Minescape 5

What’s New in MineScape 5

MineScape 5 is a significant advancement in the product user interface and workflow - which can lead to productivity and efficiency gains for a Mining enterprise. Some of the exciting new features include:

• Easy-to-Use, Graphical User Interface
• Significantly improved graphics performance
• Dual monitor support
• Tear off the graphics window to a second monitor
• Customizable toolbars
• Easier to use, WYSIWYG plotting setup, batch plotting and image support
• Project accessibility improvements
• Redesigned Explorer with windows style searching and sorting
• New table editor with group by area function
• Open Cut Planning improvements
• Dragline improvements
• Plug-in architecture with an API provides integration opportunities to in-house and other applications

Click here to view more details about what’s new in MineScape 5.

Click here to view a Question and Answer document about MineScape 5.

MineScape Mine Planning and Design Software

Specifically developed to meet the mining industry’s rigorous demands, MineScape is used at more than 100 Indonesian coal mines. MineScape is a suite of integrated solutions designed for open cut and underground mining operations. It delivers extensive geological modelling and mine design functionality – making it the leading mine planning solution in Indonesia. Incorporating many features, MineScape offers exceptional ease-of-use and learning through:

• An intuitive, familiar working environment that follows the Microsoft Windows User Experience Guidelines and the latest Microsoft .NET technology.
• True simultaneous multi-user access to all 3D data and models.
• Fully functional 3D CAD system utilising the latest Microsoft Direct X technology.
• Support for centrally located project data and software configuration, which facilitates data version control and streamlines system setup and data backup.
• Data publishing, which provides multiple users and projects with a single visible source of the latest model, mining plans, etc.
• Time saving tools such as ‘pull-down’ and ‘tear-off’ menus, customisable toolbars, drag and drop, design status information, and MineScape sessions, which saves the current design configuration for later recall.
• Client-server architecture, which provides automation of geologic modelling and mine planning processes. Process monitoring and control functionality saves inputs and processes, which can be easily re-run later.
• MineScape Explorer to browse projects and manipulate data.
• Tighter integration with Microsoft Office products.

All MineScape plug-ins are fully integrated with intuitive user interfaces, operating from a single database. Each plug-in performs a specific range of data processing and mine planning functions; these plug-ins are described in the following sections. 

MineScape Products Feature

Core MineScape

Core MineScape is the base system that all MineScape products plug into. Core MineScape provides support for customisation of the system.

Core MineScape offers:

• A fully functional three-dimensional CAD environment containing robust commands purpose-built for geologic modelling and mine design.
• Comprehensive mining-oriented function library including:
  • - Surface manipulation
  • - Gridding
  • - Triangulation
  • - CAD design
  • - Table / spreadsheet
• Standard and custom reporting.
• Intuitive and powerful plotting capabilities.
• Easy-to-use process control functions for error checking and process automation.
• Supports third party file types that are commonly used in mining.

Core MineScape is mandatory for any MineScape purchase.

Block Model

MineScape Block Model provides a sophisticated working environment where geologic rules are defined for the local geology. The deposit model is built by progressively introducing geologic elements through loading of physical interpreted shapes or interpolation using material associations and/or zone, followed by a selection of algorithms. The model can be displayed at any time to validate the model construction process, and the complete model becomes the base for reserves and other mine planning work.

Block Model provides geologic modelling capabilities for stratigraphic and non-stratigraphic deposits. Cell sizes are user-defined and can be oriented to fit the deposit. Block Model provides sub-cell capabilities to accurately define contact surfaces within the block model. Sparse block models are also supported, which limit the number of cells created to the area of interest. Block Model offers universal and ordinary kriging, inverse distance and nearest neighbour interpolation techniques for evaluating geologic attributes into the block model structure.

Integration with Stratmodel allows grade interpolation to follow along the stratigraphic structure. Integration with Geological Database (GDB) provides for streamlined interpolation of geologic quality data. Calculated geologic attribute values are also supported with a powerful mathematical expression language (MXL).

Block Model Reserves offers extensive categorisation capabilities to determine quantities and qualities of the deposit. Reserve estimates can be reported using the standard reports or may be exported to an Excel spreadsheet for post-processing and reporting.

Geological Database (GDB)

MineScape GDB is designed to store drill hole, blast hole and point data. The application can function equally well at a mine site or corporate office. Databases can be defined, maintained and accessed on any machine for which TCP/IP access is available.

MineScape GDB uses Oracle RDBMS, which enables any third-party product such as MS Excel to access the database by ODBC connection. An Oracle database is required; supported versions include 9i, 10g, and 11g.

Stratmodel

MineScape Stratmodel provides a sophisticated working environment where stratigraphic deposits are modelled to represent the local geology. The geological model is built using user-defined rules and becomes the base for reserves and other mine planning work.

Stratmodel also provides excellent fault handling and is capable of modelling vertical, normal and reverse faulting in deposits, as well as providing for quality modelling of stratigraphic deposits. For thick stratigraphic seams with varying grade, it is recommended to take advantage of the integration between Stratmodel and Block Model and the surface-following interpolation technique available.

Dragline

Dragline is a CAD-oriented dragline modelling product that enables engineers to quickly and efficiently define and test dragline excavation methods on real pit models. Dragline includes functions to simulate and measure a wide variety of material movement methods, including cast blasting and production dozing. These functions allow operations in the pit to be faithfully modelled.

Dragline is the best tool for computer-based dig optimisation, allowing engineers to test new excavation quickly against real data. Dragline draws topographic and stratigraphic surface information directly from MineScape models. These can be simple sketches in planes and/or sections approximating geology, or real geology as defined by both pit survey and drilling through Stratmodel.

Drill & Blast

MineScape Drill & Blast provides the blast design engineer with an interactive 3D CAD environment within which an optimum blast can be quickly laid out, and the holes projected to the surfaces. Hole layout reports can be exported to GPS-equipped drill rigs. Drill & Blast is integrated with MineScape’s other plug-ins such as Stratmodel, which allows direct access to the geologic model when designing the blast. Drill & Blast uses the concept of area zones, which are created through polygons in CAD; zones in the vertical would be identified through integration with the stratigraphic model.

Roads

MineScape Roads provides an easy to use solution for designing mine haul roads and ramps. Even with limited experience, complex designs can be produced easily, enabling staff to quickly become more productive.

MineScape Roads enables you to design a road along any surface, with a menu-driven interface that guides the user through the road design process and provides design status feedback. Cuts and fills are generated as required whilst maintaining grade and curve specifications. Cross-sections and volumes are generated to allow the optimisation of road placement and estimation of construction costs. Maps and plans suitable for plotting are created during the design process and, with MineScape animation capabilities, the user can simulate driving down the completed road design.

Open Cut

Open Cut provides powerful tools to rapidly create and explore design options for open cut planning. Long term planning tools, such as strategic and feasibility studies, are complemented by tools for short term design objectives in terrace or strip mining situations for both dragline and truck & shovel mines.

Ultimate pit and ramp design is provided. User-defined pit geometries may be incorporated into the pit block construction using either polygon or line string design options to produce accurate blocks for the mine schedule. The Open Cut Wizard guides the user through the process and maintains multiple design scenarios for the user.

Survey

MineScape Survey enables the user to generate survey instructions automatically from mine plans and input survey results from a field recorder or field book directly into the MineScape database. Survey can be used to generate production reports and plans, and use the database information for further short-term planning rehabilitation and reconciliation.

Survey controls reduction management and the use of field survey data. The full range of surveyors’ reduction transformation and adjustment requirements are supported.

Schedule

MineScape Schedule provides both an interactive and automated approach to mine scheduling to support short-, medium- and long-term planning. User-defined shift schedules, machines and real date calendars are supported. User-defined forms provide the user with the status of machine production, ore qualities, target and inventories for a defined time period.

Underground Planning

MineScape Underground Planning speeds the repetitive and time-consuming CAD processes that create underground designs. By specifying design parameters through tables and templates, accurate designs are rapidly developed. Using standard MineScape tools to create a totally integrated system can further enhance these underground designs.

Geostatistic

MineScape Geostatistics provides a comprehensive tool for determining classical statistics, developing variograms and defining a Krige interpolation for quality modelling in stratigraphic deposits.

Ring Drill Design

MineScape Ring Drill Design provides an interactive 3D CAD environment from which to perform underground ring drill mine design and blasting. The user can design multiple drill rig positions inside or outside the ore body. Hole layout and projections can be controlled by domains and standoff from the domains. Hole charging and calculation of consumables and blast volumes are built into the system.