Engineering & Mining Journal

APR 2013

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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MINING SOF TWARE Intelligent tools convert seismic time data to depth without ignoring important drillhole information. Powerful graphics allow geologists to see the big picture over vast regions, and also explore local targets in detail. The new Eureka Field tablet offers tabular data entry by means of drop-down lists, handwriting recognition or a virtual keyboard. Logged data can be synchronized between the tablet and Eureka desktop application in real time using Wi-Fi or 3G connections. Meanwhile, MICROMINE recently launched its latest geological field logging solution, Geobank Mobile, with the goal of allowing geological field data to be more confidently collected and manipulated. The software, according to the company, is designed to ensure that data are captured accurately with real-time validation and rich data input controls that minimize errors at point of entry. Geobank Mobile offers customizable calculated fields, built-in data approval and transfer mechanisms. It also seamlessly integrates with Geobank, MICROMINE's data management solution, and can interface with all standard format databases. The software captures, validates, stores and manages data from a variety of sources. Geobank Mobile is accessible to clients located on-site, where it is supported on both touch-screen and standard keyboard devices. Additionally, it supports all NMEA standard GPS data, with provisions to support additional devices in the future. MICROMINE also recently reported that it developed a data connection between its Geobank software and portable geochemical analyzer XRF machines. This functionality allows MICROMINE clients to gain a rapid interpretation of a mineral's properties while in the field. Steve Bastick, Geobank operations manager, said that, "Information generated by the XRF machine can be seamlessly communicated to Geobank, which provides the ideal tool to manage and make sense of the vast quantity of data generated. Geobank brings all the benefits of laboratory-style QAQC to the XRF machine, and allows users to maximize their investment in the XRF." Olympus, manufacturers of the Innov-X Delta XRF machines, and MICROMINE have collaboratively developed a "Geobank Export Template" specific to Innov-X Delta XRF machines. The template simplifies the configuration process. Users don't have to configure their own exports and imports, saving a considerable amount of time and effort. Maptek Eureka offers tools for efficiently and effectively assessing and interpreting seismic and geophysical data. www.e-mj.com Programs for Productive Planning As this issue went to press, MICROMINE was preparing for the launch of Micromine 2013, the latest version of its namesake exploration and mine design solution. Micromine 2013, due for release in May 2013, is the 14th version of the software application. The first version of Micromine—a modular package which allows for the capture, management and interpretation of critical mining and exploration data—was released to the market in 1986. New features offered by Micromine 2013 focus strongly on modeling with the introduction of modules for implicit modeling and stratigraphic modeling, along with rotated block models and enhanced seam block models. Daria Lvova, Micromine product manager, explained: "[Micromine 2013] is Microsoft Windows compatible and has recently received Microsoft Windows 8 compatibility. This highly regarded certification means clients can upgrade from Windows 7 with the confidence that Micromine will not require any compatibility configuration and will work correctly on Windows 8. "Micromine 2013 contains a variety of new user benefits and improved, intuitive functionality associated with resource estimation and modeling, pit optimization, annotation layers and scripting, as well as new CAD tools," Lvova said. "These new features have been designed to further improve operational efficiencies and easeof-use, and are highly relevant to exploration companies." Micromine 2013 supports rotated block models, which are models with axes that are not parallel to the coordinate system. One, two and three dimension rotations are supported. Orientating the block to match the orebody means they are a better fit with reality, according to the company, producing a small model and saving processing time and disk space. It is also claimed to make more geological sense and is closely aligned with modern reporting requirements to confirm continuity of grade and geology. Due to increasingly complex mining processes and diverse user needs, a more sophisticated automation tool has been introduced within Micromine 2013—the Python programming language. Python, according to Micromine, was designed for teaching and is one of the easiest proAPRIL 2013 • E&MJ; 57

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