Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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O P E R AT I N G S T R AT E G I E S Leica Partners with Locata to Bring GPS Down to Earth not pseudolites. As explained by Locata, pseudolites do not synchronize to each other, which is a critical requirement for the creation of a radio-positioning system. Atomic clocks in GPS satellites are used to achieve this. However, the LocataLite transmitters can accomplish synchronization without input from these clocks. Within minutes of being turned on, LocataLites generate an autonomous, nanosecond-accurate positioning network through a new synchronization process called TimeLoc. Locata says its proprietary TimeLoc signals are different from GPS satellite signals, and the Locata system architecture is designed to create a ground-based positioning system that is a true GPS replica—a one-way ranging system providing pseudorange and carrier-phase measurements from a network of synchronized transmitters. Newmont Mining's Boddington gold operation in Australia is the first to deploy a fleet management solution enabled by Leica Geosystems' Locata-powered GPS alternative technology. It's ironic that as modern surface mining burrows further into the ground, whether at new projects that exploit deeper, more complex deposits or at mature mines that are simply digging deeper in place, production efficiency depends more and more upon a clear view of the sky. Mines are increasingly relying on GPS-based machine location and high-precision surveying applications, and because these applications require accurate Real-time Kinematic (RTK) GPS position data, their reliable operation hinges largely on the ability to 'see' and track at least four GPS satellites at any given time—a situation that isn't always possible when working at certain locations in deep open-pit mines. To overcome this problem, mines over the past decade have turned to pseudo76 E&MJ; • FEBRUARY 2013 lite systems; i.e., ground-based transmitters of GPS-like signals that enhance GPS satellite 'geometry' and even replace the GPS satellite constellation in some situations. However, pseudolitebased systems are not completely free of technical problems that can inhibit their performance under certain conditions. Various companies have pursued ways to improve pseudolite performance, but recently Leica Geosystems Mining announced an exclusive industry partnership with Australia-based Locata Corp. to provide the mining industry with what is described as the only high-precision radio positioning system that is not reliant on pseudolite concepts. In fact, Locata's technical literature emphasizes that its 'Locatalite' units are Part of the Package Under the Leica/Locata partnership, Leica Geosystems Mining will provide this new technology, called Leica Jigsaw Positioning System (Jps), as a part of its Jigsaw product suite. Leica's Jps, according to the company, sees LocataLites as a 'constellation' of ground-based satellites or alternative points of reference that can be used in conjunction with, or completely independent of, the GPS satellite network. A mine, instead of relying solely on GPS satellites, can maintain availability and accuracy by using the Leica Jps alternative reference points in combination with any available GPS satellites. LocataLites can be permanently positioned on site or moved at will— and the Locata network even can be deployed completely independent of any GPS network, using only the LocataLites as points of reference. After partnering with Leica Geosystems in 2008 to participate in development of the Locatalite technology, Newmont Mining Corp.'s Boddington gold mine in Western Australia installed the first fully integrated (GNSS+Locata) receivers in March 2012 to improve performance of the mine's fleet of drill rigs. It has since reported that drill rig up-time www.e-mj.com