Fellow miners and Earth scientists, something is coming and I think I need to bring our minds to these. If you are reading from developed nations please this is very important, and if you are reading from Africa, please take note of this.
Like an avalanche rolling from the mountain top that lands become so disastrous, so is the new wave of technological advancement that is capable of relieving people of their jobs, turning skilled workers into either semi-skilled or unskilled, and relegating unskilled to no nobody. Fellow Miners, I am glad to tell us that the industry is changing, and whoever understands the tone of change and runs with the change will be on top of his/her carrier.
If there is anything that digitization has brought, it is speed, precision, lead time operation, quality, simplicity, ease, and expression of products and services. There are three known types of laborers which are skilled, semi–skilled, and unskilled workers. Skilled labor jobs required specialized skills and advanced training, while unskilled labor is a job with no skills and requirements, or training, and standing in between these two jobs is the semi-skilled which requires certain abilities and some kind of training, but no advanced education or specialized skills sets.
It is no longer a news for development in the era of industry 4.0 model coined by the World Economic Forum has technologies such as cyber physical systems and Internet of things (IOT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Big Data, Robots and Drones, Cloud Computing, 5G and 6G networks 3D printing, Virtual and Augmented reality, and Block Chain Technology. Which has foundational technologies in Cube Satellite, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, and various Advance Computing, Materials and Energy.
This era that signifies industrial revolution with major changes in industrial processes due to the introduction of new technologies in all sectors like medicine, agriculture, manufacturing, aviation, entertainment, engineering, fashion, extractive industry, etc.
The extractive industry now runs on big data, and technological advancement has caused a total change of operation in the industry, and the possibility that the data-connected mine of the future could give local communities access to real-time data on operations, tailings dam indicators, and water quality, or give tax authorities better data on production levels. Nevertheless, the technologies like artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, smart sensors, and machine learning will increase productivity, boost efficiency, and increase return on investment (ROI) for all organizations. We may also see such things as more women working remotely; an increase in worker health and safety; lower greenhouse gas and other harmful gases emissions and exposure; and shared infrastructure with the potential to foster economic development, such as high-speed Internet and renewable electricity.
Fellow miners and earth scientists, the wave coming is in the form of disruptive technology that has a radical change in the industry. Many operations in mining will be replaced, new guys are going to be introduced to the system that will manage data processing for the big data explosion, GIS mapping and software designs, drones, and robots that are going to replace physical/human efforts, fewer semi-skilled positions in the formal sector may drive more poor laborers to the informal sector, which creates new problems. And that sector—which, despite its challenges, does act as a force for development—may face increasing struggles competing with ever-more productive formal sector mines.
This is my take:
• I will simply advise the use of the same technologies to improve the classical view of current operators.
• Organizations should go all out to train staff on any technology adopted.
• Staff that understands the view should take steps to get trained even though organizations are not ready. Spending personal money to get trained will pay off.
• Government should also enforce strict local content to mitigate foreign experts that might stop standing as stumbling blocks to workers training.
• Participation of the NGOs in the area of training artisans on technological development most especially in underdeveloped nations.
Please add your own take and let's push this view…..
Thanks
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