Measurement systems supplier GroundProbe is currently carrying out initial mine evaluations for two clients in Botswana. The company is also looking at 
upgrading the service provisions for its equipment as well as 
expanding its existing equipment base.

GroundProbe business manager for Africa Keith Rowley says that the simple pit alarm system that the company provides is designed and manufactured in South Africa and is exported to Australia and the rest of the world. He has been conducting proposals to install simple pit alarm systems at four sites in Botswana.

The company supplies measurement systems and geotechnical services to the international mining and civil infrastructure industries. It supplies equipment to detect cavities in old mines on opencast pits.

Rowley says that the pit alarm system is still a relatively new technology that integrates with the company’s slope stability radar technology. 
He says that the system extends the usefulness of the slope stability radar into the pit, as it is global positioning system enabled, and provides visual and audio warnings that alert operators to any problems.

GroundProbe is the first company in the world to produce the slope stability radar technology, which allows real-time monitoring of opencast pit walls.

Rowley explains that the system provides the operator with information from the radar onto a map showing where the alarms are situated, what their status is and what sets them off.

In Botswana, the company is 
working closely with diamond-miner De Beers Botswana Min-ing, as well as with the Orapa, Lethlhakane and Jwaneng diamond mines and nickel mine Tati Nickel. Rowley says that GroundProbe has a substantial presence in Botswana, as well as in Zambia, Namibia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries.

Mine Safety
Rowley says that GroundProbe’s products and services have changed the way that opencast pit mining works, as it makes mining safer.

The company provides products and services that accommodate the monitoring of any rock type or material and provides 
solutions for any mine that 
requires safety solutions.

Before this technology was 
introduced, it was not possible to monitor pits in real time, but now most opencast mining 
operations in the world are using slope stability radar technology.

Rowley says that it is an 
ongoing effort to ensure that all GroundProbe’s clients under-
stand the equipment, as it is aware that safety is paramount. The company offers training programmes to its clients.

“GroundProbe’s technology is responsible for much of the 
reduction in injuries and fatalities in opencast mining operations,” says Rowley.

He adds that the company has an immense database that records all the rockfalls that have been recorded globally and mentions that not a single person was hurt during these recordings.

Rowley says that the feedback that the company receives from mines regarding rockfalls that were discovered, before they had any dire consequences, is a highlight for GroundProbe.

He says that by using this technology, a mine can modify the safety pit design and improve safety monitors, thereby avoiding fatalities, casualties and production time losses.

Economic Crisis
Meanwhile, Groundprobe is concerned that the strategic 
financial plans of mines may 
affect business. 
During the financial crisis, technologies that were once considered a necessity may not be considered essential anymore.

Rowley says that the company has shifted its marketing focus and believes that now is the time when mines need this equipment more than ever 
before to become more economic.
He says that GroundProbe emphasises the real economic 
value of its products and services, 
rather than focus purely on its safety benefits.

“There is a real economic 
return on GroundProbe equipment, given the current economic 
climate,” says Rowley.

Rowley explains that if a company wants to mine less rock and more ore, it needs to examine its pit design, which requires monitoring using GroundProbe’s systems. 
He adds that the technology will enable mines to maintain safety and improve their economic operations.

“GroundProbe is unlikely to feel the effects of the economic slowdown. The company is going through a period of re-examination, but I believe it will come out of this period and improve itself,” says Rowley.

Future
The company is planning a range of new technologies, products and services for the African market and has spent a large amount of capital on its development. Rowley says that the new technology will be released in the next few months.

He adds that GroundProbe is rolling out its geotechnical ser-
vices globally and has acquired high-definition geophysical 
imaging company Geoforce, which it will use globally to 
extend its services to Africa and western and eastern Europe, 
including Russia.

The company is also imple-
menting new training programmes for its staff and clients. The company is also expanding its geotechnical services.

“In the midst of a challenge, GroundProbe is finding a period of growth and it is an oppor-
tunity rather than a burden. I think the economic crisis will make it a better company and improve the mining industry 
operationally and economically,” 
concludes Rowley.