GroundProbe Partners with Samarco to Ensure Safety

May 22, 2017 Tara

Brisbane-based mining technology company GroundProbe is to be the sole provider of radar monitoring solutions at Samarco Mineração S.A.

Five Slope Stability Radars will now be in full operation to detect any future movement and instability of Santarém and Germano dams, with GroundProbe supplying two safety-critical, mobile radar systems (SSR-XT) and three long-range, fixed-deployment radar systems (SSR-SARx).

The complete, tailor-made monitoring solution of Real Aperture Radar (RAR) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technologies ensures the right mix of technology is being employed for the specific needs of the application.

GroundProbe is the only company in the world that offers all slope stability radar technologies, linked by a common software solution, so are well-equipped to meet the needs of any site-specific application.

John Beevers, MD and Chief Executive Officer, GroundProbe, spoke of how GroundProbe was able to secure the key, exclusive partnership following a competitive evaluation process. 

“There have been two radar vendors operating on-site for the last 18 months, allowing the Samarco geotechnical engineering team to directly compare and evaluate RAR and SAR technologies,” Mr Beevers said. 

“From day one, GroundProbe provided live, accurate data and alarms on the crisis centre to guarantee safety within the immediate area, using our highly advanced and intuitive software, SSR-Viewer.

“Coupled with the support services offered from our industry-leading Geotechnical Support Services team, software engineers and product reliability teams, we were able to answer questions and fix issues fast, providing constant support to the Samarco geotechnical team,” he said.

The radars form an integral part of Samarco’s complete risk reduction strategy; an industry-leading solution specifically developed for tailings dams, to assess further risks and hazards.

Samuel Ricardo Carvalho Carneiro, Geologist, Samarco, said the purchase of five radars cements their commitment to safety and best practice in terms of monitoring.

“We have invested heavily in the continued monitoring of the project, employing a wide range of monitoring solutions to ensure the stability of the dams,” Mr Carneiro explained.

“We have selected GroundProbe as the sole supplier of all radars, based on both their suite of technology offerings, and the quality of the support that they have provided and continue to provide our team.

“Our radar operators unanimously agreed that GroundProbe’s high quality software solution, SSR-Viewer, was unparalleled in terms of analysis and interpretation of slope monitoring data,” he said.

GroundProbe will now work to deploy the suite of radars to site, and look forward to the continued support they will provide to the Samarco team, working together to ensure that no further movement goes undetected.

“GroundProbe is not just a provider, but a partner,” Mr Carneiro said.

Previous Article
Need tips for a healthy mind?
Need tips for a healthy mind?

If you want to make a change, grow or break a habit or routine, look to your environment – the..

Next Article
New offence to be created to target deadly workplace practices
New offence to be created to target deadly workplace practices

The Queensland Government will introduce the new offence of “negligence causing death” following an interim...