The use of apps is increasingly helping businesses and individuals reduce their reliance on paper by swapping folders and physical files for smartphones and tablets.
In the field of mining, tasks such as drawing, making calculations, monitoring equipment, monitoring works and delivering projects have been simplified by technological development, where applications facilitate the routine and life of professionals and students in the area, simplifying processes, increasing productivity and giving great support to the organization and storage of information.
With that in mind, we have selected a list of 7 mining apps that will make your life easier, check it out:
1- Autocad
AutoCAD is a widely used software in all branches of engineering, especially in Civil Engineering. However, it is also widely used in mining projects. It is a very complete software, easy to understand and highly interactive . In mining, we can make drilling grid projects, topographic and drilling profiles, 2D and 3D analyses, infrastructure projects such as crushing plants, processing units, floor plans of built areas, among many other applications.
For field work, the AutoCAD – DWG Editor app offers many of the same tools found in its desktop version . This includes the ability to open and modify .DWG files, zoom and pan, rotate objects, and take on-site measurements that can be imported as a standalone file.
One-touch access simplifies many of these actions , and any design can be sent to other stakeholders with a single click. The app is available for iOS and Android and is free.
Another useful feature is that a GPS algorithm will display the user's exact position within an architectural drawing or plan . AutoCAD – DWG Editor can be accessed while offline and any changes will be synchronized with existing files as soon as the user has access to the Internet.
The free version of the app has some limitations. To take advantage of all the features of AutoCAD – DWG Editor, the user must upgrade to AutoCAD – DWG Editor, which adds several tools, such as creating a project from scratch, from the smartphone (since the app can only view and change projects that have already been created).
Dedicated email support is offered in case any issues or questions arise. The developers offer a seven-day free trial before the entire package needs to be purchased.
AutoCAD mobile subscription plans are available in these options:
- Monthly Premium, for $4.99;
- Annual Premium for $49.99 (save $9.89 compared to monthly subscription);
- Ultimate annual, for $99.99;
- Students can subscribe to the Premium plan for FREE!
2- Avenza Maps
The Avenza Maps app is an offline map reader for mobile devices. With it, you can download and open maps, pan, zoom, use GPS to locate yourself on the map, drop markers, record GPS tracks, and measure areas and distances.
In this application, users can import any Geospatial map in PDF, GeoPDF or GeoTIFF format. Maps are activated upon import for use in the application. For free users, a maximum of three maps can be activated at any one time . Subsequent map imports require the previous maps to be deactivated and deleted before the new map can be activated for use.
In addition to importing, the Avenza Map Store contains high-quality maps from around the world, including USGS and Canadian topographic maps. The Map Store can be accessed directly through the app to find maps for hiking, recreation, and other activities. Maps from the Map Store can also be downloaded.
All maps can be used offline. Maps downloaded from the Avenza Map Store or imported into the app can only be viewed in the app on an iOS or Android device and cannot be exported for viewing on a PC. Maps downloaded from the Avenza Map Store do not count towards the app's import limit and you can download as many maps as you want, free or paid.
For users who need more than three maps active at the same time, a Plus subscription can be purchased to import and activate an unlimited number of your own maps.
For readers interested in specific apps for geological mapping , we have made available on our blog an article with applications that can make day-to-day field work easier using a cell phone , with the possibility of practically organizing the acquisition of descriptive and interpretative data collected in the field, description of the itinerary (vehicle mileage, starting point), acquisition of photographs and geographic coordinates (via GPS).
3- Pocket Blast Guide
In Pocket Blast the user can perform calculations for rock blasting.
In addition to allowing the user to perform calculations for dismantling rocks with explosives, the app also features conversion functions, product information and tools for managing operations on mobile devices.
The tool is a pocket guide to explosives operations and can be used even offline or in remote areas , ensuring access anywhere, anytime. Updates made in offline mode are automatically saved when the user re-establishes an internet connection.
The Orica Pocket Blast Guide is free to download, is in English , and is available for iOS and Android (device must have a minimum screen size of 640 x 960).
4- GPS Status & Toolbox
GPS Status & Toolbox is a GPS application for Android that allows you to detect locations and positions , as well as identify satellites. The app also recognizes the strength of satellite signals, reports accuracy, speed, acceleration and bearing, and measures the distance in degrees from one object to another.
The app shows you how to navigate by finding out where objects and people are all over the place. Positions are sorted by east, west and a landmark of the destination.
GPS Status & Toolbox has some pretty accurate tools. It comes with compasses that can level, mark, and share your location , as well as guide you to your destination. GPS Status & Toolbox only runs on Android smartphones from version 1.6 onwards, is in English, and is completely free.
5- Gold Live! Gold Price, Silver, Base Metals, News
This tool provides the latest market price quotes, charts and video news on mineral commodities and also provides expert support to users with critical market information, live quotes and much more.
The app is a good option for those who want to stay up to date with the latest news on precious metals, finance, stocks and mining . On the platform, users receive real-time notifications sent directly to their smartphones with the latest business news.
When browsing, you can find market data on all precious metals, base metals, mining stocks , cryptocurrencies, forex and much more – always just a tap away.
Gold Live won the Gold Medal for Best Mobile App Design at the 2019 Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) in the Business division.
6- Wikiloc
Similar to Avenza Maps, Wikiloc is a useful application for fieldwork and can assist in geological surveying and mapping activities . In the app, you can record your own routes on a map, add waypoints, take photos along the way and upload them to your Wikiloc account from your mobile phone.
Users can also access free offline topographic maps from around the world to use without coverage or data. The app can also turn your phone into a GPS navigator that will guide you with a course indicator and sound alerts to warn you if you stray from the route while navigating.
Wikiloc also allows you to search by area of passage where you can find trails that pass through specific areas of the region you have chosen to explore.
7- Investing.com
Investing.com offers free quotes and a suite of financial tools covering a variety of global and local financial instruments. It is a good choice for mineral commodity traders and investors .
The app features real-time quotes for over 100,000 financial instruments traded on over 250 global exchanges, offering detailed information on forex, indices and stocks, futures and options, commodities, rates and bonds.
At Investing.com, users can also use completely free alerts with price and variation notifications , customizable for any instrument or economic event.
Do you use any apps in your student routine or at work? Share with us!