All three parts of the Underground Mine Communications Infrastructure Guideline Suite, published between 2017 and 2019, are now up for review by the Underground Mining Working Group. This review process is to assess whether revisions are required. The review is scheduled to close July 19th.

These guidelines are a three-part suite which aims to provide a high-level overview of the processes needed by mine personnel to meet planning and design requirements when creating or replacing underground mine communication infrastructure:

Part I Positioning and Needs Analysis (2017) provides a general overview of the guideline objectives, audience, and a mine communications maturity lifecycle diagram.

Part II Scenarios and Applications (2017) provides scenarios of practical applications in underground mining (e.g., applications for autonomous, semi-autonomous, and remote-control equipment and wireless sensors and communications networks).

Part III General Guidelines (2019) is the core content of the guideline suite, providing the reader with an overview of the planning and design recommendations for underground communications development, some of the best practices used within mining environments, and where to find more information regarding digital communications, standards, and frameworks.