Maptek solutions add value in an uncertain market
Monday, February 16th, 2015
In an uncertain market integrated technology adds value to mining operations. For more than 30 years Maptek has set the industry standard in innovative 3D CAD and visualisation systems for survey, geological modelling, design, mine planning and scheduling. In the last six months Maptek has released four software upgrades, two new laser-based survey solutions and added a strategic and tactical open pit scheduler.
The latest Maptek technology will be on show in Booth 1303 at this year’s SME in Denver.
Underground mine planning tools were revitalised with the Vulcan 9.1 release in late 2014. Level Designer coupled with Stope Optimiser allows totally different layouts to be run without designing each level in detail. A combination of scenarios can be chosen for the final design. With the new Gantt Scheduler engineers can create, sequence, allocate resources, animate schedules and report activities efficiently and transparently. The result is a significant decrease in time taken for underground design.
Maptek solutions are designed to ensure mine planners spend less time in processing data, allowing more time for critical analysis and decision making. Both Level Designer and Pit Optimiser provide quick previews for the planning experts to decide which designs are worth developing.
Mine planners face challenges arising from complex geology, operational variables and market fluctuations. Maptek Mining Engineer Matthew Deutsch will outline the effect of uncertainty on ultimate pit design and how this can be analysed to improve the mine planning process. Visitors can hear his talk at 9.45 am on Tuesday February 17 in Room 707.
Open pit mine schedulers are benefiting from the strategic Evolution software. Evolution creates dynamic schedules for making profit-based decisions. The cut-off grade optimisation approach is considered to be the single most effective step that can be taken to add value to a project. Integrating Evolution with Maptek Vulcan mine planning software will generate a practical solution for mine planners.
Leveraging more than 15 years’ experience in the laser scanning field, Maptek has released two new systems which add value to digital survey applications.
Maptek Sentry contains intuitive visualisation and trend analysis tools, enabling better understanding of surface movements, tracked by laser scanning. Point cloud data from Sentry scans can also be used for other spatial, geotechnical and volumetric tasks. Surface movement tracking can be halted temporarily so that the laser scanner can be used for survey in other parts of the mine.
I-Site Drive, released earlier this month, is a flexible and cost-effective system for continuous data acquisition. Volumes can be easily calculated and reconciled by connecting an I-Site laser scanner with GPS togenerate a profile as a stockpile is circumnavigated. Data collection is significantly faster and surveyors remain within the safety of a vehicle.
Add value to your SME experience by visiting Maptek at Booth 1303.
