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Why the mining industry needs a reference architecture for automation initiatives

Automation is increasingly seen by the mining industry as a lever to reduce costs and improve safety. The deployment and integration of technology in mining is today usually done by adopting bespoke solutions where opportunities are identified. There is limited attention given to the broader needs that might be relevant in a complete mine-wide automation solution. The missing overarching plan for integrating and deploying autonomous systems is what is referred to in other industries as a reference architecture. This paper presents a broad evaluation of the challenge of developing a reference architecture for mining automation. The concept of a reference architecture for mining is first investigated by reviewing analogous efforts undertaken in other industries. These efforts are subsequently evaluated against the unique requirements of the mining industry. A set of generalised mining automation architectural models are presented as an indicative representation of the peculiar challenges that must be confronted by such an artefact. The paper concludes with a summary of the core challenges identified around creating a reference architecture for mining automation and suggestions on how these challenges might be addressed.