Newsletter December 2012 Eureka handles aerial photography, terrain synchronised between the tablet and the EXPLORING maps, historical plans and GIS data. Eureka desktop application in real time. Importantly, Eureka can import and display WITH EUREKA SEG-Y format seismic data with a unique Maptek’s innovation helps geologists approach to visualise seismic reflectivity apply their professional skills to reach the Exploration just became easier, with and amplitudes. A smart tracking tool ‘Eureka’ moment, where all the pieces of the launch of the ground-breaking helps in the interpretation of features of the data puzzle come together to indicate Maptek Eureka™ software. interest such as horizons or faults. the presence of a potentially economic mineral or energy resource. A powerful 3D visualisation and multi- A velocity model can be applied to processing platform enables interpretation seismic sections, using the drillhole Speaking at the official launch of Eureka of a wide range of geospatial data. High information to convert the seismic time 1.0 at the North America users conference resolution imagery, seismic, gravity, data into depth. Detailed seismic data in Denver, Maptek CEO Barry Henderson magnetic and other geophysical survey can then be incorporated into horizon said that Maptek had developed Eureka to data can be displayed in the same space models, providing additional information help explorers satisfy the massive global as the drilling, allowing geologists to to correlate the models of the resource. demand for minerals and energy. immerse themselves in the data and ‘In the next 30-50 years, the world will quickly come to a better understanding As well as drilling and geophysical data, consume as much copper as has been of their exploration projects. Eureka accepts high resolution jpeg and ecw files and multi-attributed data. mined historically. The same applies to iron Eureka manages large datasets with ease. Numeric attributes can be assigned to the ore and other metals,’ Henderson said. No detail is lost while moving between z coordinate, so attributes can be viewed Maptek will continue to develop the different scales; users can see the big in 3D. Additional attributes can be derived Eureka software to deliver tools that will picture as well as analyse target areas from data using inbuilt scripting tools. benefit the resources industry. in detail. Almost unlimited control is Developing Eureka in collaboration with gained over drilling data, with interactive Email [email protected] industry, Maptek prototyped an interactive display and editing tools for drawing, for a demonstration of Eureka or visit field tablet for entering drillhole data via georeferencing of imagery, drillhole editing, www.maptek.com/eureka to learn more surface modelling, surface arithmetic, and drop-down lists, handwriting recognition contouring. or virtual keyboard. Logged data can be > In this issue Bigger Better Vulcan 8.2 Modelling drillhole hardness Shortcuts in mine design Analysing variability in stockpiles Users conference Global news and views BIGGER BETTER VULCAN 8.2 More than 70 ‘user stories’ have been incorporated in Vulcan version 8.2 which was released in November. The Rapid Pit Design tool aids users to quickly evaluate alternative pit scenarios. Multiple iterations can be projected from benches and strings. Ramps and switchbacks can be added as desired. Grade Estimation now allows search Polygon Morph interpolates polygon HotKeys can be used to allocate benches distance and search orientation values shapes between existing polygons, as ore or waste, to double bench, to clip to be stored as block model variables. creating smoother transitions between to topography, and to generate tonnage Separate dip and dip direction can be digitised shapes. The new attribute editor and grade within seconds. considered in unfolding, resulting in a can be used to store information such as better representation of the orebody volume or date created. The CSV Import tool builds a new Isis orientation. Orientations between surfaces database from csv files without needing to can be calculated as bearing, plunge and The new Polygon Flag option provides design the database first. Users can also dip. Search orientation vectors can be additional flexibility in assigning parameters load an existing database and change the displayed on a block by block basis. within a block model both before and after fields or tables on the fly to create a new grade estimation. The flagged attributes database. are carried through the triangulated model and into the grade shell. A new option under Support Analysis allows users to analyse data to determine The Attribute Editor allows users to ideal block size based on entered cut-off assign and manipulate attributes of design values, and evaluate an estimated model objects at the same time. Attributes are against existing data. Conceptual resource easily copied from one design object to numbers can be obtained straight from a another, and Perl scripting can be used to drillhole database without first generating change items in the group in one pass. complex block models. The Triangulation Attributes tool Chronos performance is enhanced by allows metadata to be stored within the moving scheduling calculations to Excel triangulation data structure. Other users where the data is located. sharing the project can see all the data. More robust Boolean operations ensure The 256 Colour palette introduces a new reliability for intersecting triangulations, colour selection and editing interface with building and manipulating solids. more predefined colour gradients. New design databases will be automatically New options under Variography display created in the extended format and will the variance sill and fit variography solely also work in 32 colour mode. to a major direction. Other changes include support for ecw and jpeg2000 formats in Vulcan 64-bit. Maptek Vulcan™ 8.2 is the second release in 64-bit. The installer includes support for patching, ensuring users keep up-to-date with the latest improvements. Customer beta testing DECEMBER 2012 and rigorous internal quality assurance 2 have resulted in a robust release which also delivers a great user experience. MAPTEK FORGE MODELLING DRILLHOLE HARDNESS TO ENHANCE BLAST DESIGN Introducing Maptek BlastLogic™ into the existing mine systems mix makes for a new industry standard in drill and blast management. Advances in drill rig guidance and management systems allow mines to profile hardness and downhole penetration rates and use this data to improve their blast design. For example, identifying Colour legend profiling drillhole hardness (Eureka) a band of hard rock across specific regions of a shot means an engineer can The Vulcan to BlastLogic workflow is BlastLogic supports the visualisation customise hole-by-hole explosive load seamless, with common datasets allowing and use of dxf files for operations with design to achieve optimal fragmentation. click-drag-drop functionality. BlastLogic third-party mine planning and geological also supports an automated interface with modelling systems. Harnessing the value of this relies on the the major drill navigation systems; this interdependency of mine planning, drill allows as-drilled data to be accessed and Another solution involves bundling the management and the load design systems viewed immediately. new exploration modelling software, used by drill & blast. Maptek Vulcan™ and Maptek Eureka™ with BlastLogic. The BlastLogic software can be used with BlastLogic charge design functionality will same effortless workflow creates drillhole site drill navigation systems to provide a soon support deck loading off a surface. hardness profiles and surfaces that can straightforward solution for routine mine This solution will meet the needs of coal be used in BlastLogic to enhance a blast operations. mines relying on through-seam blasting, design. as well as hard rock mines wanting to The drill design is performed in Vulcan, discriminate on the hole-by-hole load This is one example of how Maptek can and passed to drill navigation which in turn design, given degrees of hardness within help mines better manage the optimum delivers back the hardness data. Vulcan the shot. recovery of ore and coal so as to achieve displays the hardness profile of each hole quantum savings. by colour. A hardness horizon can then be This helps minimise waste as the optimal Email [email protected] tracked to form a surface model. In a coal amount of explosive charge can be for more information on BlastLogic mine, the roof and floor surfaces of seams applied per hole. It also maintains toe and are modelled. wall control and eliminates the expensive overhead of handling oversize rock. BlastLogic is used to validate and update the correct spatial location and dimensions Another high-value deliverable is the of each drillhole, coordinate the QA facilitation of accurate placement of process and prepare the load design, charge, which historically has been difficult all at a click of a button. to track and measure. DECEMBER 2012 3 MAPTEK FORGE Deck loading off a surface (BlastLogic) evaluation, new methods had to be and cut-off grade. The new method can SHORTCUTS IN explored in order to meet the schedule replace manual checking and provide a MINE DESIGN for bringing the site into production. final stope shape with maximum values. After thousands of stope designs were The 3D-IASD method significantly Hongliang Wang, Mining Optimization made, point by point, line by line, and ring reduced errors and provided accurate Engineer of Newmont Mining by ring, Wang discovered an incremental- cut-off grade calculations, saving time. Corporation, initiated a shortcut for analysis-based stope design and cutoff The five step process involves: 3D grid evaluating alternate underground grade calculation method (3D-IASD). setup; filtering out rings that do not contain designs. ‘The traditional methods did not allow for grades; running the stope rings reserve Wang was tasked with developing a a logical or spatial relationship between report; building mineable stope shapes full-scale mine design for an underground rings,’ he said.