2) Monitoring

Topic Area III of the GTS aims to lift the performance bar for designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, monitoring and closing facilities. This topic area requires the ongoing use of an updated knowledge base, consideration of tailings technologies and a comprehensive monitoring system. 

The Decipher platform integrates and centralises key TSF data from laboratories, site selected IoT devices and sensors, LiDAR, CCTV, drones, inspections, earth observations (NDVI, NDRE, MSAVI & NDWI) and remote sensing (InSAR) into a central location on the cloud, serving internal and external users with critical up-to-date information and alarms, thus enabling them to effectively monitor their facilities from anywhere in the world. Importantly, Decipher is device agnostic providing customers with choice and flexibility.

3) InSAR

TSFs have proven to be fairly tricky to monitor for ground movement at scale using conventional methods, however in recent years, the industry has increased the use of interferometric satellite-based radar (InSAR)type monitoring throughout operations, making this task remote, more cost effective and reducing the requirement for people on the ground. No singular technology has proven to be successful at predicting or identifying potential failures of TSFs – however, a comprehensive system of monitoring and procedures is current best practice, and InSAR is proving to be a valuable addition to these systems.

Decipher’s InSAR module allows customers to identify areas of concern across the full extent of the site. Additional more frequent monitoring technology is then often employed to understand the detail and magnitude of deformation of surfaces overtime thus helping to identify and manage risks of potential failures or provide assurance that the area is safe and stable. Decipher is able to process InSAR data from several global InSAR providers, including CGG, 3VG and DARES.

4) Environmental Monitoring & Sampling

Ongoing environmental monitoring is critical in understanding environmental health, efficiencies, constraints, compliance and achieving closure. 

Armed with Decipher’s Environmental Monitoring module, mining operators can capture a wide range of monitoring data and indicators such as surface and groundwater quality, decant pond and under-drain water levels, and embankment conditions to name a few, helping to manage and report on project-specific data requirements. The ability to join these datasets with and/or alongside satellite data provides for powerful data interpretation and insights.

5) Piezometric Chart

Many dam monitoring systems use buried pressure transducers –(called piezometers) to measure the pore water pressure in the dam and define the phreatic surface. These devices are buried in a dam and can measure water pressure even with very small amounts of water being present. Piezometers in embankments monitor the phreatic surface against agreed trigger levels to maintain embankment stability. Vibrating wire piezometers, standpipes, and bores monitor groundwater mounding and outward movement beneath and surrounding the facility. This is looked at carefully against surface water and groundwater quality sampling, both upstream and downstream of the facility, to check against agreed trigger levels.

Decipher’s Monitoring Modules work in unison to pull key information from a number of diverse sources (online, offline or hand captured) into a cohesive, unified user interface. One of the key aspects of this module is the Piezometric Chart. A piezometer is a special tool that is used to take measurements within an aquifer. It is submerged within a well beneath the saturated zone, through less porous rock. Many piezometer wells are drilled within a confined aquifer at certain locations. The piezometric surface of water is the level of water within a piezometric well in a confined aquifer. It is depicted on maps as a line between the walls of a well. When several piezometric surface measurements are available, a Geotech can determine recharge and discharge rates and most importantly groundwater-flow direction and rates.

6) Stakeholders

Topic Area I focuses on project-affected people and is intended to be addressed across all operational activities throughout the lifecycle of the facility. The topic area requires project-affected people to be afforded opportunities for meaningful engagement in decisions that affect them. 

Decipher’s Stakeholders module allows customers to easily visualise, identify and track stakeholder profiles and metrics such as risk and influence on the map, capture ongoing engagements, and assign related actions to team members. This data can also originate from existing mine systems (such as K2Fly).

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