CASE STUDY
Australian Gold Production Company
Streamlining Ground Rehabilitation Reporting with Microsoft PowerApps
The Australian gold production company came to illuminance Solutions seeking to modernise its operations and leverage existing Microsoft platform investments, They faced a significant operational challenge related to ground rehabilitation reporting after exploration activities. Traditionally, geologists would take photos on their phones and store survey information on their computers, with some remote locations lacking network coverage. Compiling these photos and data for compliance reporting was time-consuming and cumbersome. To address this issue, they engaged illuminance Solutions, a technology consulting firm, to implement a solution using Microsoft PowerApps, enabling offline data, photo capture, and centralised database synchronisation.
Operational Challenge
The gold production company‘s exploration teams recorded photo evidence of ground rehabilitation after conducting exploratory activities. Geologists had to take photos using their individual phones, and survey data were stored locally on their computers due to remote locations lacking reliable network coverage. This decentralised approach made collecting all the required data and photos difficult, resulting in delays in compliance reporting. The manual process of collating information from various geologists was time-consuming and prone to errors, hindering the company’s ability to provide timely reports.
Implementation
To overcome these challenges and streamline the ground rehabilitation reporting process, the gold production company collaborated with illuminance to leverage Microsoft PowerApps, a low-code application development platform within the Microsoft ecosystem. The solution involved creating a custom mobile application using PowerApps that allowed geologists to capture both survey data and photo evidence of ground rehabilitation. Notably, the application was designed to work offline, enabling data and photos to be collected even in remote locations with limited or no network connectivity.
Key Features of the PowerApps Solution
Offline Data Capture:
Geologists could access the PowerApps mobile application, record survey data, and take photos offline, without internet connectivity.
Photo Evidence Integration:
The application allowed geologists to directly capture and attach photo evidence of ground rehabilitation, linking them to the relevant survey data.
Centralised Database Sync:
Once geologists return to network coverage areas, the application synchronises the collected data and photos with a centralised database.
Data Completeness and Accuracy:
PowerApps significantly reduced the chances of missing or incomplete data, ensuring a comprehensive and accurate record of ground rehabilitation activities.
Near Real-time Reporting:
With the data now centrally stored, the lag time in compiling reports was significantly reduced, enabling the gold production company to provide timely and compliant reports.
Results and Impact
The implementation of PowerApps brought about transformative changes in Alkane’s exploration operations. The benefits included:
Time Savings:
The process of collecting and collating data and photos for reporting was streamlined, saving valuable time for both geologists and compliance teams.
Data Completeness:
The offline data capture capability ensured that no information was lost due to a lack of network coverage, enhancing the completeness and accuracy of the records.
Timely Reporting:
With data synchronisation and real-time reporting, Alkane could now provide compliance reports promptly, meeting regulatory requirements more efficiently.
The success of this project not only streamlined operations within the exploration team but also sparked a wave of positive change across other business units at the gold production company. By adopting modern technologies like PowerApps, the company showcased its commitment to innovation and productivity enhancement. It set the stage for further technological advancements in pursuing excellence in the gold exploration and production industry. The use of PowerApps as a transformative tool exemplifies their vision to stay at the forefront of digital solutions, optimising their existing Microsoft platform investments, and creating a more agile and efficient work environment for the future.
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