Featuring emerging technologies that are set to change the way miners operate
India’s next mining boom is on its way as the present government is determined to revive the sector. The country is expected to surpass the United States soon to become the second largest coal producing country in the world, second only to China, despite remaining a net importer of the mineral.

However, to achieve this ambitious target, technological transformation in the area of mining operations is the need of the hour. Improved productivity, cost savings, reduced environmental impacts, and enhanced safety – are in the core of technological development in mining.

Optimum using of available equipment, reducing downtime, enhancing fuel efficiency, real-time monitoring of machine performance, increasing mechanisation through automation, and improving man-machine and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications can result in increasing productivity and cost efficiency whereas state-of-the-art eco-friendly technologies will help in achieving ‘green’ mining operations.

Space technology to curb illegal mining

Of late, the government has also announced the launch of a satellite-based monitoring system Mining Surveillance System (MSS) which aims to establish a regime of responsive mineral administration, through public participation, by curbing instances of illegal mining activity through automatic remote sensing detection technology.

The Khasra maps of the mining leases have been geo-referenced. The geo-referenced mining leases are superimposed on the latest satellite remote sensing scenes obtained from CARTOSAT and USGS. The system checks a region of 500 metres around the existing mining lease boundary to search for any unusual activity which is likely to be illegal mining. Any discrepancy if found is flagged-off as a trigger.

Automatic software leveraging image processing technology will generate automatic triggers of unauthorised activities. These triggers will be studied at a Remote Sensing Control Centre of IBM and then transmitted to the district level mining officials for field verification. A check for illegality in operation in conducted and reported back using a mobile app.

IMME 2016, the mining equipment extravaganza to be held in Kolkata, is all set to exhibit the emerging technologies that are set to change the way miners operate over the next decade.

Here we illustrate on how the advances in the technology will shape the future of the mining industry in India.