Mining and Technology
By Betty Gibbs

Gemcom - Mine Production Management Solution, InSite
InSite 3 provides mining operations with the tools and real-time data needed to improve production throughput and management of mass and grade from the mine to final product
The latest release of  InSite™ mine production management solution gives mining operations the tools and real-time data needed to improve production management from the mine to final product. With InSite, mining operations are able to link production data, costs, and planned versus actual production. The result is greater efficiency, lower costs, and the ability to continuously improve performance of all processes, activities, and equipment.
Key InSite benefits include:

• Management of production from the mine, trucking, plant, stockpiling, processing, to final product.
• Identifying production and equipment problems that may otherwise remain hidden.
• Monitoring of equipment performance to eliminate bottlenecks and control costs.
• Improved alignment between planned and actual production.
• A higher degree of confidence in production numbers and compliance of systems through auditing, traceability, and data integrity.
• Providing the catalyst for continuous improvement by empowering Plan-Do-Check-Act decision making.

Detecting early-stage performance deterioration in systems and processes on a real-time basis is critical to minimising downtime and avoiding failures along the critical path. In mining operations, equipment failures can lead to significant downtime and delays. Establishing a clear and accurate view of what is happening at a mining operation begins with having a high degree of confidence in production data. InSite enables this through real-time integration of operational data and validation of material movements, activities, and surveys. This is further enhanced with a robust calculation engine that enables mass and grade changes to propagate to material movements and stockpiles, ensuring the most accurate view at all times. With mass and grade data that is fully auditable and traceable, data integrity and system compliance is assured.
For more information about InSite and to read the full Centerra Gold customer success story, visit www.gemcomsoftware.com/insite.

Strater® Version 2
 This well log and borehole plotting software for geoscientists software creates professional, customized logs from raw data. Price: $449.
Strater creates a multitude of log types to visualize your depth data. Strater offers flexibility in log design and layout with 12 popular log types to graphically display your data imported from a multitude of sources. Customize each log to suit your needs by drawing or importing objects, specifying colors and patterns of schemes, inserting text descriptors for emphasis, and many more options.
Strater can graphically display subsurface data with the following:

• Depth or elevation of wells and boreholes
• Lithology, including percent lithology and lithologic descriptions
• Multiple boreholes in a single view
• A wide range of data: Spontaneous potential, gamma ray, caliper, neutron, DST, bulk density, resistivity, drilling rate, gas quality, total gas, and sonic data
• Blow counts, sample number, sample type, permeability, RQD, OVM readings, percent recovery, and more
• Contaminant concentrations, moisture content, and well construction details
• Assay data, alteration or mineralization lithology, BTU values, and ash content
• Ancillary well information such as notes, remarks, and other text items
• Virtually any type of interval or depth data

For more information contact Golden Software at www.goldensoftware.com.  800-972-1021 (continental U. S. only)  or 303-279-1021.

Carlson Mining 2010
The programs included with Carlson Mining 2010 include:
- Carlson Geology 2010
- Carlson Underground Mining 2010
- Carlson Surface Mining 2010
- Carlson Basic Mining 2010

These programs allow the user to perform mine engineering and geology, while running entirely inside AutoCAD®. In addition to the Carlson Mining 2010 modules running on top of any AutoCAD® or Map® versions 2010, down through and including 2000, Carlson Mining modules come with built-in IntelliCAD® -- a robust, DWG-compatible CAD platform. Carlson 2010 also has 64-bit capabilities and is Windows 7 compatible,
A few of the additions to the software include:

• Carlson Construction – New module for earthworks, drillholes, roads, machine control data prep, survey as-built mapping and stakeout.
• Data Depot – New set of commands for document management to share files between user and to archive.
• Settings Explorer – New command for a central place to manage settings for all the Carlson commands with features to report settings, restore defaults, manage layers, save and recall settings.
• Settings File Manager – New command to browse all available settings files and select current ones.
• Layout Manager – New command to organize the plot sequence and properties of multiple layouts.
• Draw Standard Item – Create drawing entities using standards.
• Draw Field Text – New command to create dynamic text based on a drawing or project attribute.
• Remove Xdata – New command to remove extended entity data from the selected entities.
• Layer Order – New command to define display order by layer and apply this order to the drawing.
• Flip Text by Twist Screen – New command to flip the selected text as needed to read right side up for the current twist screen.
• Callout Leader – New command to draw text in a box with a leader.
• MultiLeader with Text – New command to draw leader with multiple segments with a label.

The Carlson Mining 2010 programs are currently in use by hundreds of groups ranging from small engineering firms to huge coal companies and government agencies alike (see list). To become the dominant product line in any software market requires extraordinary commitment to both advanced technology and customer service. The Carlson Mining programs have become the most widely used design and mapping software in the mining industry for just these reasons.

Whether the application is underground mining, surface mining, permitting or geologic mapping and reserve studies, these programs provides powerful automation combined with ease of use. To request more information about Carlson Mining and other products or a demo CD, visit http://www.carlsonsw.com/PL_CS_Mining.html.