Mining’s old guard needs strong medicine
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PERTH, AUSTRALIA – 18 March 2013: MICROMINE is a Mines & Money Gold Sponsor. MICROMINE will showcase its world-class exploration and mining software solutions and consulting services at this year’s event, held 18 – 22 March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The MICROMINE Team is located at Stand E38.
The latest version of MICROMINE’s namesake exploration and mine design solution, Micromine 2013, will be previewed at the event. Additionally, Head of Micromine Consulting Services – China, Dr Matthew Godfrey, is presenting at Mines
Dr Matthew Godfrey, Head of Micromine Consulting Services – China
and Money Hong Kong, Thursday 21 March, on the topic ‘Who can you trust? Doing due diligence on the competent person’s report’. Dr Godfrey’s presentation will cover:
Dr Godfrey comments, “MICROMINE has offices throughout China and Central Asia. Mines and Money Hong Kong provides MICROMINE the perfect opportunity to showcase our software solutions and consulting services to the local market and to existing clients. The event will also allow the company to establish new relationships”.
“Micromine Consulting Services (MCS) is regarded as one of the leading consulting authorities within the Asia Pacific and Central Asian regions. MCS has helped many exploration and mining companies achieve outlined objectives and meet reporting requirements”.
“MCS provides consulting services to companies that require specific geological and mining expertise. We have undertaken numerous independent mineral resource and reserve estimates, site validation, quality control and pit optimisation exercises for companies at pre-feasibility and feasibility stages for all commodities”. “MCS’ experienced consultants generate competent persons reports that comply with international reporting standards including; JORC, NI43-101, SAMREC, SEHK (Chapter 18, Hong Kong), China MLR and Mongolian Standard”.
MICROMINE’s international consulting division also offers MCS Exploration Services, which delivers end-to-end expert advice, data compilation, interpretation and geological modelling to drive due diligence and discovery. MCS has experience across all stages of the exploration processes.
Mongolian coal producer, Sharyn Gol Jsc, recently commissioned MCS to complete a technical report compliant with JORC standard reporting guidelines for its Sharyn Gol coal mine located north of Ulaanbaatar.
The JORC-compliant estimate provided by MCS quadrupled Sharyn Gol Coal project’s resource inventory. The report’s findings enhanced the company’s competitiveness within the domestic and international coal markets, resulted in further developments of the mine, and increased the potential for greater profits and shareholder return.
Micromine 2013 Preview
Visitors to MICROMINE’s booth will see a pre-release preview of Micromine 2013, which is due for release in May 2013. Micromine is the leading solution for geological exploration, 3D mine modelling, resource estimation, pit optimisation and resource scheduling.
Micromine provides explorers with an in-depth understanding of a project so prospective regions can be targeted more accurately, increasing the chance of the project’s success. Miners are provided with easy-to-use modelling, estimation and design tools to simplify day-to-day design and production tasks.
Major new features contained within Micromine 2013 focus strongly on modeling with the introduction of two new modules – Implicit Modeling and Stratigraphic Modeling; as well as introducing Rotated Block Models and enhanced Seam Block Models.
Automation tools such as Python Scripting have been introduced providing clients with an easy-to-use and flexible alternative to macros. Micromine’s powerful 3D visualisation environment, Vizex, includes many new enhancements such as drillhole seam correlation layers, annotation layers, seismic SEG-Y, line sets, colour/hatch/symbol sets and stereo 3D tools.
New mine planning functionalities designed to benefit mine engineers include a ‘special case’ pit optimisation analysis mode, variable constraints functionality in pit design, and new switchback tools. Innovative blasthole design capabilities with firing sequence tools have also been included.
New Third-Party Integration
Many Micromine clients use ALS Ltd. laboratories to analyse their drill samples. To assist clients to readily view results and compare physical samples with analyses, Micromine now provides a direct integration link to the ALS CoreViewer™ application.
CoreViewer™ analyses the geochemistry of each sample and integrates the photos of the drill core with the geochemical data which is then depth-registered providing a direct photographic-image-toanalyses comparison.
Integrating with ALS CoreViewer™ makes it easy to incorporate ALS Ltd. laboratory analyses within the Micromine window. By simply clicking on a drillhole in the 3D view of Vizex, Micromine’s 3D visual environment, and inspecting the CoreViewer™ data that appears, it is possible to instantaneously compare the physical drill core with its associated geochemical analysis.
ALS Minerals’ Executive Vice President – Global Minerals, Bruce McDonald, explains “access to critical base-data that underpins a geologic interpretation provides an essential link in the chain of value creation for a mining company. Assurance that interpreted contacts and trends are correctly identified in the field, allows confidence in modeling financial outcomes and planning for conditions likely to be encountered when a resource is finally put into production”.
“ALS CoreViewer™ provides a unique way to rapidly access and share such information over the web, anywhere in the world and to do so interactively in the mine planning and resource modeling environment. This integration provides unprecedented power to users involved in this critical stage of operational planning and development”.
These new Micromine features have been designed to further improve operational efficiencies and ease-of-use. Micromine is renowned for its user friendly and intuitive nature.
Great Panther Benefits from Micromine
Micromine has delivered tangible productivity and efficiency gains to operations worldwide. One such operation that has benefited from the solution is Great Panther Silver Limited (Great Panther), a silver exploration and mining company listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.
Great Panther’s Mapping Manager, Alistair Barrett, explains “With Micromine’s support, we have been able to improve efficiencies in the exploration process. I don’t believe the company would be where it is today without Micromine alongside us”.
“Micromine has assisted Great Panther to become a more efficient operation, with structured work practices and methodologies”, Barrett concludes.
Mobile Field Logging
MICROMINE will also showcase its newest software solution, Geobank Mobile, which is part of the Geobank data management suite of products. Launched in September 2012, Geobank Mobile is a ground-breaking field logging solution which allows users to confidently collect and manipulate geological field data.
Michelle Stokes, Kenex Director, explains Geobank has “Proven its worth many times over. Information about the drilling program and QAQC comes out faster and more accurately, allowing more efficient planning”.
Coal Measure
Further strengthening the company’s exploration offerings is Coal Measure, a fast, easy to learn, and easy to use software solution specific to the coal sector. Modelling coal projects can be executed quickly due to seamless processes, from stratigraphic hierarchy compilation through to gridding and seam block model generation.
Formal demonstrations encompassing Micromine 2013 and Geobank will be held at the MICROMINE Booth (E38) daily, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 March; 10.30 – 11.15 Micromine 3D GIS, Geographical Modelling and Mine Design; 15.30 – 16.15 Geobank Data Management.
Visitors to MICROMINE’s Booth can register for a 45 minute consultation with a MCS, Micromine or Geobank expert to discuss their key business objectives, challenges and projects. MICROMINE’s experienced staff will identify opportunities for MCS, Micromine and or/ Geobank solutions to support their operation.
Additionally, MICROMINE is offering a special Mines and Money Hong Kong discount to event delegates. All attendees will be eligible for a 15% discount on Micromine and Geobank solutions purchased at the event.
By visiting the MICROMINE booth, Mines and Money Hong Kong delegates can find out how MICROMINE’s software solutions and consulting services are used by mining companies worldwide to drive productivity and cost efficiencies, and achieve outlined objectives.
For further information about MICROMINE at the show, please contact Dr Matthew Godfrey, Head of Micromine Consulting Services – China, on + 86 158 0158 2075 or [email protected]
