocking – the aggregation of adjacent blocks into a single larger block – can pose another challenge. You can remove this effect by breaking the superblocking rule, such as adding another block index IJK attribute into the block model.

Check out our other block modeling posts, or for more information on Surpac, check out the new features. To participate in our next Twitter Chat, follow us on Twitter @3dsGEOVIA.

read more

Today’s post comes from Natcha Roongrote, one of our Technical Customer Support Consultants.

When using GEOVIA Hub^TM, you may want to import and export template files in the .hct file extension format. This file format contains the property and class definitions that reside on a particular Hub server, which is useful in the following situations:

• When you are planning to set up a new Hub server and but do not want to recreate properties and classes again – in particular, if you still want to keep identical properties and classes from the old server.
• If there is an issue with the current Hub server and you want to use the exported .hct template to recreate the existing Hub server.
• When you would like to add new definitions exported from a different server, without having to manually add them to the applied Hub server.

Here’s how you can export and import a template in Hub.

To Export a Template

1. Go To Admin > Property & Class > Export

2. The Window Explorer box will pop up asking to save the template to a file location. Accept the default name shown or change the file name. Click Save.

To Import a Template

1. Go To Admin > Property & Class > Export

2. The Import from Property/Class Template box pops up. Click Browse to find the .hct file you wish to import. Click Open.

3. Select the Import Setting option “Add new definitions only’.

9. Click OK.

Looking for more GEOVIA Hub posts? Read how to Migrate Your Server Data or view all Hub posts.

read more

Today’s post comes from Hamish Sinclair-Ross, one of our R&D Application Managers.

There are many instances when mine planning engineers will need to run several sessions of GEOVIA MineSched^TM at the same time. As an example, users may need to compare results of multiple scenarios or run simultaneous schedule inputs.

The new licensing changes for Maintenance & Support members mean that users can run up to 10 simultaneous open sessions of MineSched for each local dongle license, and unlimited simultaneous sessions for those using a network license.

 To take advantage of the new licensing arrangements, users with a local dongle license will need to request an updated 9.0.x token number. If the license is covered by a Support and Maintenance Subscription, the user will then be able to refresh the license information and open up to 10 instances of MineSched.

For network licenses, with a new 9.0.x token number and the installation of the latest version of Network License Manager available with MineSched 9.0.3, you will be able to access unlimited instances of MineSched per network license.

These licensing changes mean that users can now set up and compare multiple iterations of their schedules with varying inputs - side by side - to reach more optimal results more efficiently.

Users will also be able to run simultaneous open sessions in future versions of Surpac.

Find out more about how to download GEOVIA applications here, or download MineSched 9.0.3 from DSx Client Care & Order.

read more

1. With your sentinel placed in your computer, start Surpac

2. In Surpac, from the File menu, select Licensing and Change/Inspect License

3. Select Request a license from the GEOVIA Support web site. If you have multiple dongles attached to your computer, select the dongle you want to use for the license and click Using the internet.

4. The DS Passport login page opens.

As part of the global migration to Dassault Systèmes, GEOVIA implemented DS Passport login for self-service licensing, www.geoviasupport.com and www.3ds.com/support. This allows GEOVIA users to access all services with the same username (your work email) and password.

Many of you have already received your new DS Passport login via email, however if you have not received a login details you can reset your password through ‘Forgot my password’ or ‘Create an account’, if your email has not been registered in the old system. 

5. The license will be emailed to your email.

6. The license file that you will receive has the extension .LICZ. It contains your license files (.ssi and .dat) and a PDF listing your license configuration. Open .LICZ file with archiving tool.

7. Save the license file tokens.ssi to the ‘etc’ folder:  C:\Users\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\<Surpac Version eg. .673_x64>\share\etc , select local and click apply. The Update License Token form is displayed, pre-filled with the token number, click validate and Apply.

read more

Today's post comes from Mark Bese, Natural Resources Industry Marketing Director.

One of the greatest challenges mining companies struggle with is meeting production targets consistently without losing control over costs. By leveraging Production Management technology built by and for the mining industry, mining companies around the world are realizing the decision-making power of real-time data.

The mining companies tend to have too many software silos – but no single point of entry or view of operational data. Regardless of the systems and datasets involved in production processes, the user experience for reporting, data analysis, and reconciliation needs to be standard and consistent across all departments in order to achieve stability.

So is it possible to pull information from across other systems or conversably be able to output reconciliation analyses into dashboards?

Get better visibility of your data through Dassault Systèmes Production Management Dashboards

Yes, as materials movements are coming, data values will be coming up and increasing, giving an early visibility or indicator of problems you may have, during shift - before it becomes a reported problem.

Reporting is too late, companies need the tools to, in shift, make the decisions and have the opportunities to make necessary changes so it does not become a production lost.

Read the Dassault Systémes’ Production Management Solution Brief to learn how you can benefit from reliable real-time instead of just reporting losses. You may also be interested in Six Steps to Effective Mine Production Management.

read more

Today's post comes from Anthony Jacobs, R&D GEOVIA Applications Senior Manager.

GEOVIA GEMS™ and GEOVIA Surpac™ have been updated to include two important tools – Swath Plots and Grade Tonnage Plots supporting block model validation within the software solution.

Validation Plots

Validation plots allow geologists and engineers to quickly view charts of estimated values in their block models within the software. Charts launch in the Statistics Application are comparable to those available when evaluating point or drill hole data.

Swath Plots
The introduction of Swath Plots provides a useful and functional tool in the resource estimation workflow. This common validation  tool used amongst resource geologists and engineers alike help to provide a greater understanding of data trends in multiple orientations. Benefits include:

• A quick method to validate the quality of an estimate by comparing the original mean sample grade to the estimated grade for a range of slices.
• The option to apply weighted values assigned from the new declustering features.
• The ability to view combinations of point, block or both point and block values.
• An ability for mining geologists to quickly compare and validate the block model estimation compared to the raw sample data
• Plots permit data to be analyzed in user-defined slices in both the Northing and Easting directions, as well as elevation, simultaneously.
• On completion, reporting can be displayed externally in Microsoft Excel.

Grade-tonnage plots

The introduction of grade-tonnage plots strengthen the available tool set to rapidly interrogate and validate the size and grade characteristics or a mineral deposit; a common chart used by both geologists and engineers necessary for quick results and for legal reporting.

A Grade Tonnage plot displays the average grade versus rock tonnage, allowing geologists and engineers to quickly understand the effect of mining at different cut-off grades - typically, as the cut-off increases, the tonnage decreases. On completion, reporting can be displayed externally in Microsoft Excel.

Read more about the features in Surpac and GEMS in our latest releases. Or, find out more about our Geostatistics offerings.

read more

Today's post comes from Anthony Jacobs, R&D GEOVIA Applications Senior Manager.

The latest releases of GEOVIA GEMS™ and GEOVIA Surpac™ have been updated to include better geostatistics capabilities, which enable a higher level of confidence in block model validation.

The improved charting and data processing provide a necessary workflow to better understand the spatial relationship and influence of exploration data samples prior to estimation.

Connecting point and drill hole data to the statistics application allows you to generate:

• Histograms, distribution curves, cumulative frequency charts, scatter plots, detailed statistics reports.
• A new mean variance chart:
• The plot displays the mean and the coefficient of variance on each Y-Axis.
• Values are given for each bin defined.
• Inflections can be compared for both of these statistical values to aid in selection of an appropriate capping or top-cut value.

• Improved log probability plots

• A log scale is applied to the Y-Axis (Cumulative probability %).
• Points can be selected with lines to each axis to easily identify values at inflection points.

Declustering feature:

“Clustering” can be caused by irregular sampling in an exploration program – fan-drilling or in-fill drilling in high-grade areas may result in a disproportionate number of high grade samples and biased calculated statistics.

GEOVIA GEMS and GEOVIA Surpac include a cell declustering method and a cell size optimization feature. The cell size optimization feature facilitates a range of cell size calculations where mean values within cells are used to choose the optimum weights. A report may be created, based on various cell sizes with declustered mean values, to determine the best cell size to use for declustering.

The cell declustering method uses a grid to determine the number of samples in each grid cell. Sample points in clustered cells are given lower weights than cells with fewer points. The decluster functions provide a representative distribution of data, with a weighting assigned to each point. Weighted values can be visualized and used to validate data and the weights can also be stored for later use.

Read more about the features in Surpac and GEMS in our latest releases. Or, find out more about our Geostatistics offerings.

read more

Today's post comes from Mark Bese, Natural Resources Industry Marketing Director.

It is hard to believe but it is just about time for the world’s largest mining event – MINExpo – held once every four years in the Nevada desert oasis otherwise known as Las Vegas, from September 26 - 28. 

With more than 70,000 attendees from 130 countries expected to attend, MINExpo is the leading industry platform to deliver imaginative new products and services, innovative technologies and mining expertise.

Dassault Systèmes is pleased to once again present at the world-class MINExpo and are looking forward to demonstrating our transformative solutions in the realm of Natural Resources and their value to our customers.

Join us at Booth #2453 to see the latest in mining technology, where you can immerse yourself in our transformative innovation journey of discovery. Here’s what you will find at our booth, along with our team of mining experts:

• Put on 3D headset and see the future of mining by exploring our virtual underground mine.
• Four themed value area demo pods:
• Model and Design – Engineered for value
• Simulate – Experience it before you do it
• Collaborate – Shared intelligence and unified innovation
• Execute and Monitor – Live performance decision-making
• Dassault Systèmes theater – hear about industry trends and tech innovations

Visit the Dassault Systèmes theater to hear the following innovation talks:

Read more about Dassault Systemes at MINExpo 2016

Schedule a meeting with us and see us at Booth #2453 and register to attend MINExpo today!

read more

Today's post comes from Mellischa Rautenbach, our User Advocacy Marketing Specialist in South Africa.

“As long as many of our people still live in utter poverty, as long as children still live under plastic covers, as long as many of our people are still without jobs, no South African should rest and wallow in the joy of freedom.” – Nelson Mandela

Since it was launched on July 18th, 2009, the Mandela Day initiative is more than just a celebration of Madiba’s life and legacy. It is a global movement to honour his life’s work and act to change the world for the better.

Dassault Systèmes has always been in support of Mandela Day and this year, together with Acorn Foundation, we visited the Munsieville informal settlement near Krugersdorp, South Africa. In December 2014, 300 illegal squatters were removed by Mogale City Local Municipality on the West Rand. Around 200 squatters were given new homes, and the remaining squatters went to live in Munsieville.

Even though the residents are happy to finally find a place they can call home, the community is still riddled with poverty and unemployment.

Most of the houses are built with corrugated iron held together with wooden beams and tarpaulin laid out on the ground.

They experience frequent floods which leaves old waste exposed.  There is one mobile lavatory given per two households and about six taps with running water. There is no electricity supply. Hospitals refuse residents care and those living at the camp are regularly rejected by potential employers at job interviews.

On July 15 this year, Dassault Systèmes South Africa, together with the Acorn Foundation, set out to build an eco-veggie tunnel, treat the children to a fun-filled day with new winter jackets, some sweets and entertainment, hosted a braai (BBQ) and provided each family with a bucket filled with basic food and toiletries.

The camp has more than 100 children playing around in the dirt and refuse. Children’s laughter filled the air as we entertained them with old fashioned games such as an egg run, colour-in competitions and face painting.

We wanted to give back to the community something more sustainable, memorable and most importantly, something that can hopefully overcome scarcity of the most basic need: food. We built an eco-tunnel, which was assembled, soil was prepped and vegetable seedlings planted. It is now up to the community to take ownership of the project and hopefully they can experience the fruits of their labour within the next month.

Our furry four legged friends were not forgotten – we donated pre-packed food for the dogs and cats in the camp. We left the camp feeling humbled and proud to have played a part in changing lives for the better. Mandela Day serves as a constant reminder to practice the spirit of humanity, every day, in every way, that we can.

If you would like to help the Munsieville community or find out more information on their other projects, visit the Acorn Foundation's website.

read more

Today’s post comes from long time GEOVIA user, Jaideep Bose, Head of Geomining (Asia) at global minerals and lime producer Lhoist, based out of Malaysia.

Looking back, throughout my career I have witnessed the positive impact of technology, particularly in the areas of resources estimation, geological/block modeling and pit design. I started using GEOVIA Surpac™ when I was working for Lafarge, for the estimation of reserves and calculation of stripping rations through to designing mine-to-mill concepts.

When you have a tool as powerful as Surpac, it’s easy to accumulate precise information on ore zones and waste zones within stratified deposits, in order to calculate strip ratio. Strip ratio is the most important input in the pit design phase, and can be used as a guide to maintain costs throughout the mining cycle.

As ore bodies become more complex, I believe a more innovative approach is needed to extract efficiently, safely and in an environmentally-friendly manner.

For example, one of the biggest challenges I have found is related to hydrological issues, as some ore bodies are situated near rivers where water tables are very high or close to the surface. Many quarries in Malaysia are prone to frequent flash floods and groundwater seepage.

The role technology can play in mitigating these issues is to input and integrate data from water tables into mine models in Surpac, allowing both the mine planner and geologist to analyze scenarios and provide input for further slope analysis.

The other challenge is around safety, and ensuring that this is a priority in the pit design and planning phase. If technology can help integrate safety norms which are also environmentally-conscious, the outcome will be good. For instance, the ramps in pit design should be ideally constructed 3.5 times the width of the widest vehicle and should have edge protection; many pits are devoid of edge protection. However, with the help of technology, we can build in safety parameters to ensure that these norms are in compliance.

I believe technology plays a huge role in better understanding a resource through to integrating safety in the mine design and planning phase. The potential for future innovation is even greater as we see the Internet of Things start to become more prevalent at mine sites.

Watch the interview below with Jaideep Bose to learn more:

Learn more about how Surpac can model water levels or read more User Spotlight posts.

read more

Today’s post comes from Mack Rabapane, one of our Industry Process Consultants.

Resource Geologists can now use Swath Plots in the latest versions of GEOVIA Surpac^TM for quality assurance and quality control to support block model validation within their software solution.

This refers to a comparison of sample data or drillhole composite data against the estimated values in the block model by generating swaths or slices in the orientation specified by the geologist (Northing, Easting or Elevation).

The Swath Plots functionality provides geologists performing geostatistical estimation with greater confidence in their estimation techniques. This is also one of the requirements of Mineral Resource reports and validation as per international codes for resource validation, for instance, Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC).

Here’s how you can generate Swath Plots using elevation ranges in Surpac 6.7.2 and 6.7.3.

1. In order to generate Swaths, you will need the drillhole composite file and a block model.

2. In the drillhole composite file, take note of the description field (Surpac D-field) that has the estimated values to be plotted.

3. Open the block model and run the block model summary to identify the attribute whose values have been estimated. In the screenshot below, the estimated attribute is gold and in the composite file it is saved in the D3 field.

4. The image below shows the block model (in blue) with block faces switched off as well as the drillhole composite file (in white) opened in the graphics.

5. To create the Swath Plot, you will need to access the Swath Plot function. Click on Block Model > Geostatistics > Swath Plot. Below you can see the definition of inputs.

Under D-Field Parameters, enter the description field of the string file with values to compare with. For example, you may enter "Metal_Composite" (e.g. CU_Composite) for the Label which will be displayed on the chart for composite values. The Weighting can be left blank.

Under Block Model, specify the block model density attribute. You can also choose to constrain the Swath Plot generation with any block model attribute/surfaces/solids. Select the estimated attribute from the dropdown list and type any lable (e.g. CU_Estimated). This is the label that the chart will show for the estimated grade values.

Under Swath Options, choose the orientation of your chart. Commonly, users select the direction following the strike of the orebody or use the elevation for a downhole comparison. If using the elevation orientation, the minimum and maxium coordinates will be on the Z with the interval being bench height/ half bench. This varies from one deposit to the next.

Lastly, specify the output file which will have the data in a text format or web-based formats. Click Apply.


6. Constrain by grade >=0 in order to eliminate any negative grades that might exist in the block model.

7. The Swath Plot generates two outputs, one as Chart in the Block Model Basic Statistics dialog and another in your preferred format. Click Apply.

8. Your Swath Plot in the Basic Statistics Window should look like this:


9. Your Swath Plot data in user-selected format should resemble this:

Note that ideally, the two lines (Grade Composite line and Grade Estimated line) on the Swath plot should be on top of one another with no gaps in between. It is the discretion of the Geologist to determine their tolerance limit on the difference between the two values.

For more information on the new Swath Plot functionality in Surpac, check out Gaining Greater Confidence in Your Block Model Estimates.

read more

Today’s post comes from Ash Colton, one of our Mining Knowledge Consultants.

There may be instances where you have unwanted triangles after performing a solids intersection or outersection. In these cases you may want to repair your solids using selection tools in GEOVIA Surpac^TM.

Before you start, your solids graphic may look like this:

Click the drop down arrow next to the white select arrow in the below image. Choose “Select Point/Triangle” from the list.

Position your data to enable the box select tool to be effective. Select the area containing your unwanted triangles.

Once selected, right click the mouse and choose delete.

Now automatically repair the solid to create a closed and valid shape by clicking on Solids> Validation > Validate object/trisolation. In the pop-up box, tick ‘Attempt to autocorrect problems’ and click Apply.

This method works best if your solid has been conditioned using Mesh Tools in Surpac. 

The final result should look like this:

Read more about Solids Modelling or view more Surpac blog posts here.

read more

Today's post comes from Mark Bese, Natural Resources Industry Marketing Director.

A recent McKinsey & Company report “Productivity at the mine face: Pointing the way forward”, finds that while there are some signs of life in the industry, it fundamentally remains challenged due to slower demand growth and over-capacity. After examining what mines are doing to become more productive, it outlines what can be done to improve performance:

•    Embed effective management operating systems – Create greater transparency on operations performance and identify areas for improvement.
•    Prioritize operational excellence and capabilities development – embed manufacturing-type systems and continuous improvement initiatives.
•    Focus on innovation – Digitalization that enables new insights such as when a piece of equipment may fail.
•    Real-time data and better analytical engines – enhance scheduling and processing approaches.

Dassault Systèmes provides all of these capabilities and more. Based on our experience enabling companies to make significant business transformations in 11 industries, we know that miners can make rapid improvements that will stabilize their operating processes, leading to enterprise-wide agility.

Join us at MINExpo at booth #2453 and learn how our technology can help. Here’s what you can experience:

•    Explore beneath the surface in our immersive virtual mine.
•    Advanced technology demo areas:
      - Model and Design – Engineered for value
      - Simulate – Experience it before you do it
      - Collaborate – Shared intelligence and unified innovation
      - Execute and Monitor – Live performance decision-making

•    Innovation Theater – Hear about industry trends and discover new technology innovations

At our innovation theater, discover the world of the virtual mine. The future of mining is highly visual, data-driven and will be immersive, where people work together in virtual worlds to drive new levels of productivity and discover new innovations that will transform their businesses.

The Virtual Mine will be a platform for innovation by being the environment to try out innovative, perhaps challenging ideas that would never be explored in real life due to risk or cost of failure. It offers immersive, 3D simulation which allow all ideas, small and large, to be explored, so they can be proved and improved upon before being implemented in the real world. It will provide access to all data, from every mining operation. This “big data” will be analyzable to yield patterns, trends, new ideas and game-changing improvements that could not otherwise be discovered. With the Virtual Mine comes full control over all aspects of your business as vital data is available, coming from processes that are consistently executed and fully understood. Come and experience the virtual mine at MINExpo 2016!

Book a meeting with us at MINExpo or learn more about the event.

read more

Today’s post comes from Ash Colton, one of our Mining Knowledge Consultants.

This post follows on from Repairing Solids in Surpac Using Selection Tools.

Whenever you perform intersections, outersections or unions, GEOVIA Surpac^TM will stitch together the new object while removing the triangles that don’t form part of it. However, Surpac does not remove the points that make up the triangle vertices of the previous objects. This is not immediately obvious until you draw all the point markers on the screen.

Take this stope shape below that will be outersected by the drive (Transparency applied):

Now outersect the drive from the stope.

Clean up the object by following instructions in this post here.

Now draw the point markers to see the redundant points that are still a part of the file but have no bearing on the object.

To delete the redundant points and clean up the file use Solids> Edit object or Edit trisolations> Delete redundant points.

The file will be free from any point that is not attached to a triangle. This helps to reduce the file size and improves performance of other downstream functions that this object may be used for. The final result is below.

Read more about Solids Modelling or Repairing Solids in Surpac using Selection Tools.

read more

Today's post comes from Mark Bese, Natural Resources Industry Marketing Director.

What are some key areas of focus for the global mining industry right now?

There are a number of issues that are top of mind for the mining industry – operational excellence and innovation. The former focuses on the desire for mining companies to make their operating mines leaner. The latter is about the need for the mining industry to innovate given the point it has reached, where its level of productivity in relation to profit margins is not sustainable.

Both issues require significant changes in mining, but also the adoption of new kinds of technology in the industry to run its businesses and drive productivity. There is a lot of interest in the Internet of Things for mining, the meaning of big data and analytics and how they can be employed are a few examples of this. The role of cloud-based computing and global collaboration are other conversations happening in mining.

We are also seeing an increased focus on how technology can address the challenges posed by deposits that are more remotely located and also how it can help companies get more out of their existing properties.

It’s been four years since the last MINExpo, have there been any major technology changes or emerging technologies we should be watching?

The biggest change is mining’s recognition that there is a lot they can learn from other industries about how they use technology. Several years ago, when mining came off of a peak period of demand and prices, it had reached a point where its margins were becoming squeezed to such an extent where it really had to re-examine the importance of efficiency through its business.

Looking to the transformations undertaken by leaders in other industries, such as Toyota, the starting place was stability of operating processes. Following this stabilization, it is possible to progress through to enterprise agility which permits a more rapid adaption to changing market conditions or business strategy.

Do you have any future industry predictions you’d like to share?

I’m really excited about the possibilities that the virtual world will unlock for collaboration and communication. Not only will virtual versions of mining operations provide people with a better understanding of how they work, and how they can be improved, I believe they will spark a lot of really interesting conversations that will trigger innovation.

Through the virtual world, in what I’ll call “the Virtual Mine”, provided by Dassault Systèmes, our customers will connect the best and brightest minds in their enterprise and ecosystem together to discover innovations and try them out and prove them before implementing them in the real one. The “Virtual Mine” is a platform for innovation by being the environment to try out challenging ideas that would never be explored in real life due to risk of failure or cost. It offers immersive, 3D simulation which allow all ideas, small and large, to be explored, so they can be proved and improved upon before being implemented in the real world.

With Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, we enable mining companies to understand every aspect of their business and the operations that drive them. It digitalizes all aspects of their business, starting with the modeling of the commodity underground, through the planning and execution of its extraction, processing and delivery to market.

Mining companies already collect a lot of data through sensors and can leverage this data in the virtual world to make operational decisions. Thanks to this, our customers will gain new insights into their businesses and the processes that drive them, to improve them continuously.

What should MINExpo attendees look forward to seeing at this year’s event?

We are going to take visitors from mining companies and their industrial equipment suppliers on a “transformative innovation journey” at the Dassault Systèmes booth (#2453). Through interactive and immersive experiences, we will show them how they can engineer better plans and designs and execute them for optimal results. 

In the booth, we will have four “themed” areas, with sections for mining (Natural Resources) companies and Industrial Equipment suppliers, where visitors can learn about innovative solutions that will impact various areas of their business.

Visitors to the Natural Resources pods will discover how we can help them produce optimal mine plans, improve their annual planning process, and then execute their plans at their operations for maximum productivity and economic return. Industrial Equipment pods will take visitors on a journey from the design of a new piece of mining equipment, in this case an excavator; all the way through to showing them a new service 3DS can enable them to offer their customers which will improve equipment efficiency and uptime. 

For those who are interested in learning about the latest trends in the mining industry and technological innovations, we will also have a presentation theatre. As presentations will be running continuously in the morning until mid-afternoon across all three days of the show, visitors can view the complete schedule here.

And finally, we are also delighted to have as the centerpiece of our booth an immersive virtual reality experience, where visitors will be able to “walk through” and explore mine tunnels, providing them with a simulated experience of a real world mine site. 

Read more about Dassault Systèmes at MINExpo or book a meeting with us.

read more

We sat down with Arthur Pacunana, Mine Planning Superintendent at Phu Bia Mining Limited in Laos, to talk about what makes an optimal mine schedule and a successful planning process. Phu Bia Mining operates a large scale open pit copper-gold mine in northern Laos as well as a gold-silver operation 30 km away.

The current downturn in commodity prices has forced mining operations to become more flexible and efficient to ensure that operations not only reduce costs, but also maximize value generated through the mine life. Modern mine planning techniques should be adopted to ensure that mines are developed profitably within the constraints of practical mining.

This has been made possible with the use of Dassault Systèmes’ GEOVIA MineSched^TM as our mine planning tool at Phu Bia’s Phu Kham and Ban Houayxai mine sites. Phu Bia initially used MineSched as a short-term scheduler on a weekly to monthly basis but this quickly evolved to short and medium-term scheduling on a full year forecast and five year budget schedule, with significant input to long-term strategy.

What are your tips for creating successful mining schedules, especially in difficult mining conditions?

The success we have experienced with MineSched is dependent on having a good working knowledge of the software, understanding our existing engineering skill sets and addressing areas where training is required. It’s also critical to understand the long term mining strategy and what the stakeholder requirements are, and of course having strong operational support.

Our planning process looks like this:

The broader application of MineSched as a short and medium-term scheduling tool has definitely enabled us to adapt to external conditions such as the downturn in commodity prices and changing site conditions, such as harder ore types and higher arsenic grades.

This in turn has allowed Phu Bia Mining to develop an optimal mine planning strategy and maximize value generated throughout the life of mine.

What are the features you find useful in MineSched?

MineSched is well-regarded in Phu Bia for its proven scheduling algorithms, its ability to produce long-term and short-term schedules that meet mine targets, and its ability to output results in a variety of formats.

In particular, MineSched interfaces directly with Surpac – which is very handy as our site engineers are skilled users of Surpac, enabling them to perform rapid scheduling and evaluation of complex scenarios to help them make informed decisions when adopting the best mine development strategy.

The gradual progression of mine planning responsibilities to site engineers was executed concurrently with the development of site skills and resources, both software and personnel. This was an important factor in its success – had it been forcefully implemented before the site was ready, it would have likely been less successful.

Next week, we speak to Arthur Pacunana again for Part 2 of User Spotlight: Adapting Mine Planning to Changing Conditions. For more user spotlights, check out Addressing Safety and Environmental Concerns with Technology from Surpac user Jaideep Bose.

read more

Today’s tip comes from Kim Ferguson-Thomas, one our Technical Customer Support Consultants.

Once a geologist has completed a drill program to test for mineralization, sterilization or geotechnical information, they may want to view the results of the drill holes in a plan view to recognize trends in geology without having to flip between graphical drill logs and plan sheets.

These plots can also be draped over topography and an aerial image to create a summary map to quickly show information that may be needed when discussing the planning stages of the mine. 

The below diagram shows a drillhole collar plot before displaying drillhole traces on a plan view…

…and after displaying drillhole traces on a plan view with associated assay grades.

To begin, open up the drillhole database in Surpac.

1.    Database > Administration > Create field.  Create a new field in the survey table of the database:  plotting_plan_dip.
2.    Database > Edit > Field maths. Use field maths and set this new field to have a dip of 0.

3.    Database > Database > Map the Database.

Create a new .ddb file called “surpac_plan_plotting”. Map the survey dip field to this new field.
Below is the plot of the drillholes using the autoplot function.

You may also be interested in reading 10 Steps for Extracting Drillholes as a String File. Or, find out more about Surpac’s Geological Drillhole Database.

read more

GEOVIA has been identified as the leading mining software provider for Asia-Pacific and African mines, according to a recent survey by Timetric's Mining Intelligence Center.

The survey collated responses from individual mining operations across both regions, highlighting the most popular mining software platforms for five main mining processes:

1. Geological Mapping & Block Modeling

2. Surveying

3. Drill & Blast

4. Mine Scheduling

5. Mine Planning

In Asia-Pacific, over 100 mine managers and other senior decision-makers were surveyed, with GEOVIA Surpac^TM and GEOVIA Minex^TM emerging as the two most popular mining software platforms. Surpac dominated nominations in each of the above five categories and Minex featured regularly as one of the top three for each category.

Surpac was used by 37% of mines for geological mapping and block modeling and 30% for mine planning, while Minex was used by 21% of mines for geological mapping and block modeling and 15% of mines for mine scheduling.

In Africa, over 110 mine managers and senior decision-makers working on operating mines were surveyed, with Surpac identified yet again as the most popular software package for mine planning (43%) and geological mapping and block modeling (38%). 38% of mines preferred Surpac for surveying and 34% used it for drill and blasting needs.

View the infographic below:

To find out more about the survey, visit Timetric. Or, read more about Surpac and Minex.

read more

Today’s post is from Hamish Sinclair-Ross, R&D Application Manager.

In response to the most commonly requested enhancement in GEOVIA MineSched^TM - improving the haulage process - we have put forth a long-term roadmap to include the requested haulage process features. The first major step is the improvement of the user experience when setting up and running the haulage functionality in MineSched.

Historically, MineSched supported limited truck movement control. Users would first need to trace over each haulage route in the mine design software they were using before importing the strings into MineSched. If changes needed to be made to individual roads, all haulage routes associated with that road would need to be amended. The old data would then need to be removed from the MineSched scenario and the amended versions re-imported. There was no truck movement control from the working face through to the haulage route, so trucks took a straight line. The latest release of MineSched assists all open-pit Mine Planning Engineers in their haulage planning to save time, especially on sites that involve long and complex haulage routes.

Users may:

1. Import individual haul roads and use these roads to build haulage routes. The benefit of this process is that each road is associated with any number of haulage routes, which removes the need to trace along a haulage route prior to importing data to MineSched.

2. Define bench roads, which control the path of a truck from the working face through to the haulage route. This provides a more practical haulage route definition. Bench roads can be grouped into collections, so a large number of bench roads can be easily associated with a haulage route. The below image illustrates the defined haulage route with bench roads.

3. Link haul roads to the source data. If changes are made to the haulage design, or any haulage properties (e.g. full or empty velocities), the impacted roads are flagged in the Roads tab and a Refresh function has been created to update the haulage routes defined in MineSched.

To see these new features in action, watch the demo below:

The latest version of MineSched is provided complimentary as part of a GEOVIA Maintenance and Support program subscription. It can be downloaded by creating an order through DSx Client Care & Order.

Click here for instructions on how to create a software order download in DSx Client Care & Order. If you require further assistance on how to download MineSched, please contact your local Dassault Systèmes office by phone or contact us via email GEOVIA.Support@3ds.com.  

You may also be interested in reading New Licensing Changes Enable Simultaneous Sessions in GEOVIA MineSched.

read more

 This is Part 2 of our interview with Arthur Pacunana, Mine Planning Superintendent at Phu Bia Mining Limited in Laos. In Part 1, we talked about what makes an optimal mine schedule and a successful planning process.

Last week, we talked about how mining operations are forced to become more flexible and efficient in light of volatile commodity prices and changing mine site conditions. How has your mine planning strategy changed to combat this?

Changing conditions such as harder ore types and higher arsenic grades, together with the mining downturn, has enabled our Phu Kham and Ban Houayxai sites to develop an optimal mine planning strategy and maximize value generated throughout the mine life – from the short term through to the long term.

Since 2013, with the support of our production management system, the use of GEOVIA MineSched^TM as a mine planning tool at Phu Kham and Ban Houayxai has included short-term and medium-term planning horizons (full-year forecasts and 5 year budget schedule), as well as providing significant input into long term strategy.

In addition to a general life-of-mine development strategy, we defined a high-grade strategy that brought high-grade material to the processing facility earlier in the mine life while balancing the total material mined, and therefore the mining cost.

The high-grade strategy was achieved by changing the medium-term planning from a bench-by-bench scheduling method to a polygon scheduling method. This enabled the opening up of higher grade areas to ensure metal targets were achieved. This method required more schedule processing, but gave more detailed and strict direction to the short-term plans and operations.

An example of the polygon mining scheduling method is illustrated below:

The higher-grade strategy using the polygon scheduling method has been successful in producing the highest metal tonnes, highest ore mined, and highest total material movement achieved in a quarter (Q4 2015) at Phu Kham.

During late 2014 and early 2015, ore mining at Phu Kham was concentrated on the lower benches of the pit, resulting in harder ore being fed to the mill. This subsequently resulted in a drop in mill throughput by up to 25% at various times. Medium-term planners were able to resolve this issue by using the ore hardness attribute to determine mill hours per tonne, and then use mill hours as the process target input in MineSched, rather than the usual tonnes per day target or copper grade target. This ensured the harder ore was properly blended to the mill and that metal targets were achieved during this period.

Another common process target input used at Phu Kham is the contained copper metal tonnes per hour (Cutph) process control limit.  The Phu Kham concentrator has an installed online stream analyzer (OSA) providing near real time head grade information as used in the process control algorithm.  The Phu Kham plant has a limit of 15 Cutph. Above this, the process plant circuit concentrate may exceed the capacity of the circuit and overflow into storage bunds. Above the setpoint point value where high grade exceed the capacity of the circuit the throughput rate is correspondingly reduced. Using a Cutph process target, rather than the usual copper grade target, helps to manage high-grade spikes in the pit and to ensure that copper metal is not lost.

Optimizing project value becomes increasingly difficult for mining engineers when they are faced with having to satisfy multiple targets or constraints. At Phu Kham, it is common for us to deal with maintaining copper-grade specifications, whilst maintaining control of arsenic contaminant levels. Minimum and maximum grade constraints can be input into MineSched to ensure that these constraints are respected over the mine plan whilst achieving planned production.

What does the reporting process now look like at Phu Bia?

Reporting deliverables are now populated through MineSched’s raw data using excel lookups and PMS custom formats. This has aided in the standardization of reporting of the long-term and short-term schedules at Phu Kham and Ban Houayxai.

Improved reporting and communication of short-term plans have also improved compliance of daily production plans. The below image shows how daily production plans are tracked and measured for compliance to the weekly plan.

The procedure involves daily monitoring, interaction, analyzing and reviewing of the weekly plan with key stakeholders (mine operations, mine technical services, mill processing, and mobile maintenance) for reliability and confidence.

Improved compliance to weekly plans has increased our key stakeholders’ understanding of and confidence in the plan, improved accountability for the plan, and improved the execution and attainment of the development and production targets.

Check out Part 1 of Arthur’s interview: Adapting Mine Planning to Changing Conditions. Or, read more about the latest updates in MineSched.

Don't forget to subscribe to the GEOVIA Blog for updates and news delivered to your inbox!

read more