Designed for mine operators needing software that could be used for coal exploration and mining operations, Coal Measure’s strengths ultimately lie in driving cost reductions, improving planning and increasing operational efficiencies.
According to the software developer, Coal Measure caters to both the geological and mining elements of a project. The solution is coal industry specific, including its features, functions and terminology. It contains elements of Micromine’s data management solution Geobank, and the company’s flagship exploration and mine design solution, Micromine.
Development of the solution was done by taking into account the needs of both the company’s existing coal clients and leading industry consultants. Rigorous testing in real-life environments is part of its product delivery process, which ensures the software meets the requirements of the market.
“With coal becoming an increasingly critical energy source, our clients have been demanding a more sophisticated solution that takes into account the complexities of coal and the ways in which it is mined,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, CEO, Micromine. “It has become very clear to us that we needed to develop a world-class solution that was both sophisticated enough to take into account these complexities, while also ensuring it remained both user-friendly and was easily transferable.”
For coal application, interpretation and wire-framing typically associated with metal mining are replaced by modeling seam morphology using gridding based on stratigraphic sequence, followed by direct conversion into a seam block model. Coal Measure has been developed to ensure that modeling coal projects can be executed quickly due to seamless processes, from stratigraphic hierarchy compilation, through to gridding and seam block model generation.
The company currently invests about 25% of its software revenue into research and development to ensure that its technology continues to lead the industry. Future product development plans for Coal Measure include the development of modules for both coal bed methane and coal seam gas.
In October 2012, Micromine launched its latest geological field logging solution to the market, Geobank Mobile. Perfectly suited to coal environments, Geobank Mobile has already captured the interest of coal companies world-wide.
This mobile field logging solution enables geological field data to be more confidently collected and manipulated. The software ensures that data is captured accurately with real-time validation and rich data input controls that minimize errors at point of entry.
“Geobank Mobile has been designed with geology and mining requirements in mind,” said Steve Bastick, operations manager, Geobank. “Our clients have been demanding a site-based solution, which can save them both time and money, without compromising data quality.”
Geobank Mobile maximizes efficiencies with its customizable calculated fields, in-built data approval and transfer mechanisms. It also seamlessly integrates with Geobank and Micromine products, and can interface with all standard format databases. It is practically accessible to clients located onsite, where it is supported on both touch screen and standard keyboard devices. Additionally it supports all NMEA standard GPS data, with the provisions to support additional devises in the future.
In addition to offering software solutions to the coal industry, Micromine’s Consulting Services group (MCS) has provided consulting services to coal exploration companies around the world.
MCS is in the unique position of having recognized in-house experts in the area of coal mining and geology. And, through the provision of premium services, has built a reputation as a leading consulting authority within the coal sector.
MCS delivers its services through a highly professional and experienced team of geologists, mine engineers, surveyors and GIS specialists who have the proven expertise to help clients achieve their objectives.
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.
