Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today released Smarter Mining, its newest video in the Better Satellite World campaign. It tells the story of how mining companies around the world are improving operations, worker safety and environmental impact through satellite connectivity for the Internet of Things. Smarter Mining is made possible by funding from Speedcast.
Modern life depends on a massive stream of minerals that go into everything from buildings and bridges to the phone in your pocket. Keeping the minerals moving takes never-ending attention to safety, efficiency and productivity. The mining industry is investing billions in making mines smarter with Internet of Things and asset tracking technology. Today’s mines use automated drills and self-driving trucks. Trackers monitor their location and operation. Automatic systems monitor air quality in tunnels and smart video surveillance can warn of dangerous conditions in advance. In the smart and connected mine, managers can see and understand the challenges their miners face. IoT systems share data with experts far away, who can advise on tough problems. Automated drills and trucks can work night and day while keeping people out of harm’s way.
Most mines operate in remote places, far from communication networks. That’s why miners around the world turn to satellite companies like Speedcast. Speedcast brings advanced connectivity to the world’s most out-of-the-way places. That means building networks in tunnels, across vast open pits, in offices and crew quarters – and connecting them to satellite, because it is the only kind of communication that goes everywhere on earth.
“In today’s smart and connected mine,” said executive director Robert Bell, “satellite-delivered IoT is saving lives, automating operations and improving how mines manage their waste. Our video tells the story of how satellite brings this advanced information technology to the most out-of-the-way places on Earth.”