Mining major Rio Tinto has heralded advanced 3D mapping technology it claims will improve mining efficiency and reduce operational costs by allowing it to focus on removing high-value ore, and less waste, with “pinpoint accuracy”.

A key difference between the Rio technology, RTVis, and others commercially available is the extent of integration achieved with the data management system overlaying the company’s automated truck and drill fleets. Rio says it can precisely identify the size, location and quality of ore in real time by retrieving data from automated trucks and drills operating in its mines.

“RTVis creates 3D images of mine pit activities that previously could not be measured,” the company said this week. “RTVis has led to greater ore recovery through sharper boundary identification, more accurate drill blasting, reduced explosives, improved waste classification and enhanced dig rates.”