dam collapse in January this year, which has claimed 237 people. Both mines were operated by Brazilian iron ore miner Vale.“Our IoT-based monitoring solution leverages advanced connectivity technologies to give mining companies total visibility over the safety and integrity of their dams, and enables them to take action to avert safety issues,” Inmarsat Enterprise President Paul Gudonis said in the statement.
It’s a departure from business as usual, Carr said, as some mine companies only monitor dam statistics every six months to satisfy government auditors. Even in cases when mines regularly verify dam health, the efforts to do so – which can involve “driving out two hours or helicoptering once a quarter to fly up to the dam” is problematic, he said.
However, some mining experts are concerned that the technology will not be enough to prevent the next Brumadinho.