Web-based software keeps mining, forestry companie

03 June 2010, 5:15pm

A sudden blast cracks the silence at a remote site in Northern Ontario. As the reverberations start to settle, an exploration company’s field staff get to work. Pulling out tablet PCs they enter the blast data which is automatically uploaded to Mindoka Information Resource System (MIRS). MIRS generates invoicing and billing for all the company’s clients who now have instant access to the status of all the company’s projects, anywhere in the world.

MIRS is an innovative web-based information management software pioneered by Mindoka Technology Corporation. Initially created by software developer and Mindoka co-founder Tobel Graves, the software is now developed by a team based at the North Bay, Ontario, headquarters. The system allows companies in a variety of industries to securely, quickly and easily harness the vast amount of information that is part of global business. What sets MIRS apart? “We are the only company that allows the user to convert documentation to searchable HTML on the fly. Our customers can upload thousands of pages of information and turn it into instantly searchable, instantly available web pages for their client base or employees, just by just checking one box and hitting one button,” says Todd Shortt, Mindoka VP of Operations. Clients have access to critical information in real time, and there’s no possibility of looking at out-of-date documents. Users can view diverse files, like Word or Acrobat, simply using their web browser, without having Word or Acrobat software installed on their computer.

The software is well-suited to forestry and mining companies. Consider, for example, its role with exploration drilling company Atlas Copco Exploration. “Atlas Copco uses our system to transmit all of their rig manuals to all of their clients, without having to hire an Internet programmer. If a particular client in Brazil is looking for specific information on the hydraulic system of a certain drill rig, the client can just go online, type in the part number or the name of the rig, and MIRS will instantly take them to all of the information pertaining to that rig,” says Shortt. The client then can print only the few relevant pages of hydraulic schematics and take that out into the field, rather than a 300-page manual.

When it comes to safety, MIRS is also beneficial to the geographically dispersed workforces associated with mining and forestry industries. “It can be tough to get essential, safety-related information out to the employees in a timely manner. If you have a new handling procedure, the system automatically sends a notification to employees. They review it and confirm they have read it,” explains Shortt. This confirmation is tracked by the system down to the minute, and an automatically generated report can identify potentially dangerous and costly non-compliance with ISO standards.

MIRS also deftly handles language barriers that can arise with multinational companies. “The entire information management system can operate in one of 59 languages, such as French, Cree, Mandarin Chinese, German or Japanese,” says Shortt.

Educators draw on MIRS to develop course curriculum and deliver that curriculum and testing to distance education programs. For example, Mindoka’s clients include the Surface Diamond Driller Assistant Common Core Program at Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology in northeastern Ontario and the Ontario-based Federated School of Mines, a group of seven leading mining and education training institutions.

Clearly, Mindoka and MIRS is a homegrown success story that’s making an impact around the world.

Geo: International