GoldenEye - AI for Mining

Improved safety, efficiency, and a lower environmental impact

Background

In mid-2020, OPT/NET B.V. — as part of a broader consortium of 16 European companies and research partners — was granted €8.4 Million by the European Commission to participate in a three-year H2020 project to develop an artificial intelligence platform for the monitoring and analysis of mine sites across Europe.

OPT/NET’s involvement in the Goldeneye project includes playing a technological leadership role and supplying AI expertise to the consortium partners, based on our extensive experience in delivering AI solutions for critical data-driven domains.

Why is the GoldenEye project relevant?

There is a growing need for mineral resources. Mining operations must satisfy the growing demand for minerals in the presence of fewer high-grade deposits, which are often located in remote locations or right between densely populated areas.

The Goldeneye project aims to develop solutions that improve the safety, environmental impact, and profitability of mines by creating a platform that combines earth observation and sensing technologies from satellites, drones, and ground sensors to provide actionable intelligence via a single powerful solution. The GoldenEye project provides an easy-to-use AI platform and detection technology to meet the growing needs of the mining industry for exploration, operational efficiency, and environmental protection.

General Assembly 2022

On May 30-31, 2022, the GoldenEye General Assembly took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. This was the first time the consortium had the opportunity to gather physically to discuss the results and progress of work. The Assembly also aimed to test the platform in the field for its suitability for practical use by experts.

During the first day, the general state of affairs was discussed, and several workshops were conducted by the 16 consortium members. The very next day, a field trip to Panagyurishte was conducted, which is one of the 5 pilot sites across Europe where Gold (Au), Copper (Cu), and Molybdenum (Mo) are mined. The trial at Panagyurishte is focused on mineralogical mapping with an aim to advance the platform’s capabilities in mineral exploration and mineral deposit mapping through the use of higher resolution imaging.

Users were impressed with the early platform's capabilities as it allows them to perform data-intensive analytical tasks and then publish and present the results via a Map-based graphical user interface from the convenience of their hand-held device. In doing so, this frees them from the need to conduct complex data analysis so they can focus more on fieldwork rather than lab work. The field tests have also identified several opportunities to improve functional processes before the commercial launch of the platform.

"The GoldenEye General Assembly in Sofia confirmed the correctness of the chosen direction in the development of the GoldenEye platform and once again emphasized the potential commercial value of this platform. It has been tested and demonstrated that similar products do not currently exist on the market. OPT/NET is currently working hard to refine some of the functionality to bring the platform to commercial use next year. We look forward to launching GoldenEye to take mining and exploration to the next level.” - Taras Matselyukh (CEO/CTO - OPT/NET)