Groundprobe GMS

Mine sites conduct geotechnical monitoring using Robotic-Total-Stations, which traditionally rely on physical prisms or reflectors on the wall. Prisms are dangerous to install, inflexible to changing ground conditions and their repair/replacement can be unsafe, time-consuming and expensive. Existing products are also lacking in competent analysis software for users to easily investigate movement. The challenge was to create a product with similar precision and capability to existing products in the market, but able to reflect the laser directly off rock, without the use of physical prisms. It was also necessary that the system be compatible with GroundProbe’s analysis software, SSR-Viewer.

The GMS is an industry-first innovation. It allows users to not only monitor prisms, but also add new ‘virtual’ points on the wall, reflecting the laser signal directly off the rock. We were able to achieve excellent ‘virtual point’ precision by applying Groundprobe's patented radar signal and data processing techniques to a long-range laser. The fully-processed data collected by the hardware is then made available for analysis in SSR-Viewer. Its powerful data visualisation, charting and analysis tools take the GMS well beyond the capabilities of typical Robotic Total Stations.

Collapses in mines can be disruptive, destructive and at worst, fatal. They can halt or cease production, with financial and societal impacts affecting whole communities and cities. The greatest risk of all is endangering human lives. The technology allows its users to conduct real-time, remote monitoring to warn of collapses. It detects movement early with precision, enabling its user to correlate trends and forecast when a collapse is likely to occur. The GMS allows mine sites to better manage risk, increase productivity and ensure maximum safety.

The cutting edge design of the enclosure system embodies the innovative technology housed within. The faceted form and triangular shapes represent the nature of the three dimensional geophysical data which is at the core of the company. It is a high-quality, technology-driven design, yet functional in its approach and appropriate for mine sites, which are often located in some of the most inhospitable environments on the planet. The GMS system was designed with the end user in mind. It allows its operator to safety and remotely conduct visual inspections, previously not possible with existing products.