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62 www.resourceworld.com A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 MININGWORLD Inmarsat provides smart tailings dam monitoring by Kathrine Moore INMARSAT PLC [ISAT- LSE] is a world leading mobile satellite communications company with a global satellite network that has been providing global connectivity for 40 years. The company was set up by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1979 "to provide a satellite communica - tions network that would protect the lives of mariners anywhere at sea." Today, they provide voice and high-speed data com- munications to governments, industry and humanitarian organizations the world over. Inmarsat Global Xpress (GX) is the first and only high-speed mobile broadband net- work to seamlessly span the globe. On February 28, 2019, Inmarsat announced it is "joining forces with Knight Piésold UK, a member of the international geotechnical, tailings management and engineering consulting group, to deliver highly accurate tailings dam monitoring, analysis and real-time management capa - bilities for the mining industry". Using satellite technology combined with connected sensors, Inmarsat's remote monitoring system provides real-time information from tailings dams anywhere in the world. The sensors gather data on piezometric pressure, pond elevation, local weather conditions and inclinometer read - ings and transmits that data over Inmarsat's global L-band network to a cloud-based dashboard. Inmarsat's states that their "L-band constellation of satellites provides industry leading connectivity of up to 99.9% uptime. We are trusted by govern- ments and organizations to connect their mission critical applications wherever they are." Inmarsat's system works with a range of instruments and sensors and can convert sensors that are not currently integrated. Some of the features of the system include the ability to view changes in conditions as they happen and an alert function to help ensure a prompt response and an audit history. The Inmarsat Tailings Dam Monitoring Solution is designed to work standalone and operates separately from a site's infrastructure. It has its own power source and communications array and, in case of power and communications loss at a mine, tailings data will continue to be captured. Inmarsat states that the system has a low installation cost and training, support and firmware updates are part of the sub - scription service. The company trains the team to use and repair the system using a provided spare parts pack in order to min- imize downtime. Data is secure as Inmarsat works with some of the world's largest and most secure organizations and govern- ments and the system features 24/7/365 cyber-security surveillance. No prior infrastructure is needed to install the system. Inmarsat says, "All con- nectivity/power equipment required for the solution to work is provided to the customer. All we need is minor civil works on site for the equipment to sit on." Paul Gudonis, President of Inmarsat Enterprise, said in a February 28, 2019 news release, "We know that the industry is committed to zero-harm and by teaming with Knight Piésold to launch this tailings dam solution, this is another step towards achieving complete health, safety and operational success in the mining sector." On May 29, 2019 Inmarsat announced it had signed a MoU with Minas Gerais State Government in Brazil to explore the poten - tial of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions for monitoring the integrity of mine tailings dams in the region. n Inmarsat's remote monitoring system provides real-time information from tailings dams anywhere in the world. Photos Courtesy of Inmarsat.