A Technological Ecosystem

For mining operations around the world, understanding and managing material movement from mine to mill is central to their success and operational efficiency. Orica Digital Solutions (ODS), a leader in advanced digital technologies for servicing mining, energy, civil construction, and civil infrastructure sectors, is building the next generation of predictive models, and real-time decision-making tools.

ODS’ grade control technologies are driven by a clear and forward-thinking strategy to enhance the mining sector’s ability to economically mobilise mineral resources. Its technological developments and value generating solutions for customers are centred on the following guiding principles:

• Unifying traditionally siloed and disparate data.
• Connecting crucial data sources and adding insightful context.
• Enriching applications and workflows with highly accurate predictive models.
• Fostering collaboration between stakeholders with user-centric workflows.

At the core of this strategy is the ODS Platform, a unified ecosystem designed to enable collaborative workflows and informed decision-making. This ODS Platform integrates technologies and tools which work together to provide mining companies with real-time insights and data-driven optimisation capabilities.

Enhancing grade control practices with OREPro™

Blasting is the first juncture in the material movement process as it disrupts understanding of the in-situ models of rock. For some time, Orica has been on the journey of understanding blast movement and its impact on value recovery of minerals. Functionality in OREPro™ 3D for post-blast model creation and dig polygon optimisation generates scenarios for maximum value recovery by mining teams (see Figure 1).

The advancements gained from ODS’ Predict engine for blast movement allow operations to predictively and reactively understand the effects of their blast designs on movement. This technology helps regain knowledge of the material in the post-blast space with high spatial fidelity and accuracy. This precision is critical for blast movement modelling that is truly representative of typical blast movement dynamics, fragmentation size distribution, and swell. Predict changes the narrative of grade control by giving operations the power to modify their blast design to gain the best ore value return, before drilling and blasting has even begun (see Figure 2).

While so far the technologies described dramatically enhance an operation’s mining recovery, they are centred on grade control practices on a single blast basis. The complexities of mine planning strategies, blasting strategies, interactions between blasts, and mining operational constraints impact the overall reconciliation of material planned, versus material mined. Advancements in OREPro 3D technologies now allow mining companies to unlock greater potential in their resource extraction processes, providing real-time insights into material movement, and bridging gaps that traditionally hinder operational effectiveness.

 

This is a preview of an article that was originally published in the May 2025 issue of Global Mining Review.

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Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/14052025/a-technological-ecosystem/