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The Canadian mining company Inco Ltd has installed AeroScout's Wi-Fi based active RFID system as the first phase of an equipment-tracking project inside an underground mine in Sudbury, Canada.
Inco is using the mine's existing wireless infrastructure, along with AeroScout software, to evaluate the tracking of items bearing AeroScout Wi-Fi/RFID tags. According to Gabi Daniely, AeroScout's vice president of marketing, mining is a perfect example of an industry with a strong need for real-time location that has not been realised until the advent of Wi-Fi based active RFID systems.
AeroScout's partnership with Cisco Systems has meant that Inco can leverage its existing wireless data network and simply add location-based services. The installation also demonstrates the ruggedness of AeroScout's tags, as it can be argued that there are few environments harsher than underground mines.
Equipment tracking
At Inco's Sudbury mine, vehicles, containers, drills and other pieces of valuable mobile ore production equipment are constantly moving through large underground areas. Because the equipment does not necessarily follow a pre-defined track and is spread throughout the mine, it is difficult to locate particular assets that are needed at any given time. By attaching active RFID tags to each piece of equipment, Inco uses the mine's existing wireless access points to determine their locations both instantly and accurately.
Inco will use the system to better track and understand mobile equipment use underground, and to help improve ore production. With the AeroScout Visibility System Inco will also be able to use the same infrastructure in the future for other location-based applications (such as supplies and energy management). The use of existing access points as readers enabled the system to be installed quickly and at a low total cost of ownership.
Source: AeroScout Inc.
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