Descripción del proyecto
The STONE project aims to establish a multidisciplinary monitoring and interpretation platform to increase safety in the tailings deposits of the Riotinto mine. The platform will integrate in real time classical geodetic and geotechnical monitoring techniques with innovative satellite and passive seismic techniques. This new web platform, originally designed to integrate data from different sensors, is not yet implemented in any mine in Europe. The different data sources - geodetic sensors (e.g., total stations, GNSS sensors), geotechnical sensors (e.g., piezometers, inclinometers, gauges), environmental sensors, and remote sensors such as GB-SAR (ground-based radar) - will be connected to the platform and displayed in real time on a geo-referenced background, allowing a very intuitive way to interact with all the sensors that are observing the mine.The key point of the STONE project is the collaboration between Atalaya Riotinto Minera S.L., company that manages Riotinto mine activities, and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) - specifically, the specialized centers IGEO (Institute of Geosciences) and GEO3BCN (Geosciences Barcelona) - which will investigate the potential of innovative monitoring technologies and their integration into the platform. Specifically, InSAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry) and ANSI (Ambient Noise Interferometry) technologies will be tested. The main objective of this collaboration is the knowledge transfer of these techniques, with great potential but little implementation in the mining sector due to their complexity of use at an end-user level.The project will last three years and is structured in 6 work packages and 27 activities. The project has an estimated budget of 2.4 million euros and will involve 24 researchers and specialized technicians from both entities. With this project, Atalaya Mining seeks to carry out an innovative digital transition towards a comprehensive geodetic and geotechnical control of the Riotinto mining environment, favoring the transition to "Smart mining, and increasing the safety of the elements and people in the mining operation. In this regard, Atalaya mining aims to position itself as an example of sustainability and security in the global mining sector. Likewise, the project is clearly aligned with the thematic priority 3 of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation (PEICTI) 2021-2023 - Civil Security for Society: Protection against new security threats - object of this call and the objectives of the Recovery Plan transformation and resilience to accelerate economic and social recovery after the COVID-19 crisis by relying on digital transformation and the ecological transition -, as well as the most current mining safety and environmental sustainability policies applicable to the Riotinto mine.