Surveyors will tell you that accuracy depends on surveying gear and observing skills. However, extracting accuracy from the vast amount of information captured at a mine can be time-consuming and sometimes tricky.

Background

Pat Williams is the managing director of Revolver Resources, an ASX-listed public company specialising in mineral exploration. He runs the company and makes decisions on exploration projects. 

‘I am passionate about making exploration projects a role model to demonstrate that mining can be done ethically and responsibly, but still commercially. We work to leave projects in a better condition than when we found them and listen to everyone with a stake in the projects.’

Revolver Resources is currently focusing on the Dianne Copper mine project in Northwest Cairns. The mine was operational in the ‘70s and ’80s, and Pat is on a mission to make it profitable again. ‘My stakeholders keep me motivated to deliver the best possible results in an ethical, timely and cost-effective manner.’

Challenge

Like all managing directors, Pat spends much of his time strategising and making decisions to deliver results for his customers. He had access to mapping and surveying services but found that the remoteness and extreme environmental conditions at the Dianne Copper mine made it challenging to see deliverables in weeks. ‘We found ourselves in unfamiliar waters with surveying and mapping; we were presented with project timelines of months from different providers when we needed to make decisions in weeks, not months’, he says.

‘We’re recommencing the operations at the mine, and we don’t want hassles or delays if we got the wrong data or if the data doesn’t make sense. We’re working on a timeline to get information to assemble Environmental Amendment (EA) submissions, plans and designs on site.’

Solution & Outcomes

Pat discovered that engaging Mangoesmapping meant his Dianne Copper mine project could recommence operations and get a Return on Investment (ROI) faster. Pat saw final results in 5 weeks and enjoyed the personalised approach of Mangoesmapping. ‘Engaging Mangoesmapping services allowed us to keep going on a very tight timeline. They went the extra mile to suit our needs’, he says. ‘I was resigned to get answers in months until my project manager heard about Mangoesmapping — I see now, there’s a better way to do it.’

Mangoesmapping integrated four survey techniques for the Dianne Copper project (control survey, ground survey, aerial survey, and bathymetric survey). Mangoesmapping collected raw (static) data and performed roles as Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) and Post-Processing Kinematic (PPK) base and rover. They delivered a 3D site model, resulting in under 50 millimetres of horizontal and vertical positioning uncertainty.

Mangoesmapping gave Pat the data he needed, when needed and in the way that made the most sense to him. ‘Mangoesmapping was a critical starting point to get accurate surveying data with efficiency. Alistair and his team went out of their way to explain the technology and how it worked.’ ‘I know that the 3D mapping tells me almost, if not everything, that I need to know about our assets’, says Pat.

For Pat, it was essential to follow QLD statutory regulations. He expected external providers to follow procedures per the mine’s health and safety policies. ‘The people who came to the mine site were implementing those procedures. Mangoesmapping practice what they preach.’

Pat valued Mangoesmapping’s transparency and accountability. ‘There were some risks with the terrain, even with the vessel doing the bathymetry. Alistair foreshadowed those risks, which were overcome, and we got good quality data over the whole project area.’

For Pat, the end-to-end geospatial solution approach from Mangoesmapping set it apart from any other provider he’s used. ‘I trust Mangoesmapping to deliver the surveying and mapping information I need, when and how I need it. With Mangoesmapping, I’m confident I’m seeing the results to build my business plan and recommence the Dianne mine operations. I particularly commend their passion for the geospatial space. The last thing I need as a business owner is to have people doing work they don’t want to do.’

‘I’ve employed a lot of consultants in my working life, and Mangoesmapping has shown us that they are meticulous, accurate, fast, and cost-effective. It is rare when service providers tick all these boxes.’