A large Australian mineral drilling company will use innovative geo-fencing technology developed by a Perth-based start-up to help it and its mining clients maintain Aboriginal cultural heritage and environmental site access compliance, describing the tech as “top of its class”.
Privately-owned Topdrill founder and managing director, Tim Topham, says GeoMoby’s Protect geolocation system and reporting capability “will immediately improve our ESG reporting for Topdrill’s mining clients”.
It plans to use the GeoMoby product at sites in Australia where it has 30 drill rigs operating.
GeoMoby, formed in 2013, has developed products for surface and underground mines, and cultural heritage protection, based on GPS, fusion sensors and patented live tracking algorithms. The technology can geofence sites and provide personnel and asset location monitoring data, and proximity alerts, even in areas lacking communication connectivity.
Receivers can be carried on-person or in vehicles, machinery or equipment, with GeoMoby apps compatible with modern devices such as smart phones and tablets. The technology allows site personnel to create or upload geofences on a map via GIS systems, then define different alerts and triggers, while ensuring minimum drain on the device battery. Information is then uploaded to a cloud-based platform with replay features and reporting capabilities for compliance purposes.
“We believe our easy-to-use technology will soon become industry standard,” GeoMoby founder and CEO Chris Baudia said this week.
The breakthrough Topdrill contract is an important commercial landmark for GeoMoby.
“We look forward to working together with Tim Topham and the team, using GeoMoby location intelligence technology to improve the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage and environmental sites in Australia and around the globe,” director Mathieu Paul said.
Paul said Protect enabled users to trigger alerts and actions based on predefined sets of conditions including dwell-time, body temperature, weather, real-time traffic and user profile. Complex geofences – virtual geographic boundaries – can be configured to trigger customised actions when crossed.
GeoMoby earlier this year announced a collaboration deal with US-based Cisco Systems on their underground mine technology.
Paul said GeoMoby’s technology had been rigorously tested by Cisco.
“[It] and has been proven to vastly improve underground mining visibility [and] the ability to locate assets and people in real-time,” he said.
“With the support of Cisco, GeoMoby is looking forward to rolling out our technology to many of the world’s largest underground mines over the coming years.”
GeoMoby raised A$3 million of private equity funding in the second half of last year.
