HACK, D.R. Utilization of scripting languages for customization of mine planning packages by specialized users.

Application of Computers and Operations

Research in the Minerals Industries, South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2003.

Utilization of scripting languages for customization of mine

planning packages by specialized users
D.R. HACK
Halstead GeoNumerics, Inc., Portland, Oregon, USA

The complexity of commercial mining software has gained rapidly over the past decade as
hardware developments have surpassed software capabilities at a staggering rate. Software users,
recognizing the limitations of off-the-shelf applications, have adapted embedded scripting
languages. Custom programming has always had a vital role in mine computing innovations,
yielding a dynamic research environment in industry and academia. Fields such as industrial
minerals can benefit from customization of existing software, since the majority of mine planning
software was designed for large metal mines. Different customization approaches utilizing
embedded scripting languages are presented, with examples of sand and gravel applications in
development. Following implementation by Surpac and development of the Surpac Command
Language, Tcl has been widely applied. Mintec introduced Python, also extensible and portable
amongst various operating systems, for use in their MineSight products. In early 2000, Gemcom
introduced the use of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications, widely used customization tools
for a decade. Datamine implemented a flexible multi-language approach, with all program
commands and processes available through the COM Server Interface. This extends customization
from the existing macro language to scripting in HTML, JavaScript, or any language that supports
COM.

Introduction emergence of web-based applications has popularized

Computer methods have been an integral component in the
daily life of operating mines for more than a quarter
century. Applications range from pre-packaged off-the-
shelf programs to massive IT management systems
customized by the vendor. The next logical step is end-user
customization. Users from sectors for which the software
was not originally designed, such as industrial minerals,
will benefit particularly from customization, by adapting
existing programs to their narrow requirements while
utilizing built-in power and sophistication. Consequentially,
developers have recognized scripting applications as an
inroad to unexplored market sectors.
There is not yet a wide variety of industry specific
solutions to describe, as computer usage for mine planning
is fairly new for many sectors, such as sand and gravel.
Solutions generally begin as small tools and proceed
through several generations to become more sophisticated
modules useful to others. The time to maturity of custom
solutions from user to commercial marketplace and/or
availability to other users can be considerable. Therefore,
this paper will serve more as an overview of aspects
relevant to impending development, and a few imminent
applications will be discussed.
Brief history of scripting languages relevant to
mining applications
Astounding increases in computer speed over the past few
years have fostered a comparable increase in the power and
sophistication of scripting languages. In addition, the
embedded scripting languages since scripts can be
embedded in HTML documents. Scripting, however, has
been around for at least forty years. A ‘scripting language’
is a programming language supported by a host program. A
scripting program (or ‘script’) is useful for the automation
of complex routines or advanced features within the host
program. In addition, a scripting language can be used to
integrate components and applications.
Job Control Language (JCL) is reported to be the earliest
scripting language1, used in the 1960s to sequence job steps
to arrange the flow of data in card decks for OS/360. Unix
shells, such as sh, csh, and ksh, became popular in the early
1970s, and remain so, for typing interactive commands and
automating common tasks. The next milestone was the
development of REXX in 1979 was the next milestone
relevant to the advance of scripting applications in mining.
REXX was used to simplify programming tasks on IBM’s
CMS timesharing systems2, and remains influential as a
macro language for arbitrary application programs. This
concept, critical in the emergence of embedded scripting
languages in mining, means that macro languages and
interpreters do not need to be designed for each application,
as long as the application supports the REXX programming
interface. AutoLISP and Visual Basic for Applications
(VBA) are early customization innovations that remain in
wide use. AutoLISP, a scripting language embedded within
AutoCAD and a direct descendant of XLISP, introduced
many engineering software users to the concept of scripting.
AutoCAD Release 1 was shipped in December 1982, and
AutoLISP has been included with AutoCAD since version
2.18 (Release 6) in January 1986.

UTILIZATION OF SCRIPTING LANGUAGES FOR CUSTOMIZATION OF MINE PLANNING 115

 VBA is a ‘hosted’, rather than a scripting, language but
its implementation in mining software is as a scripting tool
for customization. VBA, part of the Visual Basic family of
development tools, became popular because of the need for
‘automation’ (interacting with and accessing the host
application’s object model or the object models of other
applications) amongst Windows-based applications3. The
Object Basic project in 1990 was initiated to create an
object-oriented version of BASIC4, and by 1997 VBA was
embedded in all Microsoft flagship products. Microsoft
began licensing VBA for use with other developer’s
software in 1997, with over 250 current partners including
numerous CAD and GIS platforms, survey data processing
programs, and popular Windows application like
CorelDraw5.
How scripting is applied to mining software
The emergence of customization in mining software was
generally coincident with the popularity of scripting
languages in Microsoft products a decade ago. However,
back then, most customization was based on macro
languages and internal macro procedures (such as Surpac’s
CMD macro language). As suggested above, the use of
embedded scripting languages in mining applications is a
logical progression, integrating use of off-the-shelf
programs with more sophisticated programming/
customization historically performed by vendors, or
broadening the capabilities of the limited macros developed
by users in the past. This is coincident with the emergence
of scripting in web-based applications, though the full
integration of mining applications in a web environment has
yet to be the primary innovation as developers transition
from being software vendors to IT management companies.
Scripting is applied to mine planning packages in two
ways: customization of reports and other output, and the
automation of tedious and frequently repeated menu-driven
routines. Report customization is more common at present
than automation, because automation requires access to
program architecture. Report customization can be based on
externally available data structures and is amenable to
customization, as long as the interpreter is embedded.
The embedded interpreter compiles scripts at run-time.
Routines can run in the background or be available for user
input. Using various freeware and commercial ‘wrapping’
programs, scripting programs such as Tcl can create native
executables. In this case, stand-alone modules can be
created that operate on externally available data structures,
such as with CSV format files used by MineMax’s
iGANTT6.
Scripting languages used in mining software
Vendors have developed two different approaches for
implementation of a scripting language: proprietary
languages such as VBA and VBScript, and freeware
languages such as Tcl and Python. This choice has a
significant impact on user-base acceptance and usage, as
well as the practicality and flexibility of implementation by
users.
Tcl
The most significant advances in mining software
customization have involved the Tool Command Language,
or Tcl. Much of this success can be attributed to Tcl’s
freeware/open-source availability, which has fostered a
large global community active in the development of
116
extensions and adaptations for a wide range of applications.
Mainstream commercial users eventually implement these
developments.
Tcl was developed in 1988 by UC Berkeley professor
John Ousterhout, who wanted to build a cross-application
robust interpreted language with a generic set of facilities
supplied by the interpreter, such as variables, control
structures, and procedures 7 . Tcl was designed to be
‘extensible’, that is easy for each host application to add its
own features to the basic features of the language, which
was critical to the emergence of scripting in mining
applications. Ousterhout also developed Tcl’s affiliate
Graphical User Interface (GUI) toolkit Tk. Because of its
embeddability, it could be used to create new applications
that were scriptable and extensible without creating a whole
new language. This was also important in the emergence of
scripting in mining applications.
Jacl, a pure Java implementation of Tcl developed by
Ousterhout’s team7, was critical to Surpac’s implementation
of Tcl in 1998 with the release of Surpac Vision 4.0.
Though the primary goal was to replace the CMD macro
language, user-based customization became broadly
popular. Coincident with Tcl implementation, the Tcl
extension Surpac Command Language, or Scl, was created
to provide an interface with the data objects used internally
by Vision. Graphical User Interface Design Object, or
GUIDO, is a Vision resident version of Tk that employs
Java and Swing technologies 8 . Scl/Tcl commands are
interpreted at run time, but the Scl extensions map directly
to code that has been implemented using C++. Therefore,
there are no performance penalties as computationally
intensive sections of code are executed through compiled
code rather than interpreted code8.
Beyond Surpac’s internal programmers, independent
developers have developed Scl/Tcl/GUIDO based solutions
for Vision. The Perth, Australia office of Surpac’s South
African agent Digital Mining Services started the Z-Files
Initiative9 in 2000 as the official distributor of third-party
solutions. Other independent developers, such as
MineSched International of Vancouver BC10, develop Tcl-
based extensions and external modules for Surpac.
The core of each Surpac Tcl implementation is a recorded
macro (with *.tcl extension) of a given task. This script is
then converted into a callable Tcl procedure, accessible via
a GUIDO form that collects user input. Third-party
innovations, such as Tcom11, have been implemented by
Surpac developers to extend capabilities from automation
and custom reporting within Vision, to portability with
popular Microsoft products such as Excel and Access.
Tcom is a Windows-based Tcl extension that provides
commands to access and implement Component Object
Model (COM) objects, enabling client-side and server-side
scripting of COM objects through IDispatch and
IDUnknown derived interfaces. The resultant Windows
portability enabled data input/output connectivity with
Excel, Access, and Project files.
Mining software developers beyond Surpac are
introducing Tcl scripting capabilities. MineMax of Perth,
Australia produces the Tcl-capable MineMax Scheduler and
the Gantt-chart development program iGANTT 6 . The
comma separated value (CSV) format of iGANTT’s basic
data storage file lends itself to customization by third-party
developers because the data structure is externally
available. MineMax is developing methods to use Tcl for
automation in iGANTT12, which would require access to
program architecture.
APCOM 2003
Python
Similar to Tcl, Python is extensible and portable amongst
various operating systems. Dutch researcher Guido van
Rossum created Python in 1989 13 . Since then, it has
emerged as a serious competitor to Perl and Tcl. Notable
large-scale Python projects have involved the creation of an
authoring environment for transportable hypermedia
presentations, a complex multimedia teleconferencing tool,
and a university student registration system14. Commercial
uses have included search engine components by Infoseek
and Four11, as well as to construct the installation
procedure for Red Hat’s commercial Linux distribution.
Development of an interface between Python and
Microsoft’s COM and ActiveX architectures has been
ongoing15. Python will be able to act as a COM controller,
enabling portability of Microsoft applications similar to
Tcom. Python has developed other features that are Tcl
benefits such as a Pure Java implementation Jython, as well
as OpenGL bindings. User-friendly GUI toolkits are
available, such as TkInter, an object-oriented interface to
the Tcl/Tk widget set. Python users report strong numerical
handling as opposed to Perl.
Mintec15 has recently implemented the use of Python in
their MineSight Planner and Operations packages. Planner
utilizes MineSight MS2 as a framework, however non-MS2
users can also use the program for underground and open-
pit planning. Operations is an ore control system, with
modules to manage production blasthole data, build models,
and generate reports16,17. These packages use Python for
customizable reporting options and interfaces into the
reserves/scheduling database, as well as for use in data
conversion to another software system.
MineSight products support a macro language, however,
a scripting/macro interface is under development. An
impending release of the scripting interface will provide
non-client access to data structures through the Python
applications programming interface (API), enabling easier
data conversion and access. Some template scripts are
available from the manufacturer for user modification18.
VBA
VBA ‘...is a glue language: a language that interfaces with
the various objects that make up an application via the host
application’s object model...’3. Rather than being presented
as a scripting language, it is promoted a tool for
customizing packaged applications for integration with
other data and systems. The VBA Integrated Development
Environment (IDE) includes support for Microsoft Forms
for creating custom dialog boxes and Active X controls.
VBA’s integration into the Windows operating system and
ability to act as a native COM controller suggested it should
dominate the field of Microsoft portability, but this has
since been circumvented by Tcl and Python extensions.
However, in-process VBA performance is reported 200
times faster than standalone development tools19.
Gemcom 20 is currently the only mining software
developer to utilize VBA as a scripting tool, following an
agreement with Microsoft in early 2000. VBA supplements
the existing macro language in the various Gemcom
Desktop Editions (GDE) and Enterprise Management
System (GEMS). Data entries within dialog boxes are not
recorded, nor are any graphical editing operations, as
macros record only menu selections, accelerator keys, and
short cut keys. Macros can be recorded or written in a text
editor21.
UTILIZATION OF SCRIPTING LANGUAGES FOR CUSTOMIZATION OF MINE PLANNING
Multi-language COM Server Interface approach
A flexible approach to customization was introduced with
Datamine Studio in 1999. All Studio commands and
processes are available through the Datamine COM Server
Interface, so any language that supports COM, such as
JScript, VB, VBA, Visual Basic scripting edition (VB
Script), or C++, can be used for customization22. Some
developers have alluded to a multi-language approach, such
as running Tcl and VBA scripts in tandem in Surpac Vision
and AutoCAD respectively, but Studio was the first
package to use the approach intrinsically. Datamine was
among the first mining software companies to develop a
full, independent commercial product using its
customization ability and authorship model. Mine2-4D,
written in Visual Basic, is a planning and scheduling
program with Gantt chart and animation capabilities23.
JavaScript and VBScript are examples of client-side
scripting languages. A ‘client-side’ script is a program that
can accompany an HTML document or be embedded
directly in it. The program executes on the client's machine
when the document loads or when the link is activated.
JavaScript, popular with casual web users, is used as a
record and play medium in Datamine for simple
customization tasks, but complex interfaces and procedures
can supplement basic capabilities24. It is a freeware web-
based scripting language based on the international ECMA
Script standard. JScript is Microsoft’s version of the
language with proprietary extensions. VB Script offers
lightweight scripting capabilities for low memory
environments such as web browsers, and is common in the
creation of HTML web pages.
Scripting langiages for aggregate and cement
industry applications
Both fundamental applications of scripting described above,
that is customization of reports and other output, and the
automation of common menu-driven routines, are valuable
for industrial minerals users or other specialized markets.
For instance, reporting requirements for a sand and gravel
(aggregate) pit are far different than those for an
underground gold mine, though the same software may be
used. A gravel pit will be concerned primarily with
reporting pertaining to volume extracted per lease area,
whereas an underground gold mine will be concerned with
reporting ore grade extracted per stope in consideration of
processing requirements. Likewise, automation by an
aggregate industry user would tend toward streamlining of
methods for efficient volumetric calculations, rather than
methods more appropriate in underground operations, like
ring design.
Tcl/Surpac
Successful use of Tcom in popular Surpac extensions like
MineSched has spread to specialized users since the
technology is available and has been field tested by
practitioners. Two applications, SGMatrix and SGRecPak
for the aggregate industry are in development25.
‘SGMatrix’, which began as a collection of simple
Fortran data processing routines, is a first step toward the
utilization of granulometric analyses in computerized gravel
pit design and planning. Particle size distribution, the
analysis of which is known as ‘granulometrics’, is one of
the properties of sand and gravel that identify it as suitable
for use as concrete aggregate, along with such factors as
grain strength, response to freeze-thaw conditions, and
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detrimental impurities. SGMatrix is currently a stand-alone
program, however it is evolving into a Surpac-resident data
management environment for aggregate operation
exploration and production data. Using Tcom, the program
accepts input as sieve analysis cumulative per cent passing
results in Microsoft Excel format. It automates the
calculation of the numerous granulometric indices and
parameters in use, whether sedimentologic, engineering, or
concrete industry in origin. The next step is the generation
of a ‘master correlation table’. Displayed in this ‘matrix’
are linear correlation coefficients (ρ= -1.0 to 1.0) of every
selected index correlated with every other index (see Figure
1). Calculating numerous types of correlations is a popular
practice amongst engineering geologists and soils
engineers. If sample locations are available, all of the
selected variables will be correlated with Northing and
Easting. This functions as a first-order appraisal of spatial
data characteristics, assisting in the preliminary
identification of spatial structures.
‘SGRecPak’ is a Surpac-resident extension for the
automation of a concise reclamation bond estimate based on
site-specific factors developed during the mine and
reclamation planning process, such as pre- and post-mining
topographic maps, required reclamation topsoil thickness,
locations and extent of temporary or permanent topsoil
stockpiles, and haul road locations. The calculation of
reclamation performance bonds involves detailed planning,
calculations, and cost estimates, based on concepts
presented in the reclamation plan. A variety of output
options are available, such as estimation of total
reclamation costs, estimation of costs for individual
activities (such as re-vegetation, drainage/erosion control,
or ripping), whether graphically or in report format.
Tcl/iGANTT
As described above, iGANTT’s basic data storage structure
lends itself to customization by third-party developers
because the data structure is externally available. This could
be particularly valuable to aggregate users, for example,
because much emphasis is placed on integrated scheduling
of topsoil and overburden movement during mining and
reclamation.
Python/Minesight
Custom reporting options are valuable to industrial minerals
users, especially when programs are originally designed for
metal mines, as was cited prior with respect to gravel pits
versus underground gold mines. As Mintec’s quarry, and
other specialized, products develop a greater market share,
Python integration will likely follow the pattern of Tcl
integration, given the genetic similarities.
COM Server Interface/Datamine
The Cemento Andino operation in Peru has recently
implemented the use of several Datamine products for use
in data management, short and long-term planning, and
exploration26,27. All of these aspects require customization
via scripting. Four primary scripts, based on existing
templates, were written in Java Script and are as follows:
• Data Update (Actualizacion)—Enables the user to
import and update blast hole information, as well as
update the topography and the block model with new
survey data.
• Long-Term Planning (Largo Plazo)—Links with the
RM Scheduler (RMS) software program, prepares the
bock model so it can be used by RMS, launches RMS,
and then combines the existing information with the
updates as obtained via RMS.
• Short-Term Planning (Corto Plazo)—Uses the block
model generated with the Long-Term Planning script
and generates a short-term calendar in consideration of
quality and production targets. It also generates reports
that can be checked using Microsoft Excel. See Figure
2 for a portion of the GUI.
• Exploration Office—Provides a link with the
Exploration Office software.
The interface was developed to address the practical
requirements of users, is written in Spanish, and is very
intuitive. The scripts can be easily modified and improved
at any time if needed.

26 Sample #: CN046–COMP
27 Input data file: CN–024
28 Sample #:CN024–COMP
29
30 CORRELATION MATRIX:
31 Northing Easting D10 D25 D30 D50 D60 D75 #10 #30 #50 #100 #200 UC GC
32 Northing -0.745 0.2206 0.4659 0.3542 0.627 0.67 0.752 -0.62 -0.67 -0.029 0.2192 0.1356 0.3808 0.3238
33 Easting -0.173 -0.312 -0.435 -0.57 -0.6 -0.68 0.559 0.597 0.0856 -0.19 -0.044 -0.272 -0.404
34 D10 0.1958 0.1375 -0.042 0.0325 0.1169 -0.176 -0.58 -0.72 -0.6 -0.622 -0.54 -0.242
35 D25 0.735 0.4676 0.4644 0.459 -0.57 -0.487 0.0841 0.1021 -0.244 -0.029 0.635
36 D30 0.634 0.625 0.594 -0.67 -0.51 0.0171 0.0553 -0.304 -0.021 0.775
37 D50 0.911 0.873 -0.82 -0.6 0.1136 0.2616 0.0963 0.4323 0.559
38 D60 0.894 -0.81 -0.64 0.0713 0.2345 0.0816 0.4222 0.537
39 D75 -0.81 -0.68 0.0089 0.1741 0.0979 0.4317 0.514
40 #10 0.769 0.1412 0.0104 0.1008 -0.226 -0.51
41 #30 0.506 0.2809 0.3816 0.0924 -0.203
42 #50 0.827 0.705 0.651 0.3949
43 #100 0.676 0.684 0.3819
44 #200 0.847 0.1176
45 UC 0.329
46 GC
47 Sorting
48 Skewness
49 Kurtosis
50 Dust Ratio
51

Figure 1. Excel output from SGMatrix

118 APCOM 2003

 Figure 2. GUI from Datamine customization at Cemento Andino
Comparative discussion
In consideration of the spectrum of new or unexplored
options available for specialized users (such as in the
aggregate or cement industry) regarding scripting
applications in mine planning packages, it is important to
present and compare aspects relevant to their industries.
This could assist new users in the final purchase selection,
based on whichever mode of customization best suits their
purposes.
Comparative benefits
Regarding the significance of a seamless interface with
Windows applications, VBA would intrinsically be a first-
tier selection. However, since open-source languages like
Tcl are now capable of Windows integration, and
developments in Python are imminent, VBA is no longer
the sole option. VBA’s potential dominance has been
compromised by corporate control of language
developments, as well as a tradition of tedious terminology
and concepts. This dominance has been subsequently
circumvented by Tcl and Python extensions. VBA does
have unique benefits, such as supposed faster performance
than standalone development tools. Another VBA benefit is
that less end-user training may be necessary because
applications look and feel like the Windows applications
that the majority of computer users are already accustomed
to. A notable strength of Gemcom’s implementation of
VBA is that system integration has been painstakingly
constructed and extensively documented for developers28.
All of the OLE Automation objects in Gemcom follow a
consistent naming convention. This will assist Gemcom
UTILIZATION OF SCRIPTING LANGUAGES FOR CUSTOMIZATION OF MINE PLANNING
developers in the navigation of the dense layers of
terminology. In spite of these benefits, broad active VBA
development for Gemcom has not yet risen to the level of
other applications, but implementation is relatively new.
Datamine’s COM Server Interface approach ‘...gives the
programmer more flexibility in the choice of scripting
language and development environment, in order to make
best use of their skills and preferences...’22. All Studio
commands are available from an HTML page using any
supported language, and other applications can be started
from the same HTML page24. As with the Cemento Andino
project, Datamine found that the advantages with the scripts
as prepared for the client was that users were able complete
tasks very quickly because of this automation, and the
learning process was much faster than the software prior to
customization. This impacts the subsequent efficiency and
economic benefit of these data management and planning
operations.
As was implied above, Tcl has a bright future because of
the huge global development community. Furthermore,
Surpac was a pioneer not only in the introduction of an
embedded scripting language in a complex mine modelling
and planning package, but also in the adaptation of this
package’s architecture to accommodate internal
manipulation of functions in their products. The adaptation
of Tcl by other companies like MineMax, as well as
genetically related languages like Python by Mintec, has
suggested the long-term popularity of Tcl. A potential
disadvantage of Tcl implementation over a more centrally
controlled language like VBA is that even though the
development community is global in scale and very active,
it also has the tendency to be quite fragmented. For
119
instance, if one has an interest in a particular function such
as Excel portability, one can encounter literally dozens of
extensions posted on various websites that are of widely
varying quality. Unless, of course, one has a
recommendation from another user, such as is the situation
with the popularity of Tcom in the Surpac community.
Considerations in selection
Considerations in selection can be summarized as follows.
The outcome of each decision clearly impacts that
following in the list.
• Is a mine planning package already in use? For
example, if a company already uses Gemcom Desktop
Edition, then VBA is the only choice available.
• How soon must the system be available, and how much
customization is needed? In many instances, solutions
may already be available for a particular requirement.
Conversely, extensive programming may be required
for unique problems. The client should research what
solutions, whether developed by the vendor or by
independent programmers, are available and at what
cost.
• Is it more economical for the vendor, or a qualified
consultant, to develop and write the programs? Or
should the client pay for company staff to attend
training? Languages such as Tcl and Python have been
traditionally easier for new users to adopt, where others
such as VBA require more experience in concepts of
object oriented programming. Stated otherwise, is the
cost benefit derived only from operating efficiencies
enhanced by customization, or further by the client’s
ability to take control of their industry specific
computing requirements?
• How intensive are the scripting requirements? For
example, are the requirements as limited as custom
reporting (such as with Python use in Minesight), or as
broad as access to internal functions and processes
(such as with Surpac Vision)?
Future directions
Coincident with the emergence of web-based applications,
mining software developers have taken seriously the
importance of end-user customization via adoption of
embedded scripting languages. The next necessary step is
for developers to support an innovative user-base in a way
that fosters robust experimentation, while keeping in mind
corporate goals and policies. These two aspects can be
difficult for corporations to balance in the anarchic tangle of
the Internet. For example, as soon as program architecture,
or open-source code, for a popular application is available
for manipulation, the original developer no longer has
control over the future of his creation. This is difficult for
the corporation to appreciate when millions of dollars were
spent on development. The innovative spark of the
countless number of programmers online far surpasses the
corporation’s ability to control their creation. This is a
reality in the information age that cannot be ignored.
From this freeware ‘hacker’ ethic, however, originate the
brashest innovations, and developers can use this mystique
to their advantage to create a rich development
environment. Innovations such as Tcom, now an integral
part of commercial applications like MineSched, began as a
way to circumvent Microsoft application portability only by
licensed partners. Such enthusiasm is critical to remain
robust and innovative. Any scripting language that remains
120
stifled by the controlling corporation is defeating its own
purpose, which is to promote end-user experimentation.
The most creative programmers, who have no patience for
stumbling blocks and bureaucracy when cyberspace is full
of free and easy options, will likely ignore such languages.
With respect to product customization for specialized
sectors such as industrial minerals, utility of customization
is a critical consideration. Specifically, the scripting
language and GUI toolkit must be easy for the user to learn
(assuming some programming experience), and tools,
extensions, and tutorials must be freely available. Time
spent in trainings or on the phone with tech support is not
time brainstorming and programming, and if there is too
much hassle involved the programmer may not take the
time.
Because most custom solutions start small and progress
through subsequent generations, the time to maturity to the
commercial marketplace and/or availability to other users
can be considerable. The fact that computer usage for mine
planning in many sectors is still new is also a factor.
Therefore, it will be some time before robust and valuable
solutions for industrial minerals users are available in the
greater marketplace though new applications are on the
horizon. Vendors, however, are discovering that
development of industry specific extensions is a good way
to introduce their products into new market sectors.
Though the focus of prior examples has been aggregate
and cement, other industrial minerals sectors have their own
unique requirements that require customization. For
example, geostatistics and mine planning for kaolin mining
has unique considerations as pertains to the utilization of
the important ‘Brightness’ parameter. Commodities such as
garnet are characterized for sale in terms of their use for
industrial purposes, with a subset of suitable quality for
gems. Ornamental stones such as scoria are characterized
by subjective colour parameters that cannot be measured in
a laboratory, but whose occurrence in a quarry can be
mapped by an experienced practitioner. Even with respect
to aggregate, planning requirements for a railroad ballast
quarry would be different than those for a concrete
aggregate site.
The futures of individual scripting languages can be
suggested, but not predicted, by their present success. Tcl
has had the earliest success, and industry specific
developments are already under way. Python’s acceptance
could be comparable to Tcl’s, but usage is fairly new in
mining circles. VBA’s control by Microsoft has the
potential to be a hindrance, but it could prevail as
applications become more complex and performance
efficiency becomes important. Datamine’s COM Server
Interface approach should become more popular, simply
because it is the most flexible approach and is inclined
toward web applications, which is the inevitable future of
mine computing applications.
Acknowledgements
A number of people generously provided information and
insight for this paper. Guy Sande (Couer d’Alene Mines
Corporation) gave insight into the practical implementation
of VBA in Gemcom Desktop Editions. Tim Carew
(Gemcom USA) and Jennifer Palma (Gemcom Software/
Vancouver BC) provided information on VBA. Abdullah
Arik (Mintec) provided a wealth of information on
MineSight’s implementation of Python. Rob Vallis (Hemlo
Mines) described recent innovations of Tcl in Surpac. Jim
Butler (MineMax) provided information on Tcl
APCOM 2003
implementation in iGANTT. Dave van de Ven (Digital
Mining Services Australia) yielded a wealth of information
on Tcl, Scl, GUIDO, and customization approaches. Special
thanks to Andy Lapworth (Datamine UK) for valuable
insight on the values of the COM Server Interface
approach, and Albis Duran (Datamine Peru) for detail on
specific applications in the cement industry.
References
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3. LOMAX, P. VB & VBA in a Nutshell: The
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Director, MineMax Resource Optimization Software.
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Python’. No date. Retrieved on 10th April 2002 from
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essays/foreword.html
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Tucson, Mintec, Inc. 2002. 7 pp.
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Consultant, Mintec, Inc. 2002.
19. Microsoft Developer’s Network. Microsoft Visual
Basic for Applications—ISV Overview. 2001. 2001
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25. HACK, D.R. and VAN DE VEN, D.P. Customized
Surpac Tcl extensions for the aggregate industry. In I.
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Mining (INFOMINA 2002). Lima, Instituto de
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26. DURAND, A. Solucion integrada para el control de
calida en canteras de calizas para cemento. In I.
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Specifications. Vancouver, Gemcom. 2000. 96 pp.
121
122 APCOM 2003