Abstract
Instruments that provide insight into water management for tailings storage facilities (TSF), have been introduced decades ago. While the instruments themselves are being slowly but steadily improved, rapid advances in low-power microprocessors and data storage, radio protocols, cloud computing and battery technology have led to a boom that opens up new methods of work for data collection and analysis. A paradigm shift has been occurring for the past few years regarding the use of such technologies for TSF, accelerated in part by recent disasters such as the Brumadinho dam failure. Stricter regulations to protect locals and the environment have increased the demand for cost-effective remote monitoring solutions. This paper gives an overview of several internet-of-things (IoT) technologies, including their use cases and comparative advantages and limitations. It covers the several radio technologies including mesh networks, point-to-point networks and LoRa networks. Other types of “open” network technology such as in-pit LTE and long-range Wi-Fi are discussed. We show that that selecting the right technology is a multi-faceted decision that takes into account connectivity, compatibility with instruments, power requirements, radio range and more. Each technology is placed in context with respect to the actual limitations imposed by real-time communications and on-site conditions. The various types of software technology (e.g. cloud computing or local servers) in terms of their impact on reliability, safety and technological requirements will be discussed. New practices such as remote on-demand readings, automatically adjusted sampling rates or global system health monitoring as well as practical applications from real examples in Canada and other countries are discussed.