Day 1: Courtesy Call and Presentation of MOA
The MARVEL Technologies team arrived at the Apex Mining Company, Inc. at 12nn on July 11, 2022. They were welcomed by Engr. Kenny Allan Beigno who led them to the staff house for a meal after which they were directed to the health department for a vital sign check-up following their health protection and safety protocol. The team then rested for a while as they waited for the courtesy call/administrative meeting to begin.
During the courtesy call administrative meeting, Mr. Elbert Moyon led an opening prayer to kick off the program. Following the prayer, Dr. Jaymer M. Jayoma, the project leader of MARVEL Technologies officially started the program with his welcome words and the introduction of the team members to the AMCI personnel.
Engr. Joellyn Sawi Buco, the facilitator, requested Engr. Jaredde Glynn Penaso to lead the prayer. Following the prayer, Engr. Glenn D. Odtojan then delivered his welcome address and acknowledged the presence of each and every one in the room.
Mr. Kent Espejon, the Senior Programmer of MARVEL Tech then presented the Industry4.0 Learning Factory for Mining Engineering and Geology in the Academe and Mining Industry Using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Technologies or also known as MARVEL Technologies
After the project orientation, Engr. Josel P. Retardo, the Assistant Division Manager (Technical) Of AMCI talk about his insights about the project. He suggested to focus on the framework of the project and identify what particular activities need to be performed in the mining site so that he can easily arrange and coordinate with the resource person/personnel of AMCI.
In response, Dr. Jayoma then requested to obtain data from the GIS Department especially the DTM and DEM for the profiling of the mining site as well as the vicinity map if available. The team will have a drone simulation to profile the actual geographic features of the mining site. The team will also conduct an underground tour in the actual underground mining area to capture objects that can be found in the site that will be used for 3D modelling and the team will also have visitation to the core house.
Engr. Retardo responded to immediately coordinate the designated department and resource person to guide the team. He added that the team must declare all the pictures, videos and documents gathered from AMCI so that they can filter what particular information is allowed in compliance rules and regulation of the company as well as the data security.
Afterwards, Engr. Gerome Amper, one of the project staff from the Department of Mining Engineering of CSU then presented the detailed work and financial plan of the project. Engr. Retardo, in response, expressed his insights and commented on the importance of a NonDisclosure Agreement to be included in the MOA. He added that he will be submitting the document to their legal officer for final comments and suggestions.
The general objective of the project is to develop augmented and virtual reality technologies for mining process that can aid the simulation and trainings in mining scenarios, this includes training high-risk situations such as simulating the utilization of equipment and machineries inside the mining site. The project aims to; Develop AR and VR for anatomy of a mine, develop AR/VR for mine safety training and drills and develop AR and VR for mining machine operations of which the Apex Mining Company, Inc. ar excited and in full support for the development of the said project.
The day 1 activity ended with a small talk from both parties, Dr. Jayoma discussed the following activities that will be performed for the following days and the data gathering. Engr. Retardo responded to coordinate the resource person and departments in the company.
Day 2: Data Collection and Consultation
On the second day activity, the team were divided into two groups. The first gruop was of Mr. Kent Espejon, Mr. Arnel Espejon, Mr. Arnel Rosillo, Mr. Kier Patrick Empang, Mr. Clifford Eco, Mr. Karl Bughao and Ms. Daryl Suarez. Theey weretasked to go to the mine site and gather necessary data for 3D modelling, perform drone simulation and capture the entire surface of the mining site. The second groupmembers, Engr. Gerome Amper, Engr. Adriane Melana, Mr. Elbert Moyon, Mr. Edsel Matt Morales, Ms. Eunessa Mae Alob and Mr. Jayson Dollete were assigned to gather data in relation to the stages of mine.
The team was permitted to undertake an underground tour by the AMCI. The group enters the L95 Maligaya Portal since it is the less-used portal. This will allow them to carry out their task without having to interfere with mining operations inside the facility.
Day 3: Training and Workshop
On the third day, the team conducted a training-workshop on the development of the Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technology; how they managed to acquire 3D models and how thay’d develop the above-mentioned technology. As a counterpart, the AMCI personnel also conducted various training workshops to the project team in relation to the mining operations/processes.
To make use of the remaining time, the team were again separated into groups. Ms. Marivic Collado, the GIS Department Head of AMCI, lectured on the mapping and GIS data acquisition of the entire mine site.
The other team visited the core house Engr. Darwin Riguer escorting them, the Head of the Exploration Department Geology Division of AMCI. He welcomed everyone and commended the support of Caraga State University for research endeavors like MARVEL Technologies. After getting to know each other, Engr. Melana and Engr. Amper then presented the overview of the project and the purpose of the visit.
Engr. Riguer presented the Exploration Geology Overview from AMCI. Exploration is a range of activities to help determine if there are minerals under the ground. If the exploration process identifies minerals can be commercially extracted, then mining in the future may be possible.
Less than one percent of exploration projects typically progress to establishing a mine. This is part of the reason why mining and the resources extracted come at a high financial cost. Initial exploration activities, such as mapping, will start over a large area and then target smaller and smaller areas. The aim is to see if mineralization is at levels large enough to be commercially extracted. After a moment of discussions, the team handed a flash drive to obtain the necessary data that can be used. Engr. Riguer also provided his contact information in case the team will be needing additional information or inquiries.
They also visited the old core house of AMCI where the core logs are stored for an actual encounter of core transportation and proper storage. Sampling and drilling are key parts of mining exploration. Rapid geochemical analysis from sampling programs enables mining operations to increase discovery success rates, identify drill targets quickly, make on-site decisions about whether to stop or continue drilling, and decide where to focus on the grid. Miners must also get an accurate report to the capital markets as fast as possible.
After visiting the old core house, the team took a ride to visit the diamond core drilling area. Exploration diamond drilling is used to probe the contents of known ore deposits and potential sites. By withdrawing a small diameter core of rock from the orebody, geologist can analyze the core by the chemical assay and conduct petrologic, structural, and mineralogical studies of the rock.
Engr. Riguer demonstrate the step-by-step process on operating the machines and explain the purpose of the different equipment The team were able to witness how the drilling is done. Engr. Riguer added that core drilling is very costly,but this is one of the most effective ways to determine what available deposits can be found underneath. This will help them decide whether to continue the operation in the area or not.
After the simultaneous training-workshop, the team gathered in the staff house for the farewell meeting. Engr. Ferdinand Roobli, the admin Division Manager delivers his speech to express his appreciation towards the team and pledged to continue his support. Afterwards, Engr. Amper took over in behalf of the marvel tech team to extend his gratitude towards AMCI for the genuine support and handed a token of appreciation to Engr. Kenny Benigno II and Engr. Ferdinand Roobli. The session was concluded with the photo opportunity together with AMCI resource Person and Marvel Tech team.
Early morning on the 4th day, July 14, 2022, the MARVEL Technologies Project team headed home. The team was very grateful fo the warm welcome and superb accommodation of the AMCI personnel, hoping for more collaborations and explorations in the future.