PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining giant Rio Tinto has launched its latest technology offering in the form of a three-dimensional (3D) mapping technology, which it boasted would reduce costs and improve the efficiency of mining operations.

The new technology supported Rio’s drive for productivity improvements and cost reductions across its diversified portfolio of assets, the miner said on Tuesday.

Under the next phase of its Mine of the Future programme, Rio would be able to identify the size, location and quality of ore in real time by retrieving data from automated trucks and drills operating in its mines.

The 3D software provided pinpoint accurate mapping that improved efficiency of mining activity by ensuring it was tightly focused on removing high-value ore, significantly reducing waste and operational costs, Rio said.

The technology would create 3D images of mine pit activities that previously could not be measured, leading to greater ore recovery through sharper boundary identification, more accurate drill blasting, reduced explosives, improved waste classification and enhanced dig rates.

Rio Tinto head of innovation John McGagh said that the technology allowed the company to quickly and easily view, compare and evaluate data.

“RTV is is a low-cost application that complements existing group-wide data technology in a way previously never available to enhance our mining operations. It quickly brings information to a much broader audience - from a single operator in the field to an expert team in the Rio Operations Centre in Perth.”

“Armed with this detailed information, our operations to recover the orebodies will be significantly more efficient and effective.”

The new 3D technology was deployed at Rio’s West Angelas iron-ore mine, in Western Australia, and trials were also under way in other operations, including copper, energy and diamonds.