Activity Based Schedulingwith Atlas

Activity-Based Scheduling
with Atlas
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Activity-Based Scheduling with Atlas. V4. May 26, 2017
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2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 by Leica Geosystems AG. All rights reserved. No part of this document shall be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written
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Activity-Based
Scheduling
with Atlas
MineSight: Exploration to Production
MineSight software is a comprehensive mine planning platform offering integrated solutions for
exploration, modeling, design, scheduling and production. It uses raw data — from drillholes,
blastholes, underground samples and other sources — to derive 2D and 3D models essential to
mine design and planning. Below the ground or at the surface, from precious metals to base
metals, for coal, oil sands and industrial minerals, MineSight software tackles geomodeling mining
applications to improve productivity at every stage of a mine’s life.
GEOMETRIES
Use digitized data to define geologic information in section or plan; define topography contours;
and define structural information, such as mine designs, important in the evaluation of an ore
body. Virtually every phase of a project, from drillholes to production scheduling, either uses or
derives geometric data. MineSight software lets you create, manipulate, triangulate and view
any geometric data as 2D or 3D elements.
DRILLHOLES
Manage drillhole, blasthole and other
sample data in a Microsoft SQL Server
database. The data can be validated,
manipulated and reported; and it is
fully integrated with other MineSight
products for coding, spearing, com-
positing, interpolation, statistics and
display. Some of the types of data
you can store are drillhole collar infor-
mation (location, length and more),
down-hole survey data (orientation),
assays, lithology, geology, geotechni-
cal data and quality parameters for
coal.
COMPOSITING
Calculate composites by several methods, including bench, fixed length, honoring geology and
economic factors. These composites are fully integrated with other MineSight products for statistics
and geostatistics, interpolation and display.
c 2017 Hexagon Mining

3D BLOCK MODEL (3DBM) STRATIGRAPHIC MODEL
Used to model base metal deposits such as por- Used to model layered deposits, such as coal and
phyry copper, non-layered deposits, and most oil sands. Although they are normally oriented hor-
complex coal and oil sands projects. izontally, they can be oriented vertically for steeply
dipping ore bodies.
Vertical dimensions are typically a function of the Vertical dimensions are a function of the seam
mining bench height. (or other layered structures) and interburden thick-
nesses.
Contains grade items, geological codes and a to- Contains elevations and thickness of seams (or
pography percent among other qualities and mea- other layered structures), as well as grade items, ge-
surements. ological codes, a topography percent, and other
qualities and measurements.
MODELING
Build and manage 3D block, stratigraphic and surface models to define your deposit. Populate
your models through: geometries (polygons, solids or surfaces) coded into the model; calculations
on model items; text files loaded into the model; and interpolation through techniques such as in-
verse distance weighting, kriging or polygonal assignment. As you design and evaluate your mine
project, you can update your model, summarize resources and reserves, calculate and report
statistics, display in plots or view in 2D and 3D.
ECONOMIC PIT LIMITS & PIT OPTIMIZATION

Generate pit shells to reflect economic designs. Using floating cone or Lerchs-Grossmann tech-
niques, work on whole blocks from the 3D block model to find economic pit limits for economic
assumptions such as costs, net value, cutoff grades and pit wall slope. Economic material is usually
one grade or an equivalent grade item. You can view the results in 2D or 3D, use the results to
guide your phase design, plot your design in plan or section, calculate reserves and run simple
production scheduling on your reserves.
vi
Activity-Based Scheduling with Atlas
PIT & UNDERGROUND DESIGN

Accurately design detailed open pit geometry, in- Support & Services
cluding ramps and pushbacks with variable wall
Client service and satisfaction is our
slopes, and display your pit designs in plan or section, first priority. Boasting a multilingual
clipped against topography or in 3D. You can eval- group of geologists and engineers
uate reserves for pit designs based on a partial block stationed worldwide, the MineSight
basis and calculate production schedules from the re- team has years of hands-on, real-world
serves. Create and manipulate underground design experience.
through CAD functions and from survey information.
GLOBAL SUPPORT
Providing global technical support

LONG TERM PLANNING
during the day and with extended
Generate schedules for long term planning based on hours on weekdays and weekends,
pushback designs, or phases, and reserves computed technical support is at your service. The
by the mine-planning programs. The basic input pa- company’s offices in the United States,
rameters for each production period include mill ca- Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Brazil,
pacity, mine capacity and cutoff grades. South Africa, Australia and the United
Kingdom all offer technical support via
phone and email.
SHORT TERM PLANNING TRAINING
Generate schedules for short term planning based on
Our software is always improving in
cuts or solids in interactive planning modules. A large response to our clients’ needs. It
selection of parameters and flexible configurations let doesn’t take long to fall behind. That’s
you control daily, weekly or monthly production. why we’re committed to helping you
get the most from our software. Take
advantage of our introductory and ad-
vanced courses or create a customized
curriculum that best suits your needs.
SERVICES
MineSight Services offers mine planning

studies, mineral resource studies and
project assistance to help you get
the most from your mine and from
MineSight. From scoping studies to final
feasibility studies, to MineSight coach,
depend on our multilingual MineSight
specialists.
vii
Contents
1 Getting Started 1
1.1 Atlas Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 The Atlas Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Reporting Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4 Connecting to Haulage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.5 Atlas Plan Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2 Activities 21
2.1 Creating Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.2 Activities Mode Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.3 Activity Geometry Styling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3 Destinations 43
3.1 Creating Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3.2 Mapping Activities to Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
3.3 Reserves Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
3.4 Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.5 Reclaim Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.6 Optimized Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4 Scheduling 61
4.1 Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.2 Resource Leveling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
5 Utilities 71
5.1 Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5.2 End-of-Period Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5.3 Import Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5.4 Live Haulage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5.5 Conclusion & Future Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Course Flow
Activity-Based Scheduling with MSAtlas takes you through the process of creating
a practical and realistic mine schedule, built from geometry representing mining
cuts and drilling areas.
GETTING STARTED
Create a new MSAtlas plan; integrate a reserve logic and MSHaulage plan into the
project; and define activities, resources and other parameters to create a short-
term schedule.
ACTIVITIES
Create and define activities for the schedule, and develop customized data views
for analysis.
DESTINATIONS
Create and define capacities for project destinations; map activities to destina-
tions; route material through the destination network; and create constraints for
destinations by period.
SCHEDULING:
Implement the various types of scheduling tools available in MSAtlas to create a
realistic mining plan.
UTILITIES
Use ARC reporting tools and Gauges to summarize results and use visualization tools
to control animation parameters and geometry styling in the viewer.
xi

xii
1
Getting Started
Create a new Atlas plan; integrate a reserve logic and Haulage plan into the project; and define
activities, resources and other parameters to create a short-term schedule.
Contents
1.1 Atlas Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 The Atlas Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Reporting Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4 Connecting to Haulage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.5 Atlas Plan Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.1 Atlas Plans

MineSight Atlas combines activity-based schedul-
ing, resource assignment and Gantt charting in LEARNING OBJECTIVE
an easy-to-use product that integrates seam-
lessly with MineSight 3D (MS3D), MSReserve and Start an MineSight Atlas plan, and be-
MSHaulage. It is effective in both underground and come familiar with the interface.
open pit environments, and provides auto depen-
dencies for each operation type. Atlas features di-
rect cut design against block model(s) with the ability to route material to a series of destinations,
including reclamation, and the ability to simulate process functions. Animation of the schedule
includes enhanced destinations, represented by geometry in MS3D.
ACTIVITY-BASED SCHEDULING
With Atlas, you can create practical and realistic mine schedules built on multple predefined ac-
tivity types (i.e. drilling, load and blast, and mining for an open pit operation; drilling, charging
and blasting, and mucking development for an underground operation), which can have geom-
etry designed directly against block models, reserves and properties. An activity set encompasses
the dependencies needed to schedule the duration of a given mining activity against certain
geometry.
An Activity Set showing the dependencies between three Activity Types.
GANTT SCHEDULING
Scheduling in Atlas revolves around a Gantt model that uses calendar dates, times and activity
durations instead of traditional periods. A global calendar defines working hours and scheduled
downtime/maintenance for resources (equipment and labor), so activities reflect resource avail-
ability and actual working time. You can create multiple Gantt views of the same schedule using
an unlimited combination of parameters and filters (i.e. period, activity type). In a single Gantt
chart, the inclusion of too many activities and dependencies can make the schedule cluttered
and difficult to read. Multiple Gantt views let you analyze different aspects of the schedule quickly.
RESOURCE ASSIGNMENT AND LEVELING

A resource is a piece of equipment or a labor group assigned to perform work on an activity type,
for example, shovels or LHDs assigned to Mining. Each resource operates on a unique working
2 | Atlas Plans
calendar specifying parameters such downtime, maintenance and non-working days, and links
to the appropriate activity types. You can define resource rates to determine the duration of an
assigned activity, and use Resource Gantt Charts and Resource Load Charts in Activities mode to
determine when resource utilization is above capacity. Atlas also includes resource leveling, which
caps resource utilization at 100% and smooths the utilization across the schedule by re-sequencing
activities.
DESTINATIONS
You can auto-generate destinations by level or import them directly from geometry in the MS3D
Viewer. For imported geometry, Atlas automatically calculates capacity by level and sub-zone,
and populates the destination grid accordingly. Destination priorities and fill objectives for waste
dumps and stockpiles can vary by period as well.
VISUALIZATION
Atlas includes a powerful animation engine that works seamlessly with MS3D to assist mine planners
in visualizing, animating and validating schedules. The Animation Player allows you to navigate
the animation to any moment in time to see the schedule progress. In addition, cuts in progress
become transparent in the Viewer as they are mined, and the corresponding destination is simul-
taneously populated according to the schedule and routing. Visualization styling is completely
customizable directly inside Atlas as well.
Starting Atlas
Atlas is started using one of two methods. The first is from within the Data Manager in MS3D. To
open a new Atlas Plan, right-click on the folder in which you wish to create the plan and select
New → Atlas Plan. Once created, the Atlas plan appears as an object in the Data Manager. The
preferred method is through the Scheduling tab in MS3D → Create Atlas Plan.
There are also two ways to store Atlas plans—in a single file or in an SQL database. Choosing a
single file saves the Atlas schedule to a *.atlas.data file that is linked to an object (*.atlas file) in the
Data Manager. Choosing the database option saves the Atlas schedule to the MineSight Plan-
ning Database, accessible through an ODBC connection. The storage method does not affect
functionality and workflow within Atlas.
Upon creating a new Atlas plan, the New Atlas Plan dialog presents you with the following options.
• Create New—Create a new file or database from scratch. This will result in a brand new Atlas
schedule.
• Connect to Existing—Connects to an existing file or database. Changes made in the Atlas
plan will affect the original source.
• Clone Existing—Create a copy of the existing file or database. Changes made in the Atlas
plan will not affect the original source. Changes will be saved to the clone.
When connecting or cloning to an existing file or database, the Clone Settings Only option allows
you to include only the configuration settings and destinations, not the activities themselves.
Templates contain pre-filled project configuration data—in this case Drilling calculations—that will
allow you to help get started with a new Atlas Plan. Templates are stored as *.template files in the
MineSight 3D installation folder.
Atlas Plans | 3

The New Atlas Plan window allows you to name and store
your Atlas plan accordingly
EXERCISE: Create a New Atlas Plan

Create a Atlas plan and save it as a file inside your project.
New Atlas Plan MS3D Scheduling Tab → Create Atlas Plan → select folder in Data Manager →
Data Manager Name = PITN-STP → Template = Drilling (metric)
Create From File Highlight File icon → Create New → Plan Name = PITN STP → OK
4 | Atlas Plans
NOTES
Atlas Plans | 5

1.2 The Atlas Interface

MineSight Atlas uses a “Mode and Document”
approach consistent with other commonly used LEARNING OBJECTIVE
modern scheduling applications. There are three
modes in Atlas: Activities, Destinations and Report- Explore MineSight Atlas modes and navi-
ing. There is also a Backstage Area for configur- gation tabs.
ing project setups. Each mode contains a series of
documents.
Atlas plans open in Activities mode with a view of the default Activity Gantt document.
There are five navigation tabs in Atlas: Home, Project, Scheduling, View and Display. Each tab
contains its own ribbon menu, which is used to access functions and tools. The Home tab contains
a dynamic ribbon menu, meaning the options in this menu change depending on the mode in
which you are currently working.
Contextual tabs may be visible in Atlas depending on the active mode or document. They appear
as a colored tab at the end of the default tabs, and contain tools and functions relevant to
a specific document. For example,the Activity Gantt Tools contextual tab presents formatting
options for the Activity Gantt view.
The Backstage Area is used for project setup, print, export, and integration with MSReserve and
MSHaulage. You can access the Backstage Area at any time by clicking on the Backstage icon on
the top left of the Atlas window.
6 | The Atlas Interface

NOTES
The Atlas Interface | 7


1.3 Reporting Reserves

To calculate and report reserves inside of Mine-
Sight Atlas, you must define a reserves logic—or LEARNING OBJECTIVE
multiple reserves logics to accommodate multiple
block models—in the project setup. You can im- Import a reserves logic from MineSight Re-
port a reserves logic from a MSReserve (*.resx) file serve for calculating reserves.
or build one from within Atlas. MSReserve allows
you to specify the zone items, grades, calculated
fields and material sets needed to report reserves and define cutoffs for activities in the Atlas plan.
Below is an overview of zone items, grades and materials sets defined in the reserves logic.
ITEM DESCRIPTION
ROUTE Routing Destination (1 = MILL, 2 =LEACH, 3 = WASTE)
CUI Copper Grade (primary)
MOI Molybdenum Grade
VALPB Value per block
ZONE VALUE COPPER GRADE CUTOFFS

MILL 1 0 0.2 0.4 .6 .8 1
LEACH 2 0 0.2 0.4 .6 .8 1
WASTE 3 0
After saving the reserves logic to your Atlas plan, you can only view the reserve logic. Edits cannot be
made to the reserves logic after saving the .resx file. Saving the logic to Atlas will not write changes back
to the original .resx file.
Multiple reserves logics for different block models can also be imported into Atlas. Any additional reserves
logics must have the same items as the original.
EXERCISE: Import a Reserves Logic File

Import reserves logic from a file in the project folder called “PITN-STP.resx,” which contains the zones, grade
items and material set you will use in this training project.
Import Reserves Logic Backstage Area → Reserves Logic → “+” → Import From File → select PITN-
STP.resx in project folder → Open
Save Reserves Logic to verify import → File → Save → close window → highlight ATLAS → OK
Atlas
8 | Reporting Reserves
NOTES
Reporting Reserves | 9

1.4 Connecting to Haulage

You can connect to an existing MineSight Haulage
plan to import Haulage destinations and locations, LEARNING OBJECTIVE
total travel time to each destination, and haul
fleet information into your Minesight Atlas plan. An Connect to an existing MineSight
ODBC connection to the Haulage plan is required. Haulage plan.
Connecting to MSHaulage is optional in Atlas as
you will also be able to calculate travel times, add destinations and define haul fleets all within
Atlas.
EXERCISE: Restore a Database and Connect to an MSHaulage Plan

Create an ODBC connection and restore the backup file (***.bak) to your machine. Then use this connection
to connect Atlas to an existing MSHaulage Plan.
Create ODBC MineSight Database Manager → Connection → Connect → Server Manage-

Connection ment → Restore → backup file → Apply → Create ODBC Data Source →
pitn-stp database → name data source after database → Apply
Connect to MSHaulage Backstage Area → Haulage → Select Machine Data Source → backup file →
OK → select the haulage plan → Connect
10 | Connecting to Haulage
NOTES
Connecting to Haulage | 11

1.5 Atlas Plan Configuration

The Atlas Configuration dialog allows you to setup
your MineSight Atlas plan with the parameter LEARNING OBJECTIVE
needed to create a realistic short term schedule.
There are nine panels in this dialog: General, Pe- Define activities, resources and other pa-
riods, Activity Types, Activity Sets, Resources, Re- rameters you need to create a short term
source Rates, Haul Fleets and Working Calendar. schedule.
General Navigate directly to a specific panel using

the dropdown option.
The General tab provides an overview of the
project name and MineSight Haulage plan (if con-
nected). Additionally, you can specify Swell Volume Factors based on the reserves logic, view PCF
levels, and format the properties and grade items from the reserves logic.
Swell factors can vary by material type and/or grade cutoff.
12 | Atlas Plan Configuration

Scheduling Periods
Although Atlas operates using a true calendar-based approach, you can still use periods for re-
porting purposes and for varying parameters (i.e. equipment factors, fill objectives) by period
throughout the life of the project. Individual periods can be given names and specific end dates.
The Autopopulate Tool lets you quickly create multiple periods. .
EXERCISE: Create Multiple Periods

Use Autopopulate to create 52 periods with weekly frequency.
Define Project Start and Periods tab → use current date as project start and “Week index:00.” as the
Period Names auto naming string
Autopopulate Configuration Dialog → Periods → Autopopulate
Create Periods First Period Start Date = Default → Frequency = Week → periods = 52
Use the Reporting Periods option if you would like to generate reports at a different frequency than your
scheduling periods. For example, you could create monthly reporting periods based on the weekly
scheduling periods in this project.
Properties
Properties describe individual activities in the schedule. They appear in the Activity Gantt view as
one of six different data types: Integer, Double, String, Enumeration, DateTime, TimeSpan, Geom-
etry and Object. Through the use of Python scripts, calculations can be defined based on values
of other properties in this panel.
You can also use grade items from MineSight Reserve as properties, if you want to view them at
the activity level in addition to in the Reserves Browser. A Properties List on the left side of the tab
reports every property in the project and provides a search tool to find properties in the project.
EXERCISE: Create a Phase Property

The Phase property specifies the mining phase in which an activity falls. This property will be an enumeration
with default value = Phase1.
Add Property Properties panel → “+” → Name = Phase; Data Type = Enumeration; Derived
Type = False → OK
Define Enumeration Name field → add three values: Phase1, Phase2, Phase3
Atlas Plan Configuration | 13


EXERCISE: View the Drilling-Related Properties

The DrillMeters property specifies how many meters need to be drilled for a certain activity, depending on
a number of factors defined in the Drilling template. Use this property to calculate durations for the Drilling
activity type. Changing the default PatternSize 4 will result in 7.5 x 8.5 m drill spacing.
Edit Default Value for PatternSize property → Default value = Pattern Size 4
PatternSize
Verify DrillSpacing DrillSpacing property → view the Code field to verify 7.5 x 8.5m drill spacing for
Property Pattern Size 4
DERIVED TYPE OPTION

The Derived Type option lets you specify whether the value of a property can change if the de-
pendent property changes. For example, the DrillMeters property will change if the size of the
Geometry changes only if it is derived. If not, the value of this property will be calculated only
once upon creation.
You can use Validation for properties with numeric values, as you are able to clip to a minimum
and maximum value. There are also options for summarizing and formatting a property.
When using Properties with calculations, you can test the code on specific activities in the Atlas project
for validation purposes.
EXERCISE: Create Copper and Molybdenum Properties

Copper and Molybdenum are grade items defined in the reserves logic, but can also be shown as properties
for an activity in addition to the Reserves Browser.
Add Property Properties panel → icon → select Copper and Molybdenum grades
Activity Types
The Activity Types panel lets you control the types of activities that are performed in your Atlas
schedule. You can define how the duration for each Activity Type will be calculated as well as the
default working rate in this panel.
The table below describes each of the three derivation types available:
DERIVATION TYPE DESCRIPTION

Effort—Property Activity rate is represented as Measure per Time Interval, where Measure depends
on the value of a Property (i.e. Drill Meters).
Effort—Reserve Activity rate is represented as Measure per Time Interval, where Measure depends
on the value of an item defined in the reserves logic (i.e. Tonnes and Volume).
Manual For activities without a measure, a constant rate can be set.

Additional options in the Activity Types panel include specifying which cutoffs or material types an
activity can perform work on, defining animation options for when to show geometry for visualiza-
tion purposes, and toggling property visibility.
Activity behavior allows you to define certain characteristics for the activity type. There are four
options.
ACTIVITY BEHAVIOR DESCRIPTION

Has Geometry Is there a geometry object associated with the activity?
Is Sequential Is the sequence of activities specified by a digline?
Has Reserves Are there reserves tied to the activity?
Is Routable Should the activity be routed to a destination?
The activity behavior has a considerable effect on how activity types are used throughout the
Atlas project. For example, activities without geometry cannot be imported from the Viewer, only
the activities that are routable can be sent to destinations, and so on.
EXERCISE: Create a Drilling Activity Type

The Drilling activity type will be based on the value of the Drill Meters property previously defined. It will have
geometry and be sequential.
Create Activity Type Activity Type → “+” → Name = Drilling Production; Auto Name String =
{ActivityType} {ElementName}
Activity Behavior Has geometry = True; Is Sequential = True
Duration Options Derivation Type = Effort-Property; Measure = DrillMeters; Time Interval = Hour;
Rate = 25
Visible Properties DrillMeters = True; Phase = True; all other Drilling Properties = True
Animation Options Show Before = True; Show During = True
EXERCISE: Create a Load and Blast Activity Type

The Load and Blast activity type will not be based on geometry; it will have a constant duration of two hours.
Create Activity Type Activity Type → “+” → Name = Load + Blast; Derivation Type = Manual; Time
Interval = Hour; Working Duration = 2
Visible Properties Phase = True


EXERCISE: Create a Mining Activity Type

The Mining activity type will be based on reserves logic with a default rate of 3,000 tonnes per hour. It will
have geometry, be sequential, have reserves and be routable to a destination.
Create Activity Type Activity Type → “+” → Name = Mining; Auto name string = “{ActivityType} {Ele-
mentName}”
Activity Behavior Has Geometry = True; Is Sequential = True; Has Reserves = True; Is Routable =
True
Duration Options Derivation Type = Effort-Reserve; Measure = Tonnes; Time Interval = Hour; Rate
= 3,000
Visible Properties Copper = True; Molybdenum = True; Phase = True
Animation Options Show Before = True; Show During = True
For activity types with reserves (Has reserves = True), you can vary the default rate by material type
and/or grade cutoff based on reserves logic by activating the Use Complex Rate Grid option.
Activity Sets
Activity Sets allow you to group together multiple activity types and create dependencies be-
tween them. Importing a single piece of geometry as an activity set automatically creates each
activity type. The dependencies are honored in the Atlas schedule.
The DBM Activity Set includes three child activity types—Drilling, Load + Blast and Mining. This
figure shows that the Drilling activity must finish before Load + Blast can begin, and Load + Blast
must finish before Mining can begin.
EXERCISE: Create a DBM Activity Set

The DBM Activity Set contains the three child activities—Drilling, Load + Blast, and Mining—and defines the
sequential dependencies between each pair.
Add Activity Set Activity Set Panel → “+” → select the three available Activity Types (Drilling,
Load + Blast, Mining) from the list
Create Dependencies click and hold on the Drilling activity type → drag to Load + Blast bar → release
mouse → repeat for Load + Blast and Mining activity types
A lead or lag time can be applied to dependencies between activity types. Click on a dependency
arrow → Properties → enter the lead/lag time in the Lag field.

Haul Fleets
You can import haul fleets from MineSight Haulage plans or create fleets inside of Atlas itself. Both
types of fleets are defined in the Haul Fleets panel, and equipment factors can be adjusted here
as well. Importing from MineSight Haulage also imports the fleet cycle times. For Atlas plans not
connected to MineSight Haulage, default Atlas Fleets can be created to provide rough calcula-
tions of cycle times from source to destination based on distance and speed calculations.
It is important to note that haul fleets are not resources in Atlas; rather they are associated with
an existing resource, such as a loader or shovel. Specific delay times (load, spot, wait and dump)
are defined for each resource-haul fleet association. Derating is also an important concept in
Atlas, as resource rates can be reduced based on the number of trucks available. For example,
if the default resource rate is 1,000 tonnes/hour if all four trucks are available, you can specify a
derating factor of 80% if only three trucks are available, which will lower the resource rate to 800
tonnes/hour.
EXERCISE: Import a Haul Fleet

The MS_793D(1) haul fleet was created in Haulage and included in the default equipment set. In the Re-
sources panel, this haul fleet will be associated with both the Shovel 1 and Shovel 2 resources.
Add a Haul Fleet Haul Fleet Panel → “+” icon with Haul Truck Overlay → Truck–793 from Haul Fleet
window → Units in Fleet = 84; Tray limiting method = First Reached
The First Reached tray limiting method will consider both tonnage and volume capacities for the truck
and limit capacity, based on which method is filled first. This technique can be especially useful for
projects with material having variance in specific gravity.
Crew Rosters
Crew Rosters allow you to define scheduled, regular downtimes throughout the week (i.e., shift
change, lunch) and associate the downtimes with a Resource.
EXERCISE: Create a Lunch Break

Build in a daily non-working time from noon to 1 p.m. for this Crew Roster. Later, you’ll apply the lunch break
to the Blast Crew resource.
Crew Roster Crew Rosters panel → click “+” icon → Name = Crew → add daily downtime
Resources
Resources are associated with and assigned to perform work on the activity types defined in the
Atlas project. The resulting resource utilization can be tracked and analyzed in Activities mode
based on the schedule of activities. This panel allows you to define a resource and associate it
with activity types. Note that associating a resource with an activity type does not assign that
resource.
Two types of equipment factors—Operating Efficiency and Use of Availability—can be specified
here as well, and can vary by period. These factors are applied to the rate of work for the resource,


which will ultimately affect the duration of the assigned activity. Haul fleets and reclaim options
can be associated with resources in this panel as well.
EXERCISE: Create a Drill Rig 1 Resource

The Drill Rig 1 resource is associated with the Drilling activity type, and will maintain 100% operating efficiency
and use of availability throughout its service life.
Add Resource Resources Panel → “+” icon → Name = Drill Rig 1; Associated Activity Types =
Drilling
EXERCISE: Create Drill Rig 2, Blast Crew, Shovel 1 and Shovel 2 Resources
Create the Drill Rig 2 resource. In this case, Drill Rig 2 will be associated with Drilling, Blast Crew with Load +
Blast, and Shovel 1 and Shovel 2 with Mining.
EXERCISE: Associate Haul Fleet with Shovel 1 and Shovel 2 Resources
Associate Haul Fleet select Shovel 1 → Haul Fleet tab → Associated Haul Fleet = MS_793D(1) → re-
with Resource peat for Shovel 2 resource
Apply Delay Times Load time = 2.5; Spot time = 1; Wait time = 3; Dump time = 1
Reclaim Reclaim tab → enable reclaim → Reclaim Rate = 3,500 tonnes per hour
Resource Rates
Resource Rates allow you to specify the rates at which each resource can perform work. By de-
fault, the rates for each resource-activity association will be the default rate defined in the Activity
Types panel. If a new resource rate is defined in this panel, this rate will take precedence over the
default activity type rate if the resource is assigned to the activity.
By unchecking the Use Default Rate option, you can specify individual resource rates in the same
manner that rates for activity types were defined earlier in this section.
EXERCISE: Change the Drill Rig 2 Resource Rate

Assume that the Drill Rig 2 resource operates at 20 Drill Meters / hour, slightly slower than the default Drilling
activity type rate.
Change Resource Rate highlight Drilling—Drill Rig 2 from Resource Rates list → uncheck Use Default Rate
→ Rate = 20
EXERCISE: Change the Shovel 2 Resource Rate

Assume that the Shovel 2 resource operates at 2,500 tonnes / hour, a slightly slower rate than the default
Drilling activity type rate.
Change Resource Rate highlight Mining—Shovel 2 from Resource Rates list → uncheck Use Default Rate
→ Rate = 2,500

Working Calendar
The Working Calendar allows you to create and define downtime for specific resources as well as
the entire operation (global). You can create appointments for a resource to define the dates and
times at which the resource cannot perform work on an activity. The delays will be updated in the
schedule for activities assigned to the specific resource. Appointments can also be recurring (i.e.
global downtime overnight for schedules not operating 24 hours per day).
EXERCISE: Create Downtime for the Shovel 2 Resource

By creating an appointment for Shovel 2, the resource is unable to perform work on any activity during the
appointment.
Create Appointment Working Calendar → right-click on desired date → New Appointment → De-
scription = Down Time; Resource = Shovel 2 → OK
You have now set up the project for your Atlas plan. You can always return to the Backstage Area
and adjust certain configuration settings (i.e. adding resources, appointments, haul fleets, activity
types, etc.), although certain edits to Activity Types with activities existing in the project are not
possible. Click OK to exit the Atlas Configuration window, and always remember to Save your
Atlas plan.



2
Activities
Create and define activities for the schedule, and develop customized data views for analysis.
Contents
2.1 Creating Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.2 Activities Mode Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.3 Activity Geometry Styling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

2.1 Creating Activities

In Minesight Atlas, activities can be thought of as
tasks that need to be completed for the schedule LEARNING OBJECTIVE
to execute, for example, extraction of mining cuts.
You already created three activity types—Drilling, Create activities using different methods
Load + Blast and Mining—and now you will create and explore sequencing options. Use
the actual activities using one of three methods: templates to quickly attribute properties
digitizing, selecting from the Viewer and using the to activities. Style activities in the Mine-
Autoslicer. Sight 3D Viewer.
A group of activities, based on geometry on top of topography.
22 | Creating Activities
Creating Single Activities

While activities are typically created in groups, you can also create them one at a time. The
Activity tab inside Activities mode features a dropdown dialog that presents the full list of activity
types and activity sets from which you can choose. In the Geometry portion of the Activity tab,
there are two options to create an activity: Digitize and Import. Polygon clipping options are also
available when digitizing, and Digline Assignment contains three options: New Digline, Existing
Digline and Closest Digline. In addition the single activities importer allows users to track reserves
dynamically which is extremely usefully for targeting tons and grade.
Pressing “d” on the keyboard while digitizing activities allows for easy moving of polygon points
Creating Activities | 23

EXERCISE: Create a Drilling Activity

Open the PH2—1515 geometry and display it in the Viewer. Then import the activity from the phs2_polygon_cuts
geometry in the Viewer. Note that geometry does not need to be imported for the Load + Blast activity (this
activity type does not have geometry). When you finish, the three activities should appear in the Atlas plan.
Import Drilling Activity Activity tab → Activities section → Activity dropdown → Drilling → Create Single
Activity → highlight Import (from Geometry section) → New Digline → select
polygon from Viewer
Import Load + Blast Activity tab → Activities section → Activity dropdown → Load + Blast → Create
Activity Single Activity
Import Mining Activity Activity tab → Activities section → Activity dropdown → Mining → Create Single
Activity → highlight Import → select same polygon from Viewer
CREATING DEPENDENCIES BETWEEN ACTIVITIES

To make the three activities sequential (and more realistic), you want to create dependencies to
ensure that Load + Blast occurs after Drilling is finished, and Mining starts only after Load + Blast is
finished. By default, activities in Atlas are assigned with an ”As Soon As Possible” constraint.
EXERCISE: Create Dependencies Between Activities
Load + Blast After Activity Gantt View window → click and hold on Drilling activity Gantt bar →
Drilling drag and release on Load + Blast activity Gantt bar
Mining After Load + Blast Activity Gantt View window → click and hold on Load + Blast activity Gantt bar
→ drag and release on Mining activity Gantt bar
Individual activities after dependencies have been created.
CREATING AN ACTIVITY SET

In the Project Configuration section, you set up a DBM Activity Set that contained the three individ-
ual child activities—Drilling, Load + Blast and Mining. By creating an Activity Set in Atlas, you can
automatically create each of these “child” activities while honoring the dependencies between
them.
EXERCISE: Create an Activity Set and Choose Columns

Delete existing activities by highlighting rows in Document View and choosing Delete from the right-click
menu. Then open PH2–1515 and display it in the Viewer. Import the activity set from the same geometry in
PH2–1515 from the Viewer and display Tonnes and Drill Meters for the Mining and Drilling activities, respec-
tively.
Import the Activity Activity tab → Activities section → Activity dropdown → DBM → Create Single
Activity → highlight Import → New Digline → select polygon from Viewer
Choose Columns right-click on column header → Column Chooser → select Drill Meters and
Tonnes properties and display

VALIDATING ACTIVITY DURATIONS

As schedules become larger and more complex, it is important to be able to validate portions
of the plan. Validation can take many forms in Atlas: mining sequence, destination filling, dura-
tion and visualization. In this case, you will validate duration of the mining activity just created.
Durations in Atlas are calculated as follows:
Working Time = work / rate;
Duration = Working Time + Delays
For the Mining activity, you can see that the activity has 730,606.85 tonnes of material with a
duration of 8.16:44:41 (8 days, 16 hours, 44 minutes, 41 seconds). To validate, apply the Working
Time equation above:
Working Time = work / rate =730,606.85 tonnes / 3,500 tonnes per hour = 208.7448 hours = 8 days,
16 hours, 44 minutes, 41 seconds
After validating the activity duration, delete all activities in the Atlas plan.
EXERCISE: Audit the Duration of an Activity

Given the multitude of factors that can affect an activity’s duration, MSAtlas provides an Audit Duration tool
to assist you in validating the duration of an activity. The Audit Duration tool displays all possible factors af-
fecting the duration for review.
Audit the Mining Activity select the Mining activity in Activity Gantt → right-click → Audit Duration →
review results
Edit Activity Reserves

Sometimes it is necessary to edit reserves of activities based on new information that is not included
in the block model to provide a proper schedule. The right-click function Edit reserves allows users
to add and remove materials along with grade and tons to an activity manually. If multiple activity
reserves need to be edited, user’s do have the option to import reserves from csv. Please see the
Import Reserves section of the Atlas help documentation for file formatting.
Edit Reserves Dialog
After editing reserves of an activity, the reserves will automatically be locked. If the user would like to
return to reporting model reserves the Reserves Locked property must be toggled off. The Reserves
Edited property allow users to view the status of activities.
EXERCISE: Edit Reserves of an Activity

Edit the reserves of an activity. Remove all Materials and add two new materials mill, waste. Review in the
reserves browser. Then revert back to model reserves.
Edit reserves of the select the Mining activity in Activity Gantt → right-click → Edit reserves → Add
Mining Activity new reserves
Importing Multiple Activities

The Multi Import window in Atlas allows you to create multiple activities in a time-efficient manner.
This window also provides a variety of grouping and sequencing options to apply when creating
the activities. Templates can also be applied on import, which will be discussed later in this section.

EXERCISE: Create Multiple Activities from an Activity Set

Open and display the PH3–1605 and PH3–1620 geometries in the Viewer, delete the existing cuts and import
the activity sets. The activities will be grouped by bench level and sequenced accordingly.
Import the Activities Multi Import Window → Import → drag selection window over all geometries →
right-click
Group the Activities Group By → Level
Sequence the Activities highlight Level 1605 activities in the Areas field → Northmost (from Add Digline
section)
Sequence the Activities close PH3–1605 and PH3–1620 geometries → Sequence tab → highlight Level
1620 in the Areas section of the Multi-Import window → User-Defined → De-
fine Sequence → select the sequence of activities in the Viewer similar to the
figure → right-click when complete
Finalize the Sequence Multi Import window → Sequence
Creating Templates
Templates in Atlas are a way to quickly assign values to properties and apply these values to
specific activities. Multiple templates can be created and saved in the Atlas plan. The list of
templates is available in the Templates view on the right side of the Atlas interface—in the same
window as the Properties Grid. In this section you will create templates that assign values to the
Resources and Phase properties, and then apply the templates to the appropriate activities.
EXERCISE: Create and Apply a Template

Create a Template assigning Phase3 to the Phase property, and Drill Rig 1, Blast Crew and Shovel 1 to the
Resources Property. Then, apply the template to your activities.
Create New Template Template Window → click Create New Template → Name = Phase3, Resources
→ drag Resources and Phase properties into In Template field → Phase =
Phase2, Resources = Drill Rig 1, Blast Crew, Shovel 1 → OK
Apply Template highlight all activities → click on Phase3, Resources template in Template win-
dow → OK to apply to all activities
Verify all activities should have the appropriate Phase and Resources assigned
Assigning multiple resources to the same activity will assign only the associated resources. In the exer-
cises, you assigned three resources, but only the Drill Rig 1 resource was assigned to Drilling activities due
to its association. Drill Rig 1 cannot be assigned to a Mining activity because it is not associated.
A Template in which the value of Phase3 is given to the Phase property, and Drill Rig 1, Blast Crew
and Shovel 1 are applied to the Resources property.
EXERCISE: Clone Templates

Clone the Phase3, Resources template to include all three phases. Assign different resources based on phase
property.
Clone Template Template Window → right-click on Phase3, Resources template → Clone Tem-
plate → Name = Phase1 Resources → Phase = Phase1; Resources = Drill Rig
2, Blast Crew, Shovel 2 → OK
Clone Template Clone Existing Template → Name = Phase2, Resources → Phase = Phase2; Re-
sources = Drill Rig 2; Blast Crew; Shovel 2 → OK
Templates can be re-ordered and organized within folders inside the Template window. Multiple tem-
plates can be applied to an activity simultaneously as well.
Digitizing Multiple Activities

You can create activities in Atlas without the presence of existing geometry by digitizing them
manually. You can digitize activities within a limiting object (i.e. mid-bench contours) and can
also clip them against other activities of the same type.

CLIPPING OPTIONS AND CLIPPING RESULTS
Take advantage of features designed to help with digitizing, such as the Snap functions in MS3D, 2D
views, as well as object and model view selectability. There are also clipping options, which make
digitizing manual cuts much easier.
No Clipping: Cut is digitized normally without any clipping applied.
Clip Against Activities: Portion of the cut that overlaps with existing cuts will be clipped out.
Clip Against Limit: Portion of the cut that extends outside of limiting polygon will be clipped out.
EXERCISE: Digitize Activities Using Clipping Options

Open the Phase2 geometry object in the 05_BENCH POLYGONS folder and attach a mid-bench Grid Set in
2D mode at the appropriate plan elevation. Define the clipping options, and digitize multiple activities within
the Phase2 contours geometry object. The Phase2, Resources template will be applied on import.
Define Clipping Options select Limit → select “Phase 2” geometry in Viewer → highlight Clip Against
Cuts, Clip Inside Limit and Same Activity Type
Multi Import Window Activities dropdown → DBM → Create Multiple Activities → Template = Phase2,
Resources → click Digitize icon
Digitize Activities digitize a polygon encompassing the limiting object → right-click → digitize next
polygon → right-click → repeat until finished → right-click to import activities
Sequence Activities Multi Import window → Northmost seed → Sequence
When digitizing activities, make sure that the limiting object and adjacent activity are inside the digi-
tized polygon. After importing the digitized activities, verify that the Resources and Phase properties are
properly applied.
EXERCISE: Import Remaining Activities

Delete existing Phase 2 cuts, and open and display the PH2–1515 geometry object in the Viewer. Import the
activities for Phase 1 and Phase 2, and apply the appropriate template on import. These activities will be
sequenced using leadlines.
Repeat the process with the PH1–1410 and PH1–1395 geometry objects. When you import the activities, Tem-
plate = Phase1, Resources. Also, choose the appropriate leadline when you sequence the activities.
Import the Activities Multi Import window → Import → drag selection window over all PH2–1515 ge-
ometry → right-click → Template = Phase2, Resources
Sequence the Activities Add Digline → LeadLine → select from Viewer → open 3_Leadlines geometry
object → select leadline on level 1515
Finalize the Sequence Multi Import window → Sequence

2.2 Activities Mode Documents

MineSight Atlas has three types of documents
available in Activities Mode: LEARNING OBJECTIVE
• The Activity Gantt, which is active by default
when Atlas opens, displays the project sched- Add Activities Mode documents and cus-
ule based on the sequence of activities. tomize data views.
• The Resource Gantt displays the project schedule based on utilization of resources assigned
to the sequence of activities.
• The Resource Load Chart displays the utilization of each resource throughout the project
schedule.
Activity Gantt
The detailed grid on the left side of the Activity Gantt displays activities and their related properties
in a tabular form. The Gantt chart at right displays the duration and sequence of activities using
Gantt bars. It also shows the dependencies between activities.
As your project grows with the number of activity types and activities, you are likely to find the amount
of data represented in a single Gantt chart overwhelming. Creating multiple Activity Gantts of the same
project schedule lets you view only the data you need.
32 | Activities Mode Documents

EXERCISE: Add an Activity Gantt

Create an Activity Gantt that displays only Drilling activities that occur in Week 01.
Activity Gantt Activities Mode → Home tab → New Activity Gantt icon → highlight Activity
Gantt in Document List → rename “Week 1 Drilling”
CUSTOMIZING ACTIVITY GANTT DOCUMENTS
By default, the data inside the Week1

Drilling document is identical to the over-
all schedule. You can customize the data
you view in documents by grouping, filter-
ing, sorting, reordering, and adding or re-
moving fields.
The Week 1 Drilling document filtered to

show only Drilling activities.
EXERCISE: Add and Remove Fields

Add and remove fields in the Week 1 Drilling document using the Column Chooser.
Remove Fields Week 1 Drilling document → right-click on any field header → Column Chooser
→ Week 1 Drilling document → drag and drop unwanted fields into the Col-
umn Chooser list
Add Fields Week 1 Drilling document → drag the Phase and Drill Meters fields from the
Column Chooser and release them at the desired location in the Activity
Gantt
EXERCISE: Group by a Field

Group by phase in the Drilling Week 1 document.
Group Week 1 Drilling document → drag and drop the Phase field from column
header to the Grouping area
Activities Mode Documents | 33


Grouping by Phase cleans up the data in an Activity Gantt.
ADDITIONAL GANTT FORMATING

The Activity Gantt Tools can help format your Gantt to show what is important to view in your
schedule. Two useful tools include ‘Property Over Time’ and the ‘Scrolling Grid”. The ‘Property Over
Time’ function will allow you to view properties like calculated number of trucks per shovel over the
duration of your schedule. The ‘Scrolling Grid’ will allow you to summarize property information by
scheduling period (Gantt filters apply).
Grouping by Phase cleans up the data in an Activity Gantt.
EXERCISE: Add Property Over Time

Add the Copper Property over time.
Add Property Over Time Select Activity Gantt → Activity Gantt Tools → Format → Property Over Time
Format Property = Copper → Show data label

EXERCISE: Add Scrolling Grid

Add the scrolling grid to activity Gantt and track tonnes, volume, copper and molybdenum
Add Scrolling Grid Select Activity Gantt → Activity Gantt Tools → Format → Scrolling grid
Format Add properties = tonnes, volume, copper, and molybdenum → Change row
colors
STYLING ACTIVITY GANTT DOCUMENTS

You can style Gantt bars inside Atlas to differentiate between activity types and display additional
data. Gantt bars can be colored universally by activity type, or they can be colored by cutoff of
a certain property value. Gantt Bar text can display additional information on the Gantt.
EXERCISE: Style Activity Gantt Bars

Change the Gantt bars so that each activity type has a different color, and add text to the mining activity
bars indicating the period, copper grade and direction of the activity.
Gantt Styles Window Properties Grid window → open Gantt Styles tab (on bottom-right of interface)
Style Activities Activity = Drilling; Color By = Global; Global Color = Blue → Activity = Load and
Blast; Color By = Global; Global Color = Orange → Activity = Mining; Color By
= Global; Global Color = Red
Add Bar Text Mining Activity → Bar Text → Left = Period; Inside = Copper; Right = Direction
Apply Gantt bar styling and text to customize the views and information in Gantt charts.
The Viewer Options area in the Gantt Styles tab allows you to toggle visibility and selectability of the
activity type in the MS3D Viewer. You can also make the Gantt styling override the default geometry
styling in the Viewer.


FILTERING THE MS3D VIEWER BY ACTIVITY GANTT DOCUMENTS

Another benefit to creating and managing custom documents is the ability to filter activities in the
MS3D viewer based on their presence in the Activity Gantt. This allows you to visualize only the cuts
that you have filtered for more detailed validation and scheduling activities.
EXERCISE: Filter by Activity Gantt Documents

Filter the MS3D Viewer on the Gantt Week 1 Drilling.
Apply Filter Document List → right-click on Week 1 Drilling document → Apply Filter
The MS3D Viewer with a filter applied for Week 1 Drilling activities.
Resource Gantt
The Resource Gantt specifies the activities to which each resource is assigned at specific times
throughout the schedule. Each row in the Resource Gantt represents a resource in the Backstage
Area. In MSAtlas, you can use Resource Gantts to create new activities, create dependencies
between activities, and apply formatting in the Gantt to display appropriate information.
The Resource Gantt shows resource utilization and the activities to which they are assigned to
over a certain time frame in the schedule.

EXERCISE: Filter on a Resource, Create a Single Activity from a Resource Gantt

Resource Gantts can be filtered to show only the resources you’d like to view. You can also create activities
directly from a Resource Gantt in Atlas. All activities created will automatically be assigned to the selected
resource.
Filter on the Shovel 1 resource and create a single activity from a Resource Gantt.
Filter Resource Gantt Tools → Format tab → Filter → select Shovel 1
Create Activity right-click on the Shovel 1 resource row → Mining
Digitize Activity digitize polygon in viewer → right-click → verify activity creation in Resource
Gantt and Activity Gantt
You can create dependencies between activities from the Resource Gantt. User dependencies and
scheduling will be covered later in the training course.
Material Styling Resource Gantt Documents

You can style your resource Gantt to show which materials are being mined in what activity. This
will help target material and show type of material that is being mined by what resource and
when.
Material Styling Resource Gantt
EXERCISE: Style Resource Gantt Bars

Change the Gantt bars so that each material type has a different color (low grad mill<0.2, high grade
mill>0.4).
Material Styling Format tab → Material Styling
Style Material Waste and Default = Red, Leach = Blue, Mill = Yellow and Green
Toggle Styling Format tab → Toggle Styling


Resource Load Chart

The Resource Load Chart shows you which resources are being over utilized or underutilized at dif-
ferent times in the project schedule. You can then adjust or level the specific resource as necessary
by shifting start times of durations in the schedule.
This Resource Load Chart shows utilization of a Blast Crew resource over time.
EXERCISE: Create & Organize Resource Load Charts

Create resource load charts for Shovel 1 and Shovel 2.
Rename Current Chart Activities Mode → Document List → rename resource load chart “Shovel 1” →
Properties Grid → Resource = Shovel 1
Create Resource Load Activities Mode → Document List → Add Resource Load Chart → rename
Chart “Shovel 2” → Properties Grid → Resource = Shovel 2
The ability to organize, customize and style the documents in Activities Mode of Atlas is critical for a
quick analysis of your project schedule and resource utilization. The analysis will help you to make
adjustments as necessary.

NOTES


2.3 Activity Geometry Styling

The style and format of activity geometry
for MineSight Atlas activities are controlled from LEARNING OBJECTIVE
within Atlas. There are a number of formatting
options available to you — this section will Style geometry with different characteris-
only cover some of them. Geometry formatting is tics for visualization purposes.
controlled from the Display tab → Style icon. Text
can also be applied to each activity to create
custom labels based on the desired properties.
Any activity type that is associated with geometry (Has Geometry from the Configuration
window) can be styled in the Style configuration window. In this project, the Drilling and Mining
activity types are based on the same piece of geometry, so you should style them differently to
visualize each one.
Drilling activities styled with a black outline and no face visibility.
EXERCISE: Style Drilling Activities

Style Drilling activities with a thick, black outline with no face visibility.
Drilling Style Display tab → Style icon → Drilling activities → Color By = Global; Line Color =
Black; Line Width = 2; Polyline Visibility (Faces) = False → Apply → OK
40 | Activity Geometry Styling

Mining and Drilling activities styled and displayed together. Mining represents the polygon face,
while Drilling represents the polygon outline.
EXERCISE: Style Mining Activities

Turn off drilling visibility and style Mining activities by the value of their phase property to distinguish between
phases in the Viewer. Add a copper label. Toggle on drilling visibility.
Drilling Visibility Display tab → Style icon → toggle on/off Drilling visibility
Mining Style Display tab → Style icon → Mining activities → Color By = Property; Property =
Phase; Cutoff Color = Flow → highlight all cutoffs → Polyline Visibility (Lines) =
False → Apply
Copper Label Text field → Token icon “. . . ” → Copper → OK → General tab → Text Size = 25
→ Apply → OK
Activity Geometry Styling | 41


42 | Activity Geometry Styling

3
Destinations
Create and define capacities for project destinations; map activities to destinations; route
material through the destination network; and create constraints for destinations by period.
Contents
3.1 Creating Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
3.2 Mapping Activities to Destinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
3.3 Reserves Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
3.4 Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.5 Reclaim Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.6 Optimized Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

3.1 Creating Destinations

Destinations are an integral part of developing an
MineSight Atlas schedule because they fill as activ- LEARNING OBJECTIVE
ities are mined. You can create destinations by im-
porting them from MSHaulage or by adding them Create destinations in MineSight Atlas;
individually in Destinations mode. then apply geometry to the destinations
Applying geometry to destinations provides accu- to obtain accurate locations and capac-
rate capacities based on the physical design of ities, by level and subzone.
the destination and the ability to visualize how the
destination will fill throughout the project schedule. For cases in which geometry does not exist for
a destination, you can create virtual destinations, though you will not be able to visualize virtual
destinations when animating the schedule. The Process Canvas document in Destinations mode
gives you a visual outline of the destinations, mapping and connections within your Atlas schedule.
Destinations based on geometry are visible in the MS3D Viewer.
EXERCISE: Import Destinations from MSHaulage

Import the five destinations from an MSHaulage plan into the MSAtlas schedule. Note that the destinations
may appear to be scattered in the Process Canvas upon import, but they are actually spaced relative to
their true location in plan view from the MS3D Viewer.
Import Destinations Destinations Mode → Ribbon Menu → Haulage Destination icon → select all
destinations from the Haulage Locations field
Configure Destinations apply the appropriate icons to each destination → check the Is Infinite option
for all destinations
44 | Creating Destinations
The Process Canvas after importing des-

tinations from MSHaulage. Destinations
are located according to their physical
locations in plan view on the canvas.
The Default destination in Atlas applies to

any material that is not mapped or routed
to an actual destination. This can be a
powerful validation tool after routing ma-
terial destinations.
Importing Geometry to a Destination

Once you’ve imported destinations from an existing MSHaulage plan into Atlas, you need to give
them capacities and geometry in order to visualize and populate each one. There are two ways
to populate destinations: You can import from the Viewer for destinations with geometry; or you
can use AutoGenerate for virtual destinations.
EXERCISE: Import Geometry to a Destination

Add geometry and lift/subzone capacities to the STK1_STKdestination. All destination geometry is stored in
the 16_DESTINATIONS folder in the Data Manager.
Import Levels Dialog Process Canvas → highlight STK1_STK → Ribbon menu → Import from Viewer
icon → Import Levels dialog → Destination Geometry = Select from Viewer
Import Geometry open the STK1_STKgeometry in MS3D → drag window over the geometry to
select → right-click to finalize selection
Tweak Levels Grouping = Auto; Seed Selection = Closest to Destination Origin → Refresh Grid
→ Replace Existing Levels
Creating Destinations | 45

VERIFYING CAPACITY FOR A DESTINATION

There are multiple ways to view capacity information for a destination in Atlas. First, the total
capacity for the destination can quickly be viewed in the Properties Grid from the Process Canvas
document.
The Properties Grid shows total capacity for the “STK1_STK” destination.
More detailed capacities by level and/or subzone can be viewed in the Destinations document
by drilling down to the level of detail desired.
HAULAGE INFORMATION IN DESTINATION

You can view Information from MSHaulage in the Haulage section of the Properties Grid for each
destination after import. The Haulage Location and Location fields are imported from MSHaulage.
You can input values for the following parameters: Proximity Distance, Proximity Rolling Distance,
Proximity Speed and Ramp Grade. Note that these four parameters are not imported from MSHaulage;
instead, you specify these values in the Atlas Plan.
Haulage parameters for a destination in Atlas can be defined in the Properties Grid after
highlighting a destination in the Process Canvas document.
RAMP GEOMETRY SEED SELECTION

When importing the geometry for the HG_STK destination, the seed selection was defined as Clos-
est to Destination Origin. There are five other options: Northmost, Southmost, Eastmost, Westmost
and Ramp Geometry.
46 | Creating Destinations
EXERCISE: Import Geometry to a Destination Using a Ramp Geometry Seed
Import Levels Dialog Process Canvas → Highlight STK2_STK → Ribbon menu → Import from Viewer
icon → Import Levels dialog → Destination Geometry = Select from Viewer
Import Geometry open STK2 subzones geometry in MS3D → drag window over the geometry to
select → right-click to finalize selection
Tweak Levels Grouping = Auto, Seed Selection = Ramp Geometry → Digitize
Digitize Ramp MS3D Viewer → Snap Faces → digitize polyline along ramp centerline
Geometry
Import Geometry Refresh Grid → Replace Existing Levels
EXERCISE: Import geometry for remaining destinations

Import geometry for WD1_DST using the same process as STK1_STK (Seed Selection = Closest to Destination
Origin)
AUTOGENERATE LEVELS
Capacity by level and subzone can be defined manually in Atlas for destinations without an asso-
ciated geometry in MS3D. Access the AutoGenerate tool from the Destination Mode contextual
tab by clicking on the icon. The AutoGenerate Levels dialog window opens after you select the
icon. This window allows you to manually specify min/max elevation, level height and naming, and
capacities
Creating Destinations | 47

3.2 Mapping Activities to Destinations

Once you’ve created destinations and their as-
sociated geometry, locations and capacities, the LEARNING OBJECTIVE
next step is to map a production source to each
destination based on the reserves logic. MineSight Map activities to destinations using re-
Atlas is a manual scheduling program, so the rout- serves logic and other parameters, such
ing logic and mapping are provided as an input to as define priorities and fill objectives.
the program by the user.
Mapped destinations can be viewed in the Process Canvas with arrows

connecting the Production Source to each destination.
Adding a Production Source

The production source is based on reserves logic representing the activities in the Atlas plan. This
will be the source of all routings in the schedule.
EXERCISE: Add a Production Source

The production source will represent all activities in the schedule, and will be based on the ATLASreserves
logic.
Production Source Destinations mode → Ribbon menu → Production Source icon → Name = ATLAS
→ click on the Digitize icon and select the bottom of the pit
Define Source Location MS3D Viewer → Face Snap → select select activity in bottom of pit → OK
Production sources can be based on an entire reserves logic, or they can be separated by a property
(i.e. Phase or Level).
48 | Mapping Activities to Destinations

Mapping a Production Source to Destinations

The Material Mapping tool in Atlas allows you to map reserve bins based on material type and
grade cutoff to destinations.
EXERCISE: Material Mapping

Map material based on Copper grade cutoff according to the table below:
MATERIAL TYPE (CUTOFF) DESTINATION

DEFAULT WD1_DST
WASTE WD1_DST
LEACH LEACH_STK
MILL (all) MILL_DST
MILL (0 – 0.2) STK1_STK
MILL (0.2 – 1.0) STK2_STK
Open Material Destinations mode → Ribbon menu → Material Mapping icon → map material
Mapping Window to destinations as shown in table
Mapped destinations can be viewed in the Process Canvas with arrows connecting the
Production Source to each destination.
You can click on a destination in the Material Mapping window to see which grade bins and material
types are mapped to the destination. Mapped grade bins will display as bold and italicized. The figure
above displays which bins are mapped to the MILL_DST using this method.
In Atlas you have the flexibility to break out grade bins and material items by multiple zone items. Simply
right-click on a column or row header, and select “Show Field List” to see other zone items that may be
available from your reserves logic.
Mapping Activities to Destinations | 49


Defining Destination Priorities

In the previous exercise, you mapped certain grade bins to multiple destinations. For example,
MILL material with grade between 0—0.20 was mapped to both STK1_STK and MILL_DST destina-
tions. The Destination Priorities tool allows you to specify where to send material that is mapped
to multiple possible destinations. For example, if you want to send this material to MILL_DST first,
assign a priority of 1 to this destination and a priority of 2 to the STK1_STK destination. Priorities can
be varied by period in MSAtlas.
EXERCISE: Destination Priorities

Assign priorities to material mapped to both stockpile and mill destinations.
Destination Priorities Destinations mode → Ribbon menu → Destination Options icon

Window
Assign Priority for First Mill_DST = 1; STK1_STK = 2; STK2_STK = 2

Period
Apply to all Periods right-click on Week1 period header → Copy to All → OK
Assigning priorities to destinations tells MSAtlas where to route material that is mapped
to multiple destinations. Priorities can vary by period.
Destination Rules
Destination Rules ensure a proper and realistic sequence is used when filling destinations. These
rules are designed to prevent float-dumping, or filling a subzone/level at a higher elevation before
a lower subzone/level is filled first (think of the reverse of undermining).
When a destination is created, Atlas automatically applies a default destination rule to ensure the
filling of destinations happens in a realistic manner. The Destination Rules window allows you to
adjust expansion and grid parameters as necessary.
50 | Mapping Activities to Destinations

Calculate Schedule vs. Calculate Routing

There are two types of calculations in Atlas used to update the project schedule when activities
and/or destinations have been added, removed or edited: Calculate Schedule and Calculate
Routing. Calculate Schedule updates only the project schedule and corresponding Gantt charts
when changes are made. Calculate Routing executes the routing of activities to destinations
based on mapping, priorities, fill objectives and destination rules. By default, the Calculate Sched-
ule function is performed automatically when changes are made to the schedule, but Calculate
Routing is updated manually.
EXERCISE: Calculate Routing

Since you have just defined the material mapping, priorities and other parameters for the destinations in your
Atlas project, calculating the routing will map individual cuts and cutoffs to destinations.
Routing click the Calculate Routing icon in the Home ribbon of Destinations Mode →
wait until progress is complete → OK
Mapping Activities to Destinations | 51


3.3 Reserves Grids

A reserves grid in MineSight Atlas is an intuitive way
to verify and validate the result of routing calcula- LEARNING OBJECTIVE
tions; it allows you to view results and organize the
data in a manner that is easy to see. The Reserves Analyze and verify routing using reserves
document allows you to create reserves grids of grids.
mapped material to each destination. These grids
allow you to view haulage cycle times, grade and
tonnage information, and which activities were routed to which destination (and further by
level/subzone). Grouping the reserves grid by destination makes it is easier to view which desti-
nations are receiving material.
EXERCISE: View Routing Results

View routing results using a reserves grid. In this case, only the MILL_DST, LEACH_STK and WD1_DST destinations
are used. None of the stockpile destinations received material. This occurred for two reasons: 1) MILL_DST
was given a higher priority, and 2) MILL_DST has unlimited capacity, so all material was able to go to MILL_DST
without being sent to any stockpiles.
View Reserves Grid Destinations Mode → Reserves Document → group by To Destination field →
group by Period → drill down MILL_DST destination
Adding Reserves Grids gives you control in viewing and organizing large amounts of data.
52 | Reserves Grids
ADDING MULTIPLE RESERVES GRIDS

Just as adding multiple Activity Gantt views helps you better organize and visualize the project
schedule, adding multiple reserves grids helps you better analyze routing information. Given the
large amount of data available in reserves grids, it is recommended to have multiple grids to view.
EXERCISE: Create Additional Reserves Grids

Multiple Reserves Grids give you flexibility to quickly have multiple views of your routings. In this case, rename
the current grid and create a new grid that groups MILL_DST by material type.
Rename Current Destinations Mode → highlight Reserves document → rename To Destination

Reserves Grid by Period
Add New Reserves Grid Destinations Mode → Home Ribbon → Reserves Grid icon → Rename MILL_DST
by Cutoff → filter on MILL_DST in the To Destination field → Group by Cutoff
field
In addition to grouping by “To Destination,” the “Routing Type” and “Routing Direction” fields can be
useful to analyze reclaim and other routing types between destinations.
Reserves Grids | 53

3.4 Constraints
You can use the Constraints document in Mine-
Sight Atlas to set constraints for destinations that LEARNING OBJECTIVE
allow you to specify minimum and maximum ton-
nages, grade items and other data, by period, Define constraints for specific destina-
throughout the schedule. There are five types of tions.
constraints:
CONSTRAINT TYPE DESCRIPTION

ClosingBalance Total amount of material present at destination
Mapped Total amount of mapped material (from a source)
In Total material arriving to destination (i.e. mapped and reclaim)
Out Total material leaving the destination
Net In—Out
EXERCISE: Add a Constraint for MILL_DST

Up to now, all ore material was routed to the MILL_DST destination because there were no constraints applied
to it. In this section, add constraints to the MILL_DST destination to force material to be routed to the stockpiles.
Add a maximum capacity by period for MILL_DST, forcing any extra material to be routed to the correspond-
ing stockpiles based on material mapping and destination priorities previously specified.
Add Constraint Destinations Mode → Constraints Document → Destination = MILL_DST; From =

Week 01; To = End; Grade = Tonnes; Constraint Type = Mapped; Lower = 0;
Upper = 500,000; Capped = True
Calculate Routing verify that some material has been sent to STK1_STK and STK2_STK
54 | Constraints
NOTES
Constraints | 55

3.5 Reclaim Connections

Reclaim options are available that give you con-
trol over the movement of material between des- LEARNING OBJECTIVE
tinations. The reclaim options are defined in the
Reclaim document in Destinations Mode. Defining Define constraints and reclaim for specific
reclaim connections between destinations creates destinations.
the opportunity for flow of material from a source
destination to a final destination. Keep in mind that
the reclaim connection itself only enables the flow of material, while the Reclaim document allows
you to define the material movement.
EXERCISE: Create a Reclaim Connection Between Stockpiles and Mill

Thus far in the project, you have mapped the production source to three types of destinations—mill, stockpile
and waste dump. You have also applied a weekly max for the MILL_DST, forcing material to be routed to the
stockpiles based on the destination priorities. Creating reclaim connections will let you send material from
the stockpiles to MILL_DST. Create a reclaim connection between STK1_STK and MILL_DST.
Select Source Process Canvas → mouse over STK1_STK destination → click and hold on square
icon on any side, as shown
Connect to Destination drag mouse over MILL_DST destination → release → connection arrow will ap-
pear
Connect to Destination create a connection from STK2_STK to MILL_DST
STYLING CONNECTION ARROWS

Styling can be applied to the Process Canvas to
quickly visualize the different types of connections
in your MineSight Atlas project. There are five dif-
ferent types of connections in Atlas: Mapped, Re-
claim, Calculation In, Calculation Out and Surge.
This Process Canvas has two types of connections—

mapped connections are solid blue, while Re-
claim connections are dashed red.
EXERCISE: Style Reclaim Connections

Using the figure above as a guide, style reclaim connections as a dashed red line.
Open Line Format Tool Process Canvas Document → Canvas Tools Format tab → Format icon
Apply Formatting Select Reclaim → Line Pattern = Dash, Color = Red → OK
56 | Reclaim Connections
ADDITIONAL RECLAIM OPTIONS

You can specify additional reclaim options for each destination using the properties grid for each
destination within the Process Canvas document. You can specify an opening balance, priority,
priority override, reclaim method (MWA, FIFO, LIFO) and routing restrictions for each destination.
Defining Reclaim Details—The Reclaim Document

After creating a connection between two destinations in the Process Canvas document, you can
define specific reclaim parameters in the Reclaim document. There are a number of parameters
to define, and each is described below:
PARAMETER DEFINITION
From Source destination where the material is being pulled from
To Final destination where the material is being sent to
Period Project period when the reclaim will occur
Tonnes Amount of material to move
Is Maximum Boolean field specifying whether the specified tonnage is a maximum
Haul Fleet Haul fleet that will be moving the material
Grade Objective Min/Max option, depending on objective
Target Grade The grade item (from reserves logic) you are minimizing or maximizing
Actual Tonnes The actual amount of material moved as a result of routing calculation
Reclaim parameters can be set up for specific destinations at certain tonnages and grade
objectives for each period.
EXERCISE: Define Reclaim from STK1_STK to MILL_DST

In certain weeks in the schedule, the incoming material to MILL_DST is less than the weekly capacity. So in
this exercise, you will send material from STK1_STK to MILL_DST in some of these periods. Once the reclaim is
defined, the routing will need to be calculated for the project.
Define Reclaim Reclaim Document → From = STK1_STK; To = MILL_DST; Tonnes = Maximize Re-
Parameters claim; Haul Fleet = MS_793D (1); Grade Objective = None
Calculate Routing Destinations Mode → Home Tab → Calculate Routing icon
EXERCISE: Validate Reclaim Results

Analyze the results of the reclaim definition and routing calculation. An easy way to organize this is to create
a new reserves grid that reports only reclaim movement.
Create new Reserves Destinations Mode → Home Tab → Reserves Grid icon
Grid
Define Reserves Grid Rename “Reclaim Results” → filter Routing Type field to show only Reclaim →
group by To Destination field
Reclaim Connections | 57

3.6 Optimized Routing

Along with manual routing, you also have the op-
tion of optimize reclaim/rehandle to create a tar- LEARNING OBJECTIVE
get material blend using the cplex engine. This
does require an additional attribute on your Atlas Define objective, set connections, specify
license. targets and relax constraints.
EXERCISE: Set up an Optimized Layer

Create a new optimized layer, set objective to maximize copper and add PITN_STP to MILL and STK connec-
tions as well as STK to MILL.
Create Optimized Layer Home → Optimized Configuration → General → click + Name = Optimize CU,
Objective = Maximize Copper
Create Connection Connections → toggle included connections
SETTING UP CONSTRAINTS
Constraints will help ensure the correct amount of a material, volume, tons and grade are routed
to the correct destinations for each scheduling period. Atlas has multiple optimized constraint
documents to choose from to help create the optimal target for all destinations. The list below
explains the different types.
DOCUMENT TYPE DEFINITION

Target Tonnes Limit tonnes to the target destination such as mill
Target Volume Limit volume to the target destination such as mill
Source Tonnes Limit tonnes from the source destination such as a stockpile
Source volume Limit volume from the source destination such as a stockpile
Target Grades Limit grade value to the target destination such as mill
Target Material Limit material tonnes to the target destination such as mill
Connections Limit same as all above types except material, but ordered by connection
Connection Material The grade item (from reserves logic) you are minimizing or maximizing
EXERCISE: Setup Constraints and Run Optimization

Add two optimized constraint documents. Target tonnes and grade to the Mill.
Add Optimized Insert → Home Tab → Optimized Constraints drop down → add Target Tonnes
Constraints and Target Grade
Specify Constraints Select document → Target Tonnes to Mill, Lower = , Upper = → Target Grade to
Mill, Lower = , Upper = → Use the right click copy option to add constraint to
multiple periods
Calculate Routing Review the reserves document to see that material was optimized and con-
straints were followed
58 | Optimized Routing
RELAX CONSTRAINTS
If the optimizer cannot find a result for the specified constraints only periods up to that period will
be routed and the run will stop. The message window will provide information on the success of
your run, including which constraints were violated based on the mine schedule. If your schedule
run fails, try running the constraint relaxation to see what can be routed for the problematic period.
This will relax your routing constraints based on a user preference set for each constraint.
EXERCISE: Relax Constraints and Run Optimization

Set a preference for relaxing targets, check on constraint relaxation in the optimizer configuration, calculate
routing, and review the results.
Set Preference Constraint Relaxation Document → Mill tonnes upper = 1, lower = 2 → Mill cop-
per upper = 3, lower = 4
Toggle on Relaxation Home → Optimizer Configuration → General → toggle on ‘Run with Constraint
Relaxation’
Calculate Routing Review the reserves document to see that material was optimized and con-
straints were followed
Optimized Routing | 59

NOTES
60 | Optimized Routing
4
Scheduling
Implement the various types of scheduling tools available in MSAtlas to create a realistic mining
plan.
Contents
4.1 Scheduling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.2 Resource Leveling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

4.1 Scheduling
The wide variety of scheduling options available
in MineSight Atlas will give you complete control LEARNING OBJECTIVE
in creating a realistic schedule. You can create
schedules either by defining rules or creating de- Apply different scheduling tools—User
pendencies. Rules will create dependencies be- Dependencies, Undermining, Proximity
tween activities based on spatial location and val- Rules, Global Property Rules and Property
ues of properties (i.e. Phase, Level). Scheduling Rules—to a schedule.
rules can always be accessed from the Schedul-
ing tab, no matter which mode you are currently
working in. User dependencies are created manually in the Viewer or in the Gantt chart to de-
fine specific relationships between two activities. User dependencies can be created in Activities
Mode.
Undermining Rules
Undermining rules ensure a realistic sequence of mining so that a certain cut cannot be mined
until the cuts at higher benches within a certain expansion slope have been mined as well. This will
prevent mining of lower benches before the bench above has been mined. Undermining Rules
are generally used for open pit operations, but are worth checking in underground projects as
well.
EXERCISE: Create an Undermining Rule

This rule will be run on every activity in the project and will update the schedule accordingly. Upon clicking
Run, the Undermining Rule is executed and the corresponding changes to the project schedule are updated
automatically. This can be verified by looking at start dates by bench throughout the entire project.
Dependency Scheduling Tab → Dependencies section → Activity icon → Undermining panel

Configuration Window
Define Undermining click “+” icon to create rule → Rule Name = Undermining–10; Expansion Slope
Rules = 10; Expanded Cut = 5; Tested Cut = 5; Grid Size = 1; Grid Percentage = 50
→ Run
62 | Scheduling
Activity Gantt showing the project schedule grouped by level. The top level schedule is before
the rule is applied, while the bottom level shows the updated schedule after applying the rule.
RULE LIST MANAGEMENT

Multiple scheduling rules can be created, applied and managed for any of the types of schedul-
ing rules in the Dependency Configuration window. These rules are managed using a list, where
you can create, edit, delete, copy, prioritize and activate/deactivate any rule at any time.
Proximity Rules
Proximity Rules allow you to define a three-dimensional search method (based on a box or ellip-
soid) to define dependencies between predecessor activity types and successor activities. Prox-
imity Rules are particularly beneficial in underground applications, but certainly have advantages
in open pit environments as well. The “Intersection” search method allows the successor activity
to be dependent on the predecessor activity only if there is an overlap between the two. This is
useful for automatically generating dependencies between drilling, blasting and mining without
using Activity Sets. In the image below, the red, orange, and green activities would be delayed by
the black activity, while the yellow (adjacent) activity would be unaffected by the proximity rule.
Scheduling | 63

Global Property Rules

In a project with multiple mining phases, it is common to specify a sequence of phase dependen-
cies, such as “Phase 2 must be mined after Phase 1” and “Phase 3 must be mined after Phase 2.”
Global Property Rules allow you to save an entire sequence of property-based scheduling rules
(i.e. Phase, Level, etc.) for activities in one single rule.
EXERCISE: Create Phase Dependencies in a single Global Property Rule

Build a Global Property rule stating “Phase 2 must be mined after Phase 1” and “Phase 3 must be mined after
Phase 2” for all phases in the project.
Dependency Scheduling Tab → Dependencies section → Activities icon → Global Property

Configuration Window panel
Define Global click “+” icon to create rule → Rule Name = Phase Dependency; Predecessor
Property Rule Activities Property = Phase; Successor Activities Steps = 1 → Run
Activity Gantt showing the project schedule, grouped by Phase,

before and after the Global Property Rule is applied.
Property Rules
Property Rules allow to you to create a dependency between activities based on specific values
of properties, for example “Phase3 after Phase2.” The main difference between this rule and a
Global Property rule is that the specific Property rules do not sequence through all values (phases)
in the property.
64 | Scheduling
Activity Gantt based on a Property Rule.
User Dependencies
User dependencies allow you to create manual dependencies between two activities in the
schedule to specify that the predecessor activity must be complete before the successor activity
can begin. Creating user dependencies can be done in two ways—in the Gantt chart or in the
MS3D Viewer.
Creating a user dependency in the MS3D viewer. In the figure above,

the dependency states that Activity 1 must finish before Activity 2 begins.
EXERCISE: Create a User Dependency in the Viewer

Create a user dependency between two Mining activities in the Viewer. The dependency will establish that
the last activity in Phase 2 must be complete before the first activity in Phase 3 can begin.
Create Dependency Activities Mode → Home Tab → Dependencies section → Create in Viewer
icon → select preceding activity (left-click) → select succeeding activity
(left-click)
User dependencies can be deleted in the Gantt chart by double-clicking on the dependency arrow in
the Activity Gantt chart, and then pressing the Delete Selected option in the Scheduling tab. All user
dependencies can be deleted using the Delete All option.
User dependencies can be deleted in the Gantt chart by double-clicking on the dependency
arrow in the Activity Gantt chart, and then pressing the Delete Selected option in the Schedul-
ing tab. All user dependencies can be deleted using the Delete All option Comment 5 – Quick
Dependencies.
An alternate way to create dependencies in MSAtlas is using the Quick Dependencies tool. Using
this tool, you can explicitly define activities from the viewer or from a pick list. Connections can be
made by dragging arrows from “Left” activities to “Right” activities. The dependency, and resulting
schedule, can then be previewed using animation before finalizing the change.
Scheduling | 65

Derating
The Derating feature in Atlas allows you to reduce the rate of a mining activity based on the
number of available trucks to a specific shovel. Atlas can automatically calculate the number of
trucks required for a given activity to keep the shovel rated at 100%. This calculation involves the
ratio of Truck Hours to Shovel Hours.
In the example shown, in which Atlas has made the calculation based on the truck and shovel
hours for the specific activity, 12 haul trucks must be assigned to the shovel for it to operate at
100% of its resource rate. Since only eight trucks are assigned to the cut, the resource rate will be
reduced to 6% if derating is applied.
Derating is applied to a mining activity.
EXERCISE: Apply Derating to Mining Activities
View Calculated Trucks Select a mining activity → click on Resource dropdown → view Calculated vs.
Assigned trucks
Apply Derating Scheduling tab → Apply Derating → verify that the updated rates have been
derated
Reset Derating Scheduling tab → Reset Derating → verify all derating has returned to 100%.
66 | Scheduling
NOTES
Scheduling | 67

4.2 Resource Leveling

Resource utilization is not considered a constraint
when developing a schedule and sequencing ac- LEARNING OBJECTIVE
tivities in MineSight Atlas. It is possible (and prob-
able, in this project) to have resources with utiliza- Prioritize and adjust start times for overlap-
tion higher than 100% as a result of the activity se- ping activities assigned to the same re-
quence in the plan. This can be verified in Activities source.
Mode → Resource Load Chart.
Resource Leveling tools in Atlas allow you to prioritize and adjust start times for overlapping ac-
tivities assigned to the same resource to avoid overutilization of that resource. Resource Leveling
tools are available in the Scheduling tab of Atlas.
There are two Properties tied to Resource Leveling for each activity: Leveling Priority and Leveling
Delay. Leveling Priority allows you to assign a priority to each activity, while Leveling Delay is a
read-only field that displays the delay time for a specific activity based on Resource Leveling only.
Resource Load Chart indicating overutilization of the resource as a result of the activity
sequencing.
EXERCISE: Use Resource Leveling options

Level the Shovel2resource, focusing on two overlapping activities to see behavior.
Assign Priorities group by level → display two overlapping activities → assign values of 2 and 1
in the Leveling Priority field for the two activities → highlight the two activities
Level Activities Scheduling tab → Leveling section → Selection icon
View Result verify Start Time and Leveling Delay property for the lower priority activity
68 | Resource Leveling
Overlapping activities using the Shovel2 resource before Resource Leveling (above) and after
Resource Leveling (below). Priorities are set for some of the activities, and Resource Leveling is
applied. As a result, the start times of certain activities are pushed back and the Leveling Delay
field displays the delay time as a result of Resource Leveling.
Resource Leveling | 69

70 | Resource Leveling
5
Utilities
Use ARC reporting tools and Gauges to summarize results and use visualization tools to control
animation parameters and geometry styling in the viewer.
Contents
5.1 Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
5.2 End-of-Period Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
5.3 Import Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
5.4 Live Haulage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
5.5 Conclusion & Future Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

5.1 Reporting
Advanced Reporting & Charting (ARC) reporting,
available in Reporting Mode, is an effective and LEARNING OBJECTIVE
intuitive way to report and summarize the results
of your schedule. Any changes made to the Create and use gauges to visualize key
project schedule are automatically updated in metrics.
corresponding reporting documents. You can re-
port on five types of data sources — activities, pro-
rated activities, activity by resource, unrouted re-
serves, routed reserves and routed reserves. There
are four ARC reporting-related documents in Mine-
Sight Atlas: Grid, Pivot, Chart and Gauge. You can
create as many documents as you want in Report-
ing Mode, and organize and save specific report
templates.
Pivot Document Pivot grid and corresponding bar chart show-

ing tonnage to each destination by period.
The Pivot document allows you to customize data The MILL_DST column is highlighted, which
in a grid format for reporting the schedule. Pivot automatically populates the chart.
grids are defined using a field list that gives you the
ability to drag and drop fields as a Filter Area, Row Area, Column Area or Data Area. An additional
feature of the Pivot Grid is the ability to automatically generate graphs by highlighting data fields,
rows and/or column in the grid. Pivot documents can also be printed and exported to a variety of
different file formats, including .pdf, .xlsx, HTML and image files.
Chart visibility can be toggled on/off by clicking the “v” arrow above the chart window.
EXERCISE: Create a Pivot Document

This document will create a pivot grid and chart reporting tonnage to each destination by period according
the Atlas schedule.
Create and Name Reporting Mode → Pivot → Routed Reserves → rename document “Tonnage
by Destination, Period”
Define Pivot Grid Pivot Document → Pivot Tools contextual tab → Options → Field List → Row
Area = Period; Column Area = ToDestination; Data Area = Tonnes → Close
Create Chart drag chart window to view → select MILL_DST column header → graph ap-
pears automatically
72 | Reporting
Gauges Document
The Gauges document in Atlas allows you to create dashboards of key metrics related to the
project schedule. There are three types of gauges: circular, linear and digital. You can define
the data source, filtering options, min/max bounds, low/medium/high ranges, and various types
of styling to create and customize the gauge. Gauges will update dynamically as your Atlas
schedule changes in order to give instant feedback on the fly.
TRUCK HOURS COPPER GRADE

Bounds [0,100,000] [0,1]
Data
Aggregation Sum Average
Filter Level = 1515 Level = 1515
Property Truck Hours Copper
Source Routed Reserves Routed Reserves
Display
Name Truck Hours Copper Grade
Scale Exponent 0 0
Show Value True True
Value Units Hours
Ranges—1
Color Red Red
Ranges—2
Color Yellow Yellow
Ranges—3
Color Green Green
The Copper Grade gauge gives a useful example of the Show Ranges functionality, where all
copper below the ore/waste cutoff (0.2) is highlighted red.
EXERCISE: Create a New Dashboard of Gauges

This gauge will report total tonnage for Level 1515 in the Atlas project. To add two circular gauges, follow the
same process with the following parameters—Truck Hours and Copper Grade.
Add Document Reporting mode → Gauge icon → rename document “Level 1515 Dashboard”
Add Circular Gauge Gauge Tools contextual tab → Design → Circular Gauge icon
Define Bounds and Data Properties Grid → Bounds section → Lower = 0; Upper = 20,000,000 → Data sec-
tion → Filter = [Level] = 1515; Aggregation = Sum; Property = Tonnes; Source
= Routed Reserves → Show Ranges = True
Reporting | 73

Circular Gauge reporting the total tonnage for a specific bench in the Atlas project.
EXERCISE: Add a Digital Gauge to the Dashboard

The digital gauge reports a single number depending on the data source, filters and aggregation defined
in the Properties grid. This gauge will report the average travel time for routed reserves on Level 2600 in the
project.
Add Digital Gauge Gauge Tools contextual menu → Design → Digital Gauge icon
Define Bounds and Data Properties Grid → Data section → Aggregation = Average; Filter = Level = 1515;
Property = NumberTrips; Source = Routed Reserves
Gauge styles can be applied to give your gauges a variety of different looks.
74 | Reporting
NOTES
Reporting | 75

5.2 End-of-Period Maps

End-of-period maps are 3D surfaces, created in
MineSight 3D (MS3D), that represent period-by- LEARNING OBJECTIVE
period mining progress according to an MineSight
Strategic Planner (MSSP) schedule. The plt821.* Create an end-of-period map represent-
file specifies the bottom bench within each mining period-by-period progress.
ing phase, by period. If a bench is less than 50%
mined, the end-of-period surface will reflect that
the corresponding bench has not been mined. If more than 50% of a bench has been mined, the
end-of-period surface will reflect that the corresponding bench has been mined completely.
Similarly, the pltdmp.* file can be used to display the period progress of the destinations. Destina-
tions will only display progress if their lifts have a definite capacity. MILL, STK and ROML were set to
infinite and will not populate the pltdmp.* file.
An end-of-period map showing scheduling results for Period 9
EXERCISE: Create an End-of-Period Map

Using the following parameters and the End of Period Maps Tool (MS3D Viewer → Op Eng Tools pull-down
menu → MSSP Period Map Tool), create an end-of-period map.
Setup tab browse for the Plot file for Pit Phases (plt821.4s) using the yellow folder button →
browse for the Plot file for Dump Destinations (pltdmp.4s)
Target tab create EOP Map folder in Data Manager → select folder → Topography Surface
= 07_Complete Topo with Roads → Periods: From=1; To= 28
This tab defines the folder selection to store the surfaces, the topography with which you will merge the pit
shells and the periods to plot.
76 | End-of-Period Maps
Phase and Aliases tab File → Load Phase Table → EOP_Table.dat
This tab is where you will select your pit shells and dump elements. To use multiple selections, the Alias tab
must be configured; otherwise the pit shells and destination objects will have the same names as the MSSP
phases and destinations. In this case, the wildcard $same can take the place of the shared characters.
Once you’ve selected the objects and populated the table, you can save the table for future plotting.
Naming Tab Resulting Objects’ Names = Period$count → Apply
Using this tab, you can enter period map names using either a $pername or $count wildcard. $pername will
name the object after the period name in MSSP, while $count will use the number of the period.
End-of-Period Maps | 77

5.3 Import Projects

Atlas can leverage existing activity information from multiple Minesight products such Blast, MSSO,
existing MSPD databases as well as from Planner and of course other Atlas projects.
Import ribbon
Blast Import
The Blast importer allows you to select and import drill/blasting polygons along with hole and length
information from an existing Blast project. First connect to a project either database or file. If you
want to track the number of holes and total drillhole length in a pattern you must add properties
(use double type) in your plan to do such.
Blast dialog
After you have established a Blast connect use the importer to filter the correct patterns for import
and assign an associated Atlas activity type.
Drill pattern dialog
78 | Import Projects
MSSO Import
The MSSO Importer allows you to import MSSO cuts into Atlas by period assignment. Activity dura-
tion is still calculated from activity rates, but the first activity in a sequence will start in the assigned
import period based on period method (Start, End, Majority). The phase attribute, diglines and
precedence can also be imported with the cuts to create an initial schedule. And the MSSO filter
will allow you to pull particular cuts belonging to a period, phase and/or level.
MSSO import dialog
Importer only supports MSSO projects with a Viewer, Planner or Blockmodel source
Import Projects | 79

Atlas/Planner Import
The Atlas importer allows teams to work on separate potions of a schedule, later piecing together
the entire project. For example, the blast engineer can work on a drilling schedule and the mine
planner can work on his schedule. After both are complete they can merge the plans into one
master schedule and make changes accordingly after comparing the two side by side in the same
schedule. The dialog is very simple, select a plan for import and filter by any property just like in the
activity Gantt.
Atlas importer project windows
Activity types / resources are automatically mapped if names match, check the message window for
the import log
80 | Import Projects
5.4 Live Haulage

Atlas has integrated Haulage as an additional tool to help expedite the process of building/editing
haul networks and validating how they interact with your mine schedule. You must have a Haulage
license to access this feature. All of the functionality of Haulage is available in Atlas as separate
buttons in the Haulage ribbon. The only portion that is a bit different for familiar users of Haulage is
the route availability..
Haul network
Live Haulage | 81

NOTES
82 | Live Haulage
5.5 Conclusion & Future Training

We hope you will be able to use the tools covered during this MineSight software training course to
improve productivity at your mine. As you apply the concepts you have learned, please phone or
email us with questions. Our contact information is listed on the inside cover of this book and on our
website, www.hexagonmining.com. The website also gives you access to our download/upload
page, the latest updates to our software, news, seminar papers and newsletter articles about our
software.
Future Training
Whether it takes a few hours or a few days, training with Hexagon Mining’s newest tools can pay
instant dividends. Designed to fit your schedule, our mix-and-match formats support your learning
needs no matter what your expertise with MineSight software.
Spend some time using our software in day-to-day applications. When you are comfortable
working with MineSight software, contact us at training.mp.tus.min@hexagonmining.com or visit
www.hexagonmining.com to set up your next training.
Activity-Based Scheduling with Atlas. V4. May 26, 2017
c
2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 by Leica Geosystems AG. All rights reserved. No part of this document shall be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from Mintec, Inc.
All terms mentioned in this document that are known to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies have been
appropriately identified. MineSight isR a registered trademark of Leica Geosystems. This material is subject to all the terms in the MineSight
End User License Agreement (EULA).
Conclusion & Future Training | 83


84 | Conclusion & Future Training

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Activity-Based Scheduling with Atlas. V4. May 26, 2017

3D BLOCK MODEL (3DBM) STRATIGRAPHIC MODEL

ECONOMIC PIT LIMITS & PIT OPTIMIZATION

PIT & UNDERGROUND DESIGN

Providing global technical support

MineSight Services offers mine planning

1.1 Atlas Plans

An Activity Set showing the dependencies between three Activity Types.

RESOURCE ASSIGNMENT AND LEVELING

EXERCISE: Create a New Atlas Plan

1.2 The Atlas Interface

6 | The Atlas Interface

The Atlas Interface | 7

1.3 Reporting Reserves

ZONE VALUE COPPER GRADE CUTOFFS

EXERCISE: Import a Reserves Logic File

1.4 Connecting to Haulage

EXERCISE: Restore a Database and Connect to an MSHaulage Plan

Create ODBC MineSight Database Manager → Connection → Connect → Server Manage-

1.5 Atlas Plan Configuration

General Navigate directly to a specific panel using

Swell factors can vary by material type and/or grade cutoff.

12 | Atlas Plan Configuration

EXERCISE: Create Multiple Periods

Autopopulate Configuration Dialog → Periods → Autopopulate

EXERCISE: Create a Phase Property

Atlas Plan Configuration | 13

EXERCISE: View the Drilling-Related Properties

DERIVED TYPE OPTION

EXERCISE: Create Copper and Molybdenum Properties

DERIVATION TYPE DESCRIPTION

14 | Atlas Plan Configuration

ACTIVITY BEHAVIOR DESCRIPTION

EXERCISE: Create a Drilling Activity Type

Activity Behavior Has geometry = True; Is Sequential = True

Animation Options Show Before = True; Show During = True

EXERCISE: Create a Load and Blast Activity Type

Visible Properties Phase = True

Atlas Plan Configuration | 15

EXERCISE: Create a Mining Activity Type

Visible Properties Copper = True; Molybdenum = True; Phase = True

Animation Options Show Before = True; Show During = True

EXERCISE: Create a DBM Activity Set

16 | Atlas Plan Configuration

EXERCISE: Import a Haul Fleet

EXERCISE: Create a Lunch Break

Atlas Plan Configuration | 17

EXERCISE: Create a Drill Rig 1 Resource

EXERCISE: Associate Haul Fleet with Shovel 1 and Shovel 2 Resources

EXERCISE: Change the Drill Rig 2 Resource Rate

EXERCISE: Change the Shovel 2 Resource Rate

18 | Atlas Plan Configuration

EXERCISE: Create Downtime for the Shovel 2 Resource

Atlas Plan Configuration | 19

20 | Atlas Plan Configuration