Company Announcement - GroundProbe has announced a new slope monitoring radar for the mining industry. SSR-SARx is GroundProbe's first synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and is the highest resolution and longest range slope stability radar in the market. Testing at major international mine sites on four continents, the SSR-SARx is a long-range, long-term radar monitoring solution for open-pit mining with a range of 4.5 kilometres. GroundProbe has been a global leader in development and supply of slope stability radars to mining for over a decade. Its radars revolutionised in-pit safety and productivity, allowing mine planners to safely access areas previously not possible.

Launching the new radar, GroundProbe CEO John Beevers said the SSR-SARx provided unmatched technology, unparalleled image resolution and lightning fast data transfer. "This is a sophisticated system producing the best resolution of any synthetic aperture radar in use. We have leveraged 12 years of SAR experience by partnering with Italian company LiSALab, the pioneers of ground-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar who were the first company to bring the technology to market. "Safely reducing unit cost is the highest priority for open cut mining operations. Slope monitoring plays an important role in doing that, but no two geotechnical problems are the same. Each radar technology provides advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation. "At GroundProbe we have never considered a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to solving complex problems. This is why we developed the SSR-SARx. It rounds out our product range, allowing customers to find a solution that best fits their needs," he said. "We are proud to be the only company in the world that now offers all slope stability radar technologies, 2D and 3D RAR, and now 2D SAR, all using the same software SSR-Viewer, giving customers the productive edge they need in today’s operating climate."

Mr Beevers said customer requirements demanded GroundProbe systems remain 'technology agnostic'. "The SSR-SARx uses SSR-Viewer software, common to all GroundProbe radars. Mr Beevers said GroundProbe revolutionised safety in mining with development of the Slope Stability Radar in 2001 and in July this year, GroundProbe launched its first broad area radar. “The SSR-FX was the first of our broad area monitoring solutions. It scans 180 degrees every two minutes with sub-millimetre precision over long periods. This new long-range radar ensures customers have a range of solutions to meet their short and long-term operational mining needs," he said. Targeted monitoring focuses on a known, safety-critical risk for short periods with alarms that alert mine operators of slope movement, allowing mine personnel to instantly and confidently respond when a hazard changes. Broad area monitoring covers large mine areas for long periods to locate new risks and hazards. The broad area system finds ‘hot spots’ that can then be continuously monitored with targeted radar. The new SAR is for long-range monitoring and it can monitor out to 4.5 kilometres with 50 per cent more resolution than any SAR system. It has the ability to continuously collect years of data to detect both fast and slow moving failures, to keep mines safe and to maximise productivity," he said.

Mr Beevers said addition of the first synthetic aperture radar was a milestone for GroundProbe which previously developed real aperture radar. The new SAR has high resolution integrated imaging for real time photographs aligned with the radar data and includes 'intelligent' signal processing power, allowing SAR data to be processed at the radar so that every scan is completed and processed in two minutes ready for viewing and alarming. "Advances in technology and more demanding requirements from customers keep us 'pushing the envelope' in search of new solutions. We know there's not only one monitoring solution for all of our customers so we continually innovate.  Our solutions are tailored to customer needs," Mr Beevers said.

Mr Beevers says it makes economic sense for mines to install suitable monitoring systems. “If failure mechanisms are understood and slopes are properly monitored, risks can be significantly reduced, and of course, lives can be saved.
“Appropriate monitoring systems allow for more aggressive slope designs while maintaining safe working conditions for mine personnel. The extra revenue generated by the steep slopes and the savings gained from fewer damages and injuries will, in almost all cases, far outweigh the cost of the monitoring equipment,” he said. “Our Geotechnical Engineers travel extensively, visiting client sites, training site personnel, and remotely monitor the output of working radars to help interpret data and produce regular reports. Through their expertise, we design and provide tailored slope monitoring solutions on any scale. This interface with mines also helps us understand production demands and to build tailored solutions,” Mr Beevers said.