Wifi Revolution

Facilitating real-time location tracking of personnel and equipment, and controlled mustering process, AeroScout’s Wi-Fi-based visibility solution is being used by Xstrata Coal to bring increased safety to workers at the Beltana Coal Mine, Australia’s most productive longwall operation. AeroScout will be offering this service in partnership with Mine Site Technologies (MST), a provider of mining communication.

 

To track 50 underground vehicles at Beltana, Xstrata is using MST’s self contained tags based on AeroScout’s market-leading T2 Intrinsically Safe Wi-Fi-based Active RFID tags. Xstrata can now streamline vehicle access into ventilation districts as it will know the accurate real-time location of each of these vehicles, which enables better fleet management. The Wi-Fi-enabled communications equipment, such as VoIP telephones, which can be implemented when IS approvals are achieved on the VoIP handset, are also using the same Wi-Fi network used by the AeroScout solution to provide accurate real-time location tracking.

 

Whenever Beltana Coal Mine’s workers work underground, they will wear the Integrated Communications Cap Lamps (ICCL) from Mine Site. Facilitating their location to be tracked over the mine’s Wi-Fi network, Mine Site has integrated AeroScout’s Active RFID tags into the battery packs of the ICCL cap lamps.

 

With the help of AeroScout MobileView software, the real-time location of every worker can be viewed on a map. It also allows users to search for the location of specific workers at any given time. AeroScout’s solution can also be used to automate the muster process if there is an emergency. This ensures that all workers in the mine are quickly and accurately accounted for at specific refuge points.

 

Along with self contained tags based on AeroScout’s T2 intrinsically safe tags to track 50 diesel vehicles throughout the mine, Xstrata uses AeroScout’s Active RFID technology, integrated into Mine Site Technologies’ ImPact Digital Communication System and ICCL cap lamps, to track 200 workers underground.

 

“Beltana is a great example of how Unified Asset Visibility can make mines safer and more efficient by providing real-time personnel, vehicle and equipment tracking,” said Amir Ben-Assa, industry solutions marketing director at AeroScout. “Because our visibility solution is based on a Wi-Fi network, mines are able to leverage the same infrastructure for personnel safety, equipment management, energy savings and improved communications.”

 

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