Datamine: Software solutions for modelling geology and estimation of Mineral Resources
The importance of Resource Estimation and accurately modelling the geology and grade of a deposit are well understood. The consequences of inaccuracies in Resource estimation are severe. Datamine Software is a major technology provider to the mining industry and provides a comprehensive suite of software solutions for modelling geology and estimation of Mineral Resources.
By Kathleen Hansmann, Geology Product Manager, Datamine Software
Breadth of products
Datamine Software develops a range of technology for the mining industry, of which geological software is arguably the most important component (Mining Engineers might not agree).
Datamine’s strength lies in the breadth of geology and estimation solutions that we offer. These solutions range from discovery to operations and mine closure; and cover all commodities from precious and bulk metals through to diamonds and coal.
Datamine’s geological products include:
- Exploration (Discover)
- Geological mapping – Studio Mapper, Sirovision
- Geological databases - Fusion, acQuire and Sable
- Grade control – Ore Controller
- Geological modelling (Studio RM, Isatis.Neo, MineScape)
- Geostatistics and Resource estimation (Studio RM, Supervisor, Isatis.Neo, MineScape)
- Conditional simulation (Supervisor, Isatis.Neo)
- Reconciliation (Reconciler)
As a company, Datamine is sharing learnings and technology with the new companies we acquire. We are extending compatibility and interoperability between products.
Building customised workflows
Datamine Software has long supported customised workflows, with users building their own workflows with macros and scripts (using any com-based scripting like JavaScript or Python). A similar philosophy is seen in Isatis.Neo with journal files and Python scripts.
A challenge for expert users is they frequently want to carry out non-routine, cutting-edge tasks that push the limits of existing tools. They want tools that are easy to use but are flexible enough for diverse tasks and do not enforce a rigid workflow. Having the flexibility to build and deliver their own workflows is paramount to the implementation of systems being successful.
Part of Datamine’s technology vision is to be able to build and deliver workflows that are not limited or contained within a single product – for example being able to implement a workflow that uses functionality from Supervisor, Studio RM and Isatis.Neo, potentially blended with other commercial and open-source components.
A place for well-defined and auditable workflow
The needs of operational users are different from the needs of an individual and highly expert practitioner involved in analysis and data discovery. For routine operational tasks, a pre-packaged simple to follow workflow that comprises sophisticated steps designed by experts with local knowledge is ideal. Such a workflow prevents operational users from inadvertently “breaking” something and enforces the production of quality data. Management needs assurance that the required process has been followed so the results can be trusted.
Ore Controller (for grade control) and the much-anticipated Studio Geo (for operational geologists) are examples where the geological detail and the idiosyncrasies of an individual deposit matter. They both allow workflows to be delivered to operations that have been adapted to support their site-specific geological modelling, estimation, and grade control requirements.
The Future of resource geology software technology
Mining companies now want updates to their geological models to be much more frequent and reliably made available as quickly as possible to the right people. A model should be representative of the current geological understanding, and technology should support you to carry this out.
These types of advancements are supported by improved geological modelling techniques with implicit modelling, faster geostatistical and grade estimation routines, approaches like machine learning for identifying and understanding patterns in data and leveraging off proven technologies for managing and sharing data between users.
Find out more about Datamine's Software Solutions dataminesoftware.com
Join the team at Datamine at AusIMM's inaugural Mineral Resource Estimation Conference.