Global Mining Guidelines Group
 

Interoperability

The Interoperability Strategy aims to coordinate collaboration on interoperability. This initiative is funded by BHP and Rio Tinto.

The future of mining is digital and requires interoperability to be realized. Advanced digital technologies are enhancing – and in many cases revolutionizing – equipment, processes, planning and execution. To enable this future, we need common definitions, standards, language, decision-making criteria and data exchange capabilities to improve how people, equipment and software work together.

Alignment on interoperability is essential for enabling digital technologies and will ultimately lead to more productive, safe and cost-effective mines.

There is no easy solution. However, there are four critical elements to success:

Build an industry vision and direction for interoperability through mining company leadership

Work with, support and leverage other organizations and their projects, both within and outside mining

Develop guidelines and tools

Facilitate communications and industry engagement – you can't solve interoperability in a vacuum

Ongoing Initiatives

Industry Alignment

In August, we published a mining company alignment report on interoperability principles, priorities, and a vision for commitment gathered through interviews and workshops with 17 mining companies on six continents. Industry alignment on interoperability will provide the direction that suppliers and industry organizations require to adapt and develop new tools and processes effectively.

Since then, there has been broader engagement with other mining companies and other mining stakeholders in order to refine the contents and develop an aligned roadmap for moving forward.

GMG Interoperability Alignment Report Cover

Interoperability Organizations Network

There is a lot going on in an effort to solve interoperability challenges and that, while organizations are covering different aspects of interoperability, there are overlaps and many are interconnected in some way.

This network is a platform for coordination, knowledge sharing, and exposure among the organizations from inside and outside the mining industry that are working on different aspects of interoperability. Work is currently ongoing on fleshing out a detailed landscape and roadmap and develop a way of identifying how all the pieces fit together.

The road to interoperability

Align

  • Shared vision
  • Industry priorities
  • Cross-sector partnerships
  • Critical Conversations
  • Collaborative roadmap

Establish

  • Develop guidelines, standards, protocols, architecture
  • Governance structure
  • Interoperability business plan

Educate

  • Awareness about solutions
  • Business cases
  • Case studies

Enable

  • Testbed network
  • Implementation tools

Improve

  • Research
  • Feedback loop
  • Adapt to changes
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