The GIM Channel 07: Tackling challenges in the resources industry with GIM

Matt Hoffer, Geology Manager for Coeur Mining based in Chicago, joins this week’s episode of The GIM Channel to discuss innovative trends in mining and the challenges geologists face in the natural resources industry.

Matt has worked in the mining industry as a geologist for over 10 years with numerous geologist roles with Newmont, Allied Nevada Gold Corp, and now Coeur Mining.

Matt chats about how important it is to manage geoscientific data with the right tools and systems in place and looks at the influence technology may have on the mine of the future.

Show Notes

Here are some key take-outs:

• A common challenge seen in GIM is the separation of the database management and the geologists. This means geologists may not always get the big picture of managing this important business asset.
• Three main challenges are evident in the natural resources industry today – depth, scale and people.
  • Depth: This refers to the depth of mines and the depth of drilling required to locate and mine a resource. There is pressure to make sure teams get as much value from a hole as possible.
  • Scale: Deposits are much lower grade now. This means more effort is required to extract the same amount of resources as before.
  • People: The industry still has a transient nature and staff are continually moving from project to project. How do we retain IP and knowledge?

“Mines are getting deeper and they require more geoscientific data to validate a resource. That comes at a cost” – Matt

• GIM initiatives, such as having a robust GIM system, helps instill confidence in a company and for outsiders looking at a project. When a company has a solid database in something secure like the GIM Suite, the data validation and due diligence process is much more effective and efficient.
• Innovation and productivity trends are still about creating efficiencies in how data is accessed and then used.
• Businesses value being able to share information across the business easily and quickly to the people that need it.
• Technology will continue to play a part in the mine of the future and will shape how people manage their work from wherever they are.

Here are the links you might need

Have you heard the one about…

Zane Prickett, Director of Unearthed, discusses how start-ups and hackathons can foster greater innovation in the natural resources sector. Listen here >

Jeremy Vincent from Capstone Mining Corporation talks about placing value on geological data. Listen here >

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