22nd acQuire™ in the Production Environment

Annual Presented by Paul Whelan, Metech CanadaLtd.

Introduction

Seminar Using acQuire™ in the mining production environment allows the operation to
centralize and streamline many of its data storage, collection, and reporting practices.
Some examples include automated Laboratory Information Systems (LIMS) importing,
handheld PC logging of production drilling details using barcodes and direct, on-line
logging of Drillhole (DH) details.
Some other areas where acQuire™ has been used to manage production information
is for open pit ore block cataloguing, open pit, and underground face mapping details,
underground muck and grab sampling, and drillers details (plods).
Data Client connectivity is key to the efficiency of utilizing the data that acQuire™
manages. The acQuire™ API makes this data retrieval process much more effective.
Open Pit Operations
The vast amount and speed that data is collected in the modern open pit
environment necessitates that a system such as acQuire™ be implemented to manage
these data sets effectively.
Blasthole Location Survey Details
Open pit blasthole survey co-ordinate data is usually collected with electronic data
recording devices attached to total station or GPS instruments. These instruments
generally produce a delimited text file. Uploading this data to the database is generally a
simple matter if importing the text file from the survey data recorder.
Often some of the details regarding the blast pattern and bench reference information
are part of the hole identifier. Any extra detail that may not be contained in the source file
is assigned at the point of importing. Examples of this may be date, surveyor, etc.
Blasthole Assay Details
Due to the consistent nature of production analysis, importing the results is usually a
very routine process. If QAQC samples have been inserted, acQuire™ importers can be
configured to automatically insert these results to the correct parts of the database.
Some sites have been implemented to upload assays results automatically. This is
usually only done when a site/company laboratory is generating the analysis results.
This unattended loading process makes use of the command line importing engine. This
process allows an import template to be configured using the standard graphical interface
and then the command line program uses this template when set up as a scheduled task by
the operating system.
Below is an example of the syntax used to operate the command line importer.
“C:\Program Files\acquire\bin\acq3import.exe” /database test /user zk /
passw ztk /ignerr N /commit Y /form c:\forms\new_assays.qimp /datafile d:
\data\new_assays.csv /rejectfile d:\data\new_assays.qrej /errfile d:\data\
new_assays.qrpt

The benefits of this type of system are that the results are available in acQuire™ when
the assayers have released the results. The up-load timing will always vary. Examples of
once a day to every 15 minutes have been set-up.
Some companies have LIMS that are accessible via ODBC connections on the network.
These systems generally require some level of access to write back from acQuire™. Often
the results that acQuire™ is reading to insert are filtered by a flag field that is set if the data
is already loaded to acQuire™. Generally once the import has occurred, the flag field is
updated with a SQL statement from the acQuire™ importer.
This process can be activated automatically using the command line importer as well as
from a manual import.

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Assay QAQC Monitoring
If check samples have been inserted for QAQC analysis and validation, acQuire™ can
display the results in a graphical form before committing the results to the database.
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Examples of the QAQC reporting during importing.
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Once these statistics and charts have been reviewed the

results can be accepted or rejected.
Note: Rejection of the results at this point rejects all samples in the import.
Blasthole Geology Logging Details
Blasthole logging can be streamlined a vast amount by making use
of Pocket acQuire™ to enter the geologic details at the blasthole site.
Some of the ruggedized PPC units have bar code scanners attached.
If the sample numbering has been bar coded this allows the blasthole
sample to be logged by simply scanning the sample tag, entering the
logging details, and so on. Next to no manual Data Entry needs to
occur reducing the likely-hood of errors.

Blasthole Engineering Details

Often the engineering data for blastholes is neglected. Some of the
data being collected on modern drilling equipment is penetration rates,
driller info, times, etc.
Other data that is being collected at mines is water depth and
temperature in a blasthole, explosive usage, etc.
This data can easily be stored in acQuire™ for evaluation by engineers.
When coupled with geologic data the engineering data may lead to
prediction of pattern drilling times, etc.
The penetration data often is supplied as output from a High Precision
Drill dispatch system. This type of data generally will be imported after
the data has been downloaded from the drill system.
The other types of data can be entered directly to a Pocket PC unit in the pit.
Face Mapping Details (Geology and Structure)
acQuire™ is used also to manage open pit face mapping for structure and geology.
There are a couple of different ways this type of data has been stored in acQuire™.

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22nd Linear Face Mapping (Survey Points)
One method is to store the survey details of the face position and represent the data

Annual as a sub-horizontal drill hole. The geology and structure details are logged as from and
to readings or depth makers from a 0 origin that has a know X,Y,Z position (collar).
Inflections are stored as down hole survey values.

Seminar This information is generally entered into Data Entry screens and the Data Client
software is used to visualize and interpret the data.

This example used

MineSight® and it’s
embedded acQuire™ API
to view this data.

Graphical Face Mapping

Another form of mapping that has
been stored in acQuire™ is the detail
of graphical face maps. This method
usually is used to store extra detail
about an image for future reference or
positioning the image in visualization
software.
The details and coordinates of
the image are entered to acQuire™.
Some mine planning packages have a
scripting interface that allows them to
retrieve details directly or indirectly
from a database allowing them to use
these details to graphically post the
image in the correct position.

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This example used MineSight® and the MineSight® Grail scripting interface to position
this image.
Ore Block Cataloguing for Dispatching and Reconciliation
acQuire™ has been used to catalogue ore cut details for transfer to dispatching and
reconciliation programs. This use of acQuire™ simply imports the details about the ore cut
that have been generated by the mine planning software and stores a unique identifier for
each ore cut. By using acQuire™ to store this detail, the information is easily filtered and
exported for the client systems.

Underground Operations
Underground mines often generate a large amount of diamond core drilling that
needs efficient systems in place to mange the logging, sample results, and security of
this information. acQuire™ has also been utilized for storing muck and grab sampling
information which allow for reporting of tonnes and grade summaries for given work areas.
Drilling Collar and Downhole Surveying Detail
Initialization
Underground operations generally plan a series of diamond drill holes that need to be
entered to the database before actual drilling takes place. In some cases the actual collar
survey is never obtained due to production interference.

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 Data entry objects for establishing a hole in the database with proposed coordinates
22nd and planned details are used. Often a status field is used to flag the information as only
proposed until actual survey details are loaded. By having these proposed coordinates
loaded the holes can still be accessed by the data client software if required.
Annual Actual Survey Update
Actual collar and downhole survey data is generally imported and updates the
Seminar proposed details and the flag field for reference.
Production and Development Drilling Assay Details
Importing assay results is often done by importing files sent from the laboratory. The
QAQC can be monitored using the tools available in the acQuire™ importer.
Some operations make use of networked LIMS and can automate upload from the assay
results from an ODBC LIMS source.
Production and Development Logging
Core logging in the production environment
requires data entry systems setup to streamline the
entire logging process.
Often where disconnected logging solutions
create obstacles, they are in data validation and
uploading to the master database.
Using acQuire™ for logging alleviates these
problems. There are two methods of logging that
have been designed for the acQuire™ Data Entry (DE)
objects: Online and Offline.
Online DE makes use of data entry directly to the
database. This ensures all data is instantly validated to the
rules established in the master database, as well as giving
immediate access to the information logged to other users of
the data.
This method is only possible where there is a live
network connection to the database server. Some modern
core sheds have computers set up on racks that allow the
logging geologist to be entering the data directly where
the core is laid out. This avoids any third party data entry
misinterpretation when transcribed from paper logs.
Offline DE is used where there is no direct connection to the master database. This
system works by packaging a DE object into a stand-alone access database with all the
validation rules from the master database.
Once data is logged, the results are exported from the packaged DE object and re-
inserted with full validation checks on the way back in.
Face Chip/Channel Details
Underground face chip and channel samples are usually
stored in acQuire™ as though they are short drillholes (not
unlike the open pit face mapping data).
Entering this information
generally requires a collar or
starting location, bearing, dip,
and length of channel. The
sample intervals are entered as
well as any geologic details.

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Muck and Grab Sample Reporting
In a couple of operations, acQuire™ has been used for storing the details of muck and
grab sampling and summary reports generated from that data.
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The details are stored as point sample information. As the data is generally truck grab
samples or stockpile samples, no coordinate information is normally stored. The location Annual
of the data is referenced by its heading and level, etc. Therefore the information can be
filtered by these details and by date criteria.
Reporting has been achieved by complex SQL objects within acQuire™ or external
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reporting tools like Microsoft® Access reports or Seagate Crystal Reports.
The new acQuire™ report building objects can take on this functionality.

Data Approval Processes (Object Locking)

Object locking is a function in acQuire™ that will allow all data for given drillholes to be
set to read-only. By activating this function, accidental editing of data that has been fully
approved and completed is stopped.
One such example where assay results would get overwritten is if sample data were
updated where the sample ID’s were mistakenly re-used, if this setting hadn’t been applied.
A way to activate the locking of a drillhole is by setting a series of flag fields when
each sub-set of data has been loaded and approved. Once all the approval details
have been checked and set, the hole can be locked. A simple update to the QLOH_
OBJECTSTATUS table setting the STATUS_QLOH field to READ will lock the data for a
given hole or set of holes.
Activating the Object Tracking is done through
the manage menu Manage | Data Tracking |
Object Tracking.

This example screen set the

status of a hole to READ once
all necessary data has been
loaded and approved.
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 Data Client Software - API Status
22nd The API (acQuire™’s Application Programmer Interface) makes retrieval of data
significantly more streamlined from the database to the client software for visualization.

Annual The table below lists the status of various suppliers of the client software that deal with
acQuire™ data.
Software Supplier Status

Seminar MineSight
Oasis Montage
Target for ArcGIS
Metech Pty. Ltd./Mintec Inc.
Geosoft Inc.
Geosoft Inc.
Active
Active
Active
Mapinfo Discover Encom Technology Pty. Ltd. Active
FracViewer Professional Fractal Graphics Pty. Ltd. Active
Gemcom Gemcom Software International Inc. Signed Agreement
Datamine Mineral Industries Computing Group Ltd Signed Agreement
Earthworks Mineral Industries Computing Group Ltd Signed Agreement
Surpac/Minex Surpac Minex Group Signed Agreement
Vulcan Maptek Pty. Ltd. Signed Agreement
WinDisp Scientific Computing & Applications Signed Agreement
Xemplex XempleX Pty Ltd Signed Agreement
Gap Technologies S.A. Signed Agreement
GoCAD Mira Geosciences In Discussion
Newmont TSS Newmont USA Limited In Discussion

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