Rapid development and innovation in the Information Technology (IT) sphere over the last few decades have radically changed the way people in many industries collect, analyse and use data.

In its early days, mining was characterised by rudimentary equipment and dangerous working conditions. However, technological advances in recent times have made mining a lot safer and more efficient. Electronic geotechnical monitoring equipment makes it possible for mining facilities, equipment and personnel to be intensively managed, reducing risk and increasing productivity.

Many types of electronic mine monitoring devices generate data that can be transferred to external equipment; for example, a laptop or desktop computer used by a mine engineer or manager.

Often, though, this data is generated and stored in such a way that it is difficult to use; for example, information from various geotechnical devices stored in separate computer files (usually spreadsheets), and possibly even on different computers.

Obviously, this makes collating and comparing data very difficult. At Mine Design Technologies (MDT), our custom-designed software solutions solve this problem by creating an information environment where:

Information from multiple instruments is added to a single database that can be regularly backed up and simultaneously accessed by multiple users.
Information can be transmitted from wireless instruments directly into the database. This allows for real-time, accurate safety and productivity monitoring.
Databases can, if required, be hosted online. The information contained in these web-based databases can be easily accessed from anywhere in the world by mine managers and engineers.