FOCUS – EXPLORATION SOFTWARE

TODAY, no exploration programme would be complete without a suite of software and technological solutions, critical in allowing timely and informed exploration decisions.

Products currently available range from geological data-management tools, to programmes – all of which enable the visualisation and interpretation of borehole data and provide in-field geochemical analysis. Powerful, advanced mapping systems (primarily based around GIS) are also a staple of geoscientists’ field toolkits.

EXPLORATION NEEDSAs the needs of exploration teams change in response to the challenges of finding ever more remote and complex deposits, the technology industry has responded.

“Mining is a simple concept that exists within an incredibly complicated environment with untold variables,” according to Micromine chief executive Peter Rossdeutscher.

As a result, he adds, mining companies are constantly looking for tools that allow them to make better, faster and more informed decisions.

“Most exploration companies are now using GIS systems as a core technology, and explorers need better tools for working with their data and projects within the GIS environment,” says Louis Racic, product management director at Geosoft.

The company is introducing new products in 2010 to simplify workflows and improve access to data and information. This will include its Seeker tool, which will help explorers find and start using data more quickly.

In the current technological age, exploration and mining companies are using the latest software to get the most out of their deposits. Katherine Welch investigates.

Cutting edge

Racic, product management

IN THE FIELD

Technological advances have not been restricted to software developments, however, and major developments have also occurred in field-based hardware for the exploration industry.

Innov-x has produced the Delta Handheld XRF that can be used to analyse samples in the field to reduce laboratory time and cost to the exploration company.

“Significant savings can be made for explorers with projects far from laboratory facilities where sample courier costs are high and time to get geochemistry results is greatest,” Todd Houlahan, director of global mining accounts at Innov-x, says.

The company has seen increasing demand for its

XRF devices from gold, uranium, iron ore and bauxite exploration companies in the past year, and while global demand for this type of product generally declined in 2009, the company has held its market share.

“We made a significant investment in technology and product development during the downturn, and we see that investment starting to pay off,” Mr Houlahan says.

Some of this research and development has been focused on better integration of hardware and software, offering exploration companies further costs and time savings as well as better confidence in maintaining data integrity.

“Software companies are continuously updating their

product ranges to match exploration demand”

While early technology was designed to tackle individual tasks, software solutions are now more holistic or integrated systems that can capture multiple data sources and input them into one package.

Most of the major mining software and technology providers, including Datamine, Maptek and Micromine, now offer such suites as standard.

“Our solutions are integrated modular systems that cover the full scope of mining from the first exploration drill-hole to the day the mineral product is shipped to the customer,” James Newland, operations manager at Datamine, says.

These types of products appeal to exploration companies that seek low costs, user-friendly systems for their exploration programmes.

“From the exploration sense it’s more efficient, and as we move from being an exploration company to being a producer, we don’t have to use a different database,” one client says in reference to Geosoft’s Target software.

VISUALISATIONThe exploration sector, as a sub-sector of the mining industry, generates vast amounts of geospatial data, Geosoft’s Mr Racic says, and as a result companies are increasingly turning to technology providers for solutions to visualise and interpret this data.

The latest offerings focus on better enabling companies to understand the information they have and creating an environment where explorers can move from 2D to 3D with ease.

“A vital function of exploration software is the visualisation of drill-hole and sections for preliminary geological assessment,” Mr Newland says.

Datamine offers the Geological Data Management Solution (GDMS), which supports the capture, management and validation of exploration and sample data.

Exploration companies are increasingly looking for easily integrated software tools, says Cameron Reed, vice-president of Gemcom’s North American Business unit. For this task he recommends Gemcom’s Surpac system, which has an Xplorpac edition tailored to exploration.

Software companies are also continuously updating their product ranges to match exploration demand, and both Maptek and Micromine recently launched new products.

Maptek’s Vulcan 8.0 allows graphical input using a stylus and tablet PC for geological mapping, the company says. Direct entry of structural data such as dip, faults and joints, can be entered, displayed and modelled in the field.

“Ease of use is one of the key benefits experienced by explorers,” Steve Sullivan, Australasian sales manager for Maptek says.

Micromine, meanwhile, will launch the latest version of its software at the end of February. Named Micromine2010, the upgrade to its previous software offers customers greater simplicity and ease of use, Ivan Zelina, Micromine’s software development manager claims.

BOOM TIMESWith the mining sector booming after 2000, and the pace of technological innovation constantly increasing, the exploration-software sector is flourishing.

The last five years have been an inflexion point for the sector, Mr Zelina says, with exploration and mining companies increasingly agreeing that software and technology are the best ways of increasing productivity and profitability.

But, with the recent financial downturn and changes in the economic climate, exploration companies are also looking for ways to streamline projects and reduce costs.

“There has been a significant pull-back in activity in the exploration sector,” Geosoft’s Steve Randall says, but, remarkably most software providers remain relatively buoyant.

As junior exploration companies slowed their aggressive drilling and exploration programmes to conserve funds, they have turned their focus to data analysis and integration, and smarter application of technology, Mr Randall explains.

“As many explorers take the foot off the accelerator, we are seeing greater use of advanced 3D capabilities,” he says.

And, as the effects of the economic crisis have dwindled, exploration companies have begun to restart their shuttered programmes.

“The downturn resembled a knife-edge, with a sudden decrease in orders. However, we are please to

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Most of the major mining s

“Mining is a simple concept that exists within an

incredibly complicated environment with untold

variables”

DETECTING DEEPER One particular growth area for technology providers is in enabling exploration companies to target new, harder to reach deposits.

“Many explorers are looking for deeper deposits these days, as the near-surface resources are exhausted,” Quantec Geoscience’s Greg Hollyer says.

As a result, the company expects to continue to see demand for its flagship Titan 24 Deep Earth Imaging service, which can acquire induced polarisation and resistivity information to depths of 750m and magnetotelluric measurements to 1,500m.

Its primary role is as a drill targeting tool as well as a tool for mapping geology, mineralisation, alteration and structure for mineral exploration applications, the company says, and the technology has been used to detect uranium, gold and copper deposits.

Also used for detecting deeper uranium deposits is Cape Town-based Remote Exploration Services Ltd’s (RES) RadonX, a tool that detects radon emissions from depths of up to 120m.

Radon detection is a common uranium exploration tool for buried deposits that are too deep to be detected by radiometric studies, but the RadonX technique is different because it measures the gamma radiation emanating from the daughter products of radon (214Bi and 214Pb), rather than the alpha radiation emanating from the radon itself. As a result, RadonX has proved to be more sensitive and thus better able to highlight anomalies than alpha-sensitive methods, RES says.

Left, centre and this picture: Quantec’s Titan 24 products in use in the field

Maptek’s magnetic-intensity points map

FOCUS – EXPLORATION SOFTWARE

report a return to the situation before the downturn,” Quantec Geoscience’s marketing and sales manager Greg Hollyer says.

Gemcom’s Mr Reed agrees: “Over the past several months we have seen the exploration component of our sales pipeline increase significantly.

“With new funding in place, many of our clients are rehiring staff and preparing to reengage with mothballed projects.”

Long term, demand for software products remains positive.

“In many ways things haven’t changed,” Geosoft’s Mr Randall says. “People continue to need improved workflows, better user interfaces and better access to data, and we continue to work on all fronts to address these needs.”

TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTUREDespite the downturn, a shortage of experienced staff and a deficit of exploration projects worldwide will call for better technologies to access more remote deposits.

New development trends include better streamlining products to increase efficiency and ease of use, and improving integration of data both in the field and at offices around the world.

“The ability to access, share and manage data is a growing imperative,” Mr Reed says. As sites become increasingly remote, with limited connectivity, companies need to be able to move data effectively.

Geosoft’s response to this issue is the development of exploration software based around the worldwide web.

“Web-based development provides new opportunities for connecting explorers to data and tools to make better decisions, make them more efficient and empower their collaboration within global exploration teams,” Ian MacLeod, the group’s chief technologist says.

Better connectivity is also being used to address the continuing skills shortage in the industry.

“Web-based development provides new opportunities for connecting explorers to

data and tools to make better decisions”

This picture, centre and right: Gemcom’s Surpac software models data in 3D

MINE PLANNINGSoftware solutions have to enable highly- skilled employees to work more frequently from central locations and less often in the field, Gemcom says.

“Data management solutions that allow data to move easily from remote locations to offices will become increasingly vital,” Mr Reed says.

Connectivity between software systems is also increasingly important.

“Our vision for the future is to continue narrowing the gaps between various mining-software technologies to bring them closer together to enable uninterrupted, seamless end-to-end workflows,” Mr Zelina says.

Ultimately, technological development will be dictated by customer demand, and client engagement will help technology companies determine the best use, and development directions, of their products.

“The future of the industry is simple,” Micromine’s Mr Rossdeutscher said last year. “Companies need to continue to innovate to provide better, faster and more effective tools to clients to enable them to react to changing demands, environments and constraints.”

The use of technological solutions and software does not stop with exploration but is integral throughout the mining process.

Integrated software and project management solutions can be crucial in the mine-planning stage, allowing personnel from different departments to work in collaboration.

Minemax Ltd specialises in planning software that enables planners to develop practical schedules that target production requirements, maximise resource utilisation and optimise business value.

The Perth-based company was formed in 1996, and its software is now used in 36 countries. It recently launched a new product: Minemax Tempo. “Tempo is the first mine-planning application with the capability to handle mine planning in the short-, medium-, and long-term,” Jim Butler, chief executive of Minemax, says.

A key aspect of the product is that it has built-in support for collaboration between different departments within a mining company.

“By enabling collaboration between multiple users, organisations can use a long-term plan to derive an operational plan that maximises mine plan compliance while meeting short-term targets,” Mr Butler adds.

Micromine’s solutions also go beyond the exploration phase, the company says, and with grants of over A$11 million ($US9.9 million) from the Australian government, it has developed tools for mine planning and operation.

The company’s products include Ore Tracker, which enables mining companies to track material movements from mine to customer, as well as technologies to bring modern wireless technologies to the mine site.

“Wireless communication technologies provide opportunities for new developments that can offer real-time control and decision making support,” Mr Zelina says.

Micromine’s latest research, called MasterMine, will introduce technological advances to all of its existing products.