Data: not valuable in its raw form; get the foundations right - let it speak your language. Great to join this panel at Digitalisation & AI in Mining Australia with Patrick Wicki, David Cavanagh, Peter Walker FAusIMM, FIEAust, and Rob Johnston - a group who’ve all had to turn digital theory into something that actually works on a mine site. A few themes kept surfacing: 🔹 Standardisation isn’t rigid: it’s semantics. The biggest failures in AI and digital projects aren’t dirty data; they’re ambiguous data. Standardisation today means aligning ontologies - shared definitions of events, assets, units, and processes - so every team speaks the same operational language (and the AI does too!). 🔹 Knowledge graphs are the new backbone for mining. Once those ontologies are connected, you get a knowledge graph: a systems-thinking model of your operation. It shows dependencies, context, causal links, and where value (or risk) actually sits. It’s the difference between data stored and data understood. 🔹 Change management is the real moat. You can have a perfect architecture and still fail if frontline teams don’t trust it. The biggest wins often come from co-designing workflows, simplifying decisions, and showing crews how this removes friction - not adds it. 🔹 Safety wins are the quickest wins. A people first approach makes it easier to surface leading indicators, connect weak signals, and spot patterns you’d normally miss. Many of the fastest adoption stories start with safety, because the value is immediate and the trust is high. 🔹 Operational value beats strategy every time. People don’t rally behind roadmaps; they rally behind getting their job done better. A reduced delay code set, a cleaner shift report, or a predictive alert that actually matters can move a team faster than any “digital transformation program”. Huge thanks to the organisers (Mining Innovation Network - Giulia Jalmerot - Timarco) and fellow panellists for a grounded conversation. Mining doesn’t need more data: it needs systems that deliver value in the field. #MiningInnovation #DigitalMining #AIinMining #OperationalExcellence #Safety #Ontologies #KnowledgeGraphs #ChangeManagement #SystemsThinking #DataStrategy Unearthed Bentley Systems CITIC Pacific Mining Integrated Energy Pty Ltd
Ryan Richardson
4mo
Great insights, Ed! The emphasis on standardisation to align ontologies is absolutely crucial. Connecting the dots with knowledge graphs can indeed be transformative, providing a complete understanding of operations. Also, prioritising safety and operational value resonates well, as it drives trust and immediate impact. 🚀
Exactly let it speak the language- then bizops can benefit the fastest