Blair Athol chooses Maptek 3D scanning technology

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Blair Athol Mine has chosen Maptek™ I-Site™ 4400LR laser scanning technology for survey applications. The coal mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin is the 5^th Rio Tinto site on the East Coast of Australia to adopt the robust system.

Maptek’s I-Site technology is at the forefront of its field. Various unique features within the I-Site 4400LR scanner leverage sophisticated on-board software and sensing systems to the benefit of downstream processing, making it the only integrated hardware and software system specifically designed for mine surveying.

A key reason for selecting I-Site is the ability to conduct end-of-month surveys safely, accurately and rapidly.

‘The Maptek I-Site system has the range we need, but it’s the ease of use and very useful data deliverables that will pay off for us,’ commented Jon Day, Mine Surveyor, Blair Athol.

The benefits of the streamlined workflow are multiplied by having output which is immediately useful for mine planning, contractor reconciliations and payments.

‘What Maptek promises with I-Site, is a total product that really delivers on improving operational efficiency,’ said Peter Johnson, General Manager Maptek Australia.

The key differentiator is the ability to extract useful output from the huge volume of point cloud data collected by any scanner. Maptek’s I-Site Studio software has been developed to meet the requirements of mine survey, and to produce accurate surfaces and useful models really quickly. Data is provided in site coordinates and appropriate formats for all downstream work processes.

Currently, 17 percent of Maptek revenue is being ploughed back into R&D. This is a good sign for our customers. Blair Athol Coal is using an innovative new vehicle mount prototyped only last month by Maptek for mobile scanning.

The new mount, which can be easily attached and removed, or left on the vehicle permanently, and which used with GPS and scanner controls gives sites a new level of flexibility, dramatically increasing efficiencies and improving occupational health and safety outcomes.

As well as end-of-month pickups, the I-Site 4400LR will be used for in-pit, top of coal and stockpile surveys.

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