Geomechanics.io

Rising concern among construction professionals over data privacy and cyber security is slowing adoption of artificial intelligence tools, according to a new Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) report. Respondents cited risks around sharing commercially sensitive project data from BIM models and cost plans with cloud-based AI platforms, and uncertainty over where training data is stored and processed. The findings signal that AI deployment on live projects, including for quantity take-off automation and programme optimisation, may stall without clearer contractual, regulatory and data-governance frameworks.

Deswik has opened a new office in Almaty, Kazakhstan, expanding its in‑country team to support mine planning and scheduling customers across Central Asia. The enlarged local staff, led by Territory Manager Zhanash Sultanova and experienced mining specialists, will deliver on-site implementation, training and troubleshooting for Deswik’s software suite. For regional operators, this should reduce reliance on remote support and shorten turnaround times for complex tasks such as multi-pit scheduling, haulage simulation and detailed drill‑and‑blast design.

Trimble has released SketchUp Pro Civil Contractor, linking Trimble SketchUp directly with Trimble Siteworks and the Trimble Earthworks grade control platform to create a single 3D earthworks model from design through layout, machine guidance and verification. The tool targets contractors handling grading, excavation and utilities who lack traditional 3D CAD skills, offering a faster way to generate field-ready models for dozers, excavators and survey kits. Streamlined data exchange between design, surveying and earthmoving is intended to cut rework, reduce downtime and improve positional accuracy on site.

Graham has signed a three‑year deal making MukAway its primary materials management platform across UK and Ireland infrastructure sites, in one of MukAway’s largest contracts to date. The decision centres on handling very high volumes of earthworks on nationally significant infrastructure projects with full digital visibility of material movements and logistics. Graham’s team cites MukAway’s ESG dashboard as a key feature, giving project managers usable, site-level sustainability data in real time to inform haulage choices, disposal routes and reuse strategies.

Emesent is opening its Brisbane headquarters on 20 August for a free National Science Week evening (5:30–9:00pm), offering students, industry and the public hands-on access to its autonomous mapping technology for “the world’s most inaccessible places”. In partnership with Surveyors Australia, the event will showcase Emesent’s drone-based LiDAR and autonomy stack used for GPS-denied underground mines and other confined environments. For mining engineers and surveyors, it is a rare chance to interrogate hardware–software workflows, data outputs and practical deployment constraints directly with the development team.

PT Hengjaya Mineralindo has deployed Datamine’s CCLAS laboratory information management system at its Hengjaya open-pit laterite nickel mine in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, to tighten control of saprolite and limonite assay data. The system centralises sample tracking, results validation and reporting across the nickel laboratory workflow, reducing manual data entry and the risk of transcription errors. More reliable, time-stamped laboratory data supports tighter grade control, reconciliation and ore blending decisions for the Nickel Industries Limited subsidiary.

Future Homes Hub has released version 3 of its Whole Life Carbon Assessment tool for new homes, aligned with the RICS Whole Life Carbon Assessment Professional Standard (2nd edition) and incorporating sector-specific defaults, assumptions and methodologies. The 2026 update extends the Conventions to cover site infrastructure, adding standard scopes for site preparation, estate roads, utilities and off-plot works that were previously a “data black hole”. For developers and civil engineers, this enables more comprehensive, comparable embodied carbon reporting across multi-site housing schemes and clearer allocation of infrastructure emissions.

John Deere Electronics is releasing its field-tested Vision Processing Unit (VPU) to European OEMs and machine builders, enabling integration of ruggedised, vision-based autonomy hardware into next-generation mobile machinery. The VPU is designed to run high-compute computer vision and machine learning workloads for real-time perception and decision-making, such as object detection, obstacle avoidance and path planning around mining and construction equipment. For engineers, this offers an off‑the‑shelf, validated compute platform for autonomous or operator-assist systems without developing bespoke edge hardware.

NOCN Group is launching a digital competence platform linked to its NOCN Skills Passport, giving employers a single desktop and mobile-accessible system to track workforce capability across regulated construction and infrastructure roles. The platform goes beyond conventional CSCS-style cards and qualification databases by evidencing Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours (SKEBs) for each individual, creating a secure, evolving digital professional identity. NOCN positions this as a practical tool for demonstrating competence under the Building Safety Act by consolidating currently fragmented training, certification and compliance records.

Kilmac has standardised its survey operations on Trimble, buying six SPS720 total stations, six R780 GNSS rovers and six TSC710 data collectors with Siteworks from Sitech to complement its existing on-machine systems. The fully connected Trimble Civil Construction Technology ecosystem, managed through Trimble Business Centre and Works Manager, links office, field and plant for precision earthmoving and reduced rework on multi-phase civils and groundworks. The setup is already deployed on the £76m Clackmannanshire Wellbeing Hub and Lochies school project in Scotland, due to complete in late 2027.

Workday has released Workday Learning, powered by Sana, an AI-native training platform that combines Workday’s existing HR and skills datasets with Sana’s generative tools to personalise learning pathways for mining workforces. The system can auto-generate course content, assessments and microlearning from existing policies, SOPs and technical documents, while tracking role-specific competencies such as equipment operation, safety procedures and regulatory compliance. For mine operators, this offers a way to standardise training across sites, shorten onboarding and keep skills matrices current without manual content development.

Datamine has released 2026 upgrades across its mining software suite, tightening data flow between exploration, geology, mine planning, laboratory information management and production control. Key advances include deeper integration between Studio RM resource modelling, Studio OP/UG mine design, Fusion LIMS and the Minemax scheduler, plus improved interoperability with fleet management and plant control systems via standardised APIs. For engineers, the changes aim to cut manual data handling in block model updates, short-interval control and grade reconciliation, and to support more consistent multi-mine planning workflows.

Researchers at Birmingham City University and steel specialist HadleyFRAME have automated structural checks in digital building models, cutting connection-checking time by 96% on projects with more than 18,000 joints. Two custom tools, developed under a West Midlands Advanced Construction Cluster sprint, include a parameter-driven copying utility that trims batch copy time for five connections from 15 to 12 minutes, and a model-wide scanner that flags missing or unexpected steel connections before fabrication. Tested on a five-storey modular residential scheme in Derbyshire, the system targets early detection of connection errors, directly affecting QA workflows for modern methods of construction.

Canada’s Open Science and Data Platform (OSDP), built by Natural Resources Canada to support the federal Major Projects Office, is now central to mine permitting, aggregating geospatial science, environmental monitoring, mapping tools and regulatory records from federal, provincial and territorial sources into a single online portal. Used on Newmont’s Red Chris mine expansion in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle, the OSDP lets users layer Treaty boundaries, species-at-risk data, transmission lines, watersheds and nearby projects, with updates fed automatically via APIs rather than static uploads. NRCan reports about 200,000 unique users, 70% repeat visits, and is adding datasets by roughly 10% annually, with plans for AI-driven search and machine-readable historical assessments.

idoba has released Version 2.0 of idoba.sim, a cloud-based simulation tool for short-term planning in underground hard rock mines that now models development advance and truck load-and-haul in a single run. Planning teams can simultaneously simulate development headings and both development and production haulage, rather than running separate models for each activity stream. The integrated workflow should improve cycle time analysis, fleet utilisation planning and identification of bottlenecks around development-ore interactions.

Deswik is rolling out its NOVA platform to unify open-pit mine scheduling, stockpile blending and haulage into a single planning environment, replacing the traditional mix of disconnected spreadsheets and point tools. By running mining, blending and truck fleet scenarios together, NOVA can expose crusher feed gaps, mill underutilisation and haul road bottlenecks early in the planning cycle rather than after shift start. For engineers, the integrated workflow tightens compliance to long-term plans, improves material movement visibility and reduces manual data hand-offs between geology, planning and operations.

Caprivi Solutions has released CapEx360® for Mining, a capital governance platform designed to manage multi-site, life-of-mine portfolios from initial business case and AFE approval through to execution and post-investment review. The system provides a single governed environment for tracking project execution, managing rolling forecasts and capturing actuals against budget across multiple assets. For mine owners, the tool targets tighter control of sustaining and growth capital, more consistent stage-gate decisions and improved visibility of capital performance over the full asset lifecycle.

Achilles has launched Achilles Risk Screening, a supplier risk capability aimed at giving mining and resources operators earlier visibility of exposure across multi-tier, global supply chains. The tool aggregates data on geographically dispersed vendors to flag disruption, compliance or ESG-related risks before contract award, enabling more targeted and cheaper mitigation than broad-brush prequalification. For mine owners and EPCM contractors relying on critical spares, explosives, reagents and OEM support, earlier risk signals can directly influence sourcing strategies, inventory buffers and contingency planning.

Global has acquired a controlling stake in Aberdeen-based Prism, a 40-strong project management and controls specialist best known for its Prism Apps software used widely across the energy sector. The deal will fund further development of Prism Apps and expansion of consultancy services in planning, estimating and risk management into renewables, infrastructure, data centres, nuclear, utilities and defence. Founder Andy Sutherland and his existing management team will remain in place, signalling continuity for current users and ongoing support for live project controls deployments.

McLaren Construction will deploy FieldAI autonomous quadruped robots on UK sites to run regular 360° scans, generate point clouds and carry out progress verification, model-to-site deviation checks, safety patrols and quality assurance. FieldAI’s “Field Foundation Models” combine data-driven AI, physics-based reasoning and uncertainty quantification, allowing robots to navigate stairs, doors and changing site layouts without prior maps, fixed routes or supporting infrastructure. Automated deviation analysis between scans and design models is expected to tighten tolerance control, catch installation errors earlier and cut rework, while meeting UK regulatory and data security requirements.

Seequent’s OpenGround Civil 3D Extension links live geotechnical data from OpenGround into Autodesk Civil 3D, allowing borehole logs, interpreted strata and lab test results to update directly within corridor, grading and earthworks models. Designers can generate 3D ground models, cross-sections and surfaces that automatically reflect new investigations, rather than relying on static AGS or CSV imports. The workflow reduces manual rework and helps geotechnical and civil teams keep alignments, cut/fill volumes and foundation layouts consistent with the latest ground model.

GeoDin Ground, a free Autodesk Civil 3D plug-in, replaces manual borehole imports by directly linking Civil 3D models to GeoDin® geotechnical databases and AGS/Excel borehole logs. The tool generates dynamic 3D subsurface models, including stratigraphy, groundwater levels and geotechnical layers, that update automatically as borehole data change. For designers, this means borehole positions, interpreted soil horizons and material properties are embedded in corridors, alignments and earthworks, reducing data re-entry and improving consistency between geotechnical interpretation and Civil 3D design.

Scripting in RS3 now lets tunnel designers automatically extract lining forces, moments, and displacements at every section along a 3D model, instead of manually interrogating individual cross-sections. Users can generate full lining design envelopes, export results to spreadsheets or custom reports, and rapidly iterate on reinforcement or segment thickness without re-running the finite element analysis. For geotechnical teams, this shifts effort from repetitive post-processing to checking design assumptions, load cases, and ground–structure interaction behaviour across the entire tunnel.

Greenbase’s Envago platform is being deployed to help mining companies comply with Australia’s new mandatory climate reporting regime under AASB S2, which requires disclosure of climate-related risks, Scope 1–3 emissions and governance alongside financial statements. Envago replaces spreadsheet-based workflows by integrating data from site operations, energy meters and procurement systems into a single emissions and ESG reporting environment. For mine operators, this means earlier alignment with AASB S2 assurance expectations and reduced manual reconciliation effort across multiple assets and joint ventures.