Spatially-Referenced Mineral Asset Database Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The mining industry lacks integrated systems for managing mineral assets, leading to disparate data interpretation and limited financial and technical integration, which impedes decision-making and reporting, especially due to the non-integrated nature of mining technical systems and ERP systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that amalgamate and integrate mining technical data from disparate expert systems into a common, spatially-referenced database for use in inventory management applications, enabling real-time tracking and translation of changes in mineral resources and reserves into commercial transactions, leveraging big data computing for granular, spatially-indexed management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If mining technical data remains unamalgamated and untransformed into standardized format, then data integrity and discipline-specific accuracy are maintained, but data availability for multi-disciplinary visualization and analysis is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer that transforms mining technical data from disparate disciplines into a standardized format. This intermediary transformation process enables multi-disciplinary visualization and analysis without directly modifying the source data structures, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining data integrity and improving data availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of mining technical data by transforming it into a globally standardized format. This parameter transformation enables the data to be used across multiple disciplines while maintaining the original discipline-specific accuracy through reversible or lossless transformation processes.
2Reliability
If ERP systems are used for financial and transactional management, then financial control and transaction tracking are improved, but integration with mining technical management of mineral assets is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes ERP systems multi-functional by enabling them to handle both financial/transactional management and mining technical management of mineral assets. The system achieves this universality through standardized data formats and integration interfaces that allow the same platform to serve multiple disciplinary functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the ERP functionality into distinct modules: one for financial and transactional management, and another for mining technical management. This segmentation allows each module to specialize in its domain while maintaining overall system integration through standardized data exchange protocols.
3Measurement precision
If mining technical systems remain proprietary and separate, then discipline-specific functionality and expertise are preserved, but information management with amalgamation and transformation is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary transformation layer that converts proprietary mining technical data from various disciplines into a standardized format. This intermediary process preserves the precision of original technical assessments while making the information accessible across different systems and disciplines.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates standardized copies of proprietary mining technical data without altering the original sources. These copies enable information management, amalgamation, and transformation across disciplines while the original proprietary systems maintain their specific functionality and measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a natural resource and reserve management system, a corresponding method and a resultant natural asset inventory. The system has means for amalgamating and integrating data from disparate expert technical systems and applications, including computer developed or generated data, into at least one common, spatially-referenced database for use by at least one commercially available inventory management application, in order to provide integrated natural asset management in a natural resource inventory. The natural resources and reserves may comprise of depletable mineral resources and reserves, the amalgamation and integration may be conducted continually, and the data may be from disparate expert technical systems and applications in order to provide integrated mineral asset management in a mineral resource inventory.