Exploring the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the mining sector reveals an ongoing evolution with profound implications. As the industry grapples with the pressure of shrinking margins, miners are compelled to strategically address challenges both in the short and long term. This involves not only minimizing downtime and enhancing productivity but also envisioning a digital future for mining operations.
Enter Unleash live, a leader in this transformative landscape, specifically addressing the mining industry's needs through its AI video analytics platform. The focus lies in practical applications, emphasizing immediate benefits without the upheaval of large-scale disruptions. Unleash live seamlessly integrates with mining companies' digital video management systems (DVMS) through a cloud implementation, providing real-time computer vision for each network camera.
What is a DVMS in Mining?
A digital video management system (DVMS) is a software application that helps mining companies manage their video footage. It allows them to view, record and store video data from existing cameras installed around their mines. DVMS can also be used to analyze video footage to identify potential safety hazards or security breaches.
DVMS can be a valuable tool for mining companies as it can help them to:
- Improve safety - monitor operations and identify potential safety hazards, such as equipment malfunctions or unsafe working practices, to prevent accidents and injuries.
- Increase efficiency - monitor operations and identify areas where efficiency can be improved for increased productivity and reduced costs.
Some of the common features of a DVMS for a mining company include:
- Camera management of all cameras in one place. You can add, remove and configure cameras and you can view live and recorded video from any camera.
- Recording and playback from your cameras. You can set recording schedules and you can playback recorded video at any time.
- Video analytics of the video footage to identify potential safety hazards or security breaches. This information can be used to prevent accidents and injuries and to detect unauthorized access to mine sites.
- Integrate with access control systems to allow you to control who has access to different areas of your mine site.
- Generate reports on your video surveillance footage. These reports can be used to identify trends and to track progress on safety and security initiatives.
How is this relevant to Unleash live’s offering?
Unleash live’s video analytics platform connects over the top to Mining DVMS’s through a cloud implementation, providing real-time computer vision for every camera on the network.
At a practical level, this means that every camera on the network can have its own computer vision AI model (referred to as an AI App) to understand what is happening in the field of vision and allow for action. This could be an alert, operational dashboard or ingested data into a wider backend system.
Unleash live's modular architecture offers versatility, allowing the utilization of pre-existing AI Apps for safety and machine monitoring, while also accommodating custom AI Apps tailored to unique operational challenges. The platform's capabilities span various applications in the mining sector, including:
- Automated Monitoring and Anomaly Detection: Real-time monitoring of mining operations to detect anomalies indicative of safety hazards or equipment malfunctions.
- Predictive Maintenance: Anticipating equipment failures to prevent downtime and reduce repair costs, combining camera data with sensor information.
- Process Optimization: Identify inefficiencies, optimize material flow, monitor production rates and improve quality control, such as:
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- Track the movement of materials throughout the mining process, which can help identify inefficiencies and optimize material flow.
- Monitor production rates and identify areas where production is lagging behind, which can help optimize production processes.
- Improve quality control, inspect mined materials for defects and ensure that they meet quality standards.
- Asset Condition Monitoring: Automating the monitoring of critical assets to reduce unplanned maintenance, optimize routines and save on consumables.
- Safety Enhancement: Monitoring workers and equipment to prevent accidents, detect signs of fatigue, identify unsafe practices and prevent unauthorized access. Examples include:
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- Detect signs of fatigue in workers, such as yawning or drooping eyelids, which can help prevent accidents.
- Monitor worker behavior and identify unsafe practices, such as standing too close to moving equipment or not wearing proper PPE.
- Detect unauthorized access to restricted areas, which can help prevent accidents and theft.
- Environmental Monitoring: Ensuring environmental compliance by:
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- Detecting spills and leaks of hazardous materials, which can help prevent environmental damage.
- Monitoring dust levels and identify areas where dust is exceeding safe limits.
- Tracking wildlife movement and identify areas where wildlife may be at risk from mining activities.
These applications showcase the potential of video AI to enhance safety, productivity and sustainability in mining operations. As video AI technology evolves, we can anticipate even more innovative solutions shaping the future of the industry.
