Consulting engineers have tended to welcome technology, owing to its multiple benefits, including the gathering and analysing of large amounts of data, which can inform responses to industry challenges and assist in finding more sustainable solutions, says engineering consultancy SRK director and principal consultant Andrew van Zyl.
“To fully leverage the value of these technologies, SRK has its own in-house data science unit to support our innovations in this space. Big Data and remote monitoring, for instance, provide the mining sector with added opportunities to improve efficiencies and further enhance safety levels,” he explains.
SRK MD Vis Reddy says innovations include automated vibrating wire piezometers, which gather and communicate real-time data on tailings facilities.
SRK is also developing visualisation capability and interpretive tools to make this data meaningful for engineering decisions.
The integration of remote data, such as satellite data that can monitor changes at an operation as well as air pollution, has enabled SRK to acquire large amounts of data during a short period, thereby increasing the speed at which its specialists interpret the data.
Reddy explains that the technology is complemented by data scientists and coding specialists who can develop predictive tools customised for individual sites and projects.
Further, the use of satellite imagery to generate data to support geotechnical investigations at a regional level has been a “major success”.
Using drones to collect photogrammetric information in remote or dangerous areas of a pit has improved the collection and interpretation of geotechnical data in areas that would have otherwise been impossible to inspect, he adds.
Reddy says consulting engineers will continue to be relevant, particularly for the future of mining, especially as digital technology becomes more prominent in the industry.
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