Sustainable control room technology for international mining companies boosts efficiency and provides a decision making tool for management and workforce

Abstract

AbstractThe article presents current and future developments in German mine control room technology and discusses the needs of the international market. It focuses on data collection in the production areas, information treatment and visualisation and the creation of a decision making basis for employees and management. At a time when operating costs and performance levels are coming under increasing pressure it is crucially important to achieve a sustained improvement in occupational safety, transparency and efficiency and to have in place a uniform reporting system for the different organisational levels. The development of an integrated software system that uses modern software architectures, but at the same time can be installed on a modular basis, is the key to achieving these objectives. Today's control room technology must also include user‐friendly applications that are easy to understand and provide support for the workforce above and below ground. These individual objectives are not mutually inconsistent but in fact complement and build on each other.