Vancouver, B.C., Canada-based Gemcom Software, for example, introduced new versions for five of its key products: Surpac 6.1, GEMS 6.2, Minex 5.3, MineSched 6.0 and Whittle 4.2.

Surpac 6.1, used for orebody evaluation, open-pit and underground mine design, mine planning and production, now has enhanced graphics and a new, more CAD-like drafting mode that Gemcom says provides users with greater design flexibility. Also new, according to the company, is an updated geostatistics module that is now shared with GEMS 6.0 and Minex 5.3, claimed to provide better visualizations and improved functionality. Surpac 6.1 also now meets Microsoft Windows file and data location standards.

GEMS 6.2, designed for collaborative geology, mine planning, production scheduling and data management, offers enhanced block modeling and comprehension capabilities which reduces the data footprint by 10 to 100 times, according to Gemcom, allowing users to connect to their data and graphic visualizations more quickly, even in operations with very large volumes of data.

Minex 5.3, a specialized product used to conduct comprehensive geological modeling and mine planning for coal and other stratified deposits, has several new features including target scheduling that enables mining at a given ore and/or overburden rate, and enhanced “playback” and export of schedule animations.

MineSched 6.0, used for scheduling of surface and underground mines, is a “new generation” of software, according to Gemcom, combining extensive functionality with an innovative visual approach to long- and short-term scheduling with a four-step scheduling workflow that guides the user through an interactive “canvas.”

Whittle 4.2, the popular strategic mine optimization program, now includes the capability to vary mill throughput by rock type and process, allowing users to build accurate multi-process scenarios. This version includes a new threshold where up to 30 elements can be defined, thus enhancing the program’s optimization capabilities, particularly in multi-mine scenarios. Also new is automatic generation of blend bins to improve blending usability and NPV results.

Gemcom, which claims a 35% to 40% market share for mining productivity software, is particularly enthused about the new Geostatistics module that is now shared among several of these products.

Highlights of the module include:
• A new interface for basic statistics and variogram modeling.
• The ability to view multiple statistics at once.
• Ability to display multiple variograms, see variogram lags as horizontal bars. Also new is variogram lag-marker position calculation, along with two new variogram types: hole effect and Gaussian.

Robert W. Selzler, Gemcom’s vice president of marketing, said that with these new product releases, the company was focusing closely on recent industry trends and issues that can benefit from software solutions. These include: demand and cost issues, as profits are being outpaced by rapidly rising materials, labor, energy and transportation costs; the need for improved corporate reporting and compliance capabilities; coping with an industry skills shortage arising from a less-than-adequate pool of new workers; industry consolidation and associated problems of IT diversity among merged/acquired companies; and data chaos resulting from “multiple versions of the truth” caused by non-integrated database technology.

Leica Geosystems launched its Jigsaw360 mine management suite, an integrated software/hardware offering that encompasses high-precision GPS navigation with next-generation system architecture developed by Jigsaw Technologies, which Leica Geosystems acquired in 2007. The suite of Jigsaw360 modules includes several core products such as HaulPro JS, a truck-cycle monitoring system which, among its many features, indicates “best path” travel routes for assignments and allows operators to log spillage and other hazards; LoadPro JS, focused on mine production and optimization with capacity for loading-tonnage analysis, graphical display of all mining equipment, feedback between the program and the trucks being loaded; and polygon display of material mining blocks; DozerPro JS, DrillPro JS and AuxPro JS, the latter aimed at task and activity management of production fleet vehicles as well as auxiliary assets.

Shared among these core products are several major common features, including next-generation optimization algorithms that take full advantage of the speed and power of modern computers; communications capabilities that allow use of any industry standard IP-based wireless network as well as integration of OEM alarm systems; nextgeneration architecture that employs distributed computing, real-time replication of mining machine databases in both the office and field, and high scalability.

Modular Mining Systems introduced two surface-mine products: RoadMap and ShiftBoss. The RoadMap position and safety tracking system monitors light vehicles on site, providing real-time awareness of changing mine site conditions. Visitors and contractors can be issued handheld PDAs that provide updated information about hazards, speed limits, restricted areas, road network changes and much more. The entire system is centrally managed, and uses industry standard hardware and software platforms.

For smaller operations that don’t require an elaborate monitoring system, Modular now offers ShiftBoss, which the company describes as capable of leveraging low-precision GPS receivers and reading payload data from ModularReady interfaces to provide an unattended, automated monitoring solution. The program includes reporting capabilities using industry standard platforms that provide a paperless solution to manual production tracking. The ShiftBoss production tracking system includes a central application and field hardware, and is compatible with standard 802.11 networks. In areas with limited communication, the program’s Store & Forward technology allows the onboard system to continue operation and seamlessly integrate captured information upon reconnection.

Carlson Software released its Mine Financials program, which it claims enables scheduling and tracking of all mining resources and activities—work crews, inuse and non-assigned equipment, supplies, fuel, labor and miscellaneous costs—to determine the most cost effective and efficient ways to achieve desired results.

The program accepts input from the underground and surface mine scheduling routines found in Carlson’s Mining software program, leading to seamless integration of Carlson Mining Timing and Scheduling reports to generate activity- and eventbased production costs for budgeting. All reports can be exported in Excel or HTML formats for printing or further analysis. The drilldown feature in reports provides efficient error-checking in cost calculations. It also allows comparing of actual and budgeted expenses and the generating of revenue streams based on sales contract terms.

DEM Solutions’ EDEM software can be used to effectively simulate the interaction of particulate materials,
among other applications.

For example, EDEM can be used to model, on a particle scale, the flow of mined products from excavation and transport through preparation and processing in surface, underground and underwater operations. This includes the design and optimization of excavation equipment; ore passes, drawpoints, transfer chutes and conveyor systems; crushing, grinding and milling circuits; mixers, separators and concentrators; and the modeling of material fracture and breakage during drilling, blasting and cave mining operations.

Logimine, which describes itself as a developer of operations control systems for mines and quarries, unveiled the next generation of its Primary Command Center software, designed to enable real-time supervision of various mine operational activities from any computer, either on-site or remotely located. The company says its new PCC4 software offers a range of modules to address real, specific needs at operations of any size. Its ACTIV module provides a basic control solution that can be extended with the addition of specific modules including dispatch, stock and quality control, drilling and blasting, stats and reporting and administration for easy system configuration. Logimine claims the system is powerful and cost effective, with low deployment and maintenance costs, and the PCC4 software requires only one license per site, not one per user.