Extracting information from drill data

This paper is concerned with processing, analyzing and interpretating drill data. By converting the large amount of raw data into meaningful and manageable information, we aim to provide operators and mine engineers with timely advisable process-management decisions. Using multivariate statistical projection method, we have been able to extract two latent factors to illustrate the drilling process; and have developed a series of maps as easy-to-understand visual frameworks for collecting, organizing, displaying and evaluating data. Results of this research have the potential to increase productivity and to reduce production cost by improved blast design and optimized drilling processes.